Machinery & robotics

Business activities, machinery and robotics are firmly embedded in Flanders’ thriving high-tech services and manufacturing industry. The following facts and figures highlight its main credentials:

• The technology industry in Belgium and Flanders as a region grew by 1.7% in 2019 to an absolute record of EUR 129.4 billion in turnover (source: Agoria, 2020 figures).
• At Sirris, the collective innovation center for the manufacturing industry, some140 technology experts realize more than 1,800 Industry 4.0 projects for over 1,500 companies every year (source: Bloovi.be, 2019).
• Various production sites in Flanders have been presented with the Factory of the Future label by sector federation Agoria and innovation center Sirris. Winners include Daikin Europe (Ostend), Punch Powertrain (Sint-Truiden), Ontex (Eeklo), Rousselot (Ghent), Nuscience (Drongen), BMT Aerospace (Oostkamp), Newtec (Erpe-Mere), and more.

Flanders’ technological industry is driven by big (international) names and strong innovators that are shaping the future of manufacturing, machinery and robotics. By setting up a base in the region, you’ll be in the company of enterprises with impressive track records that have established HQs and R&D centers in the region, including Atlas Copco, CNH, Daikin, etc.

Flanders stands out as a leader in machinery, robotics and other high-tech domains – and it’s not just because of its innovative manufacturing industry, where automation, flexibility and customization are in the spotlight. The region is also home to a strong network of academic and private enterprises that are enabled by a supportive government.

Regardless of your sector, you’re sure to find the perfect family of high-tech facilitators in Flanders. Below, you can find a non-exhaustive overview.

In Flanders, your high-tech company can rely on the expertise and knowhow of Flanders’ strategic research centers, which build on the fundamental research carried out by the region’s universities, as well as various other sector-dedicated research centers. These include:

• Flanders Make is Flanders’ strategic research center for innovation in manufacturing. Closely associated with the region’s universities, Flanders Make strives to enable the advent of smart systems by focusing its research on flexible assembly, motion products as well as decision & control and design & optimization for production and vehicles. 
• imec, Flanders’ strategic research center for nano- and digital technology, is dedicated to innovating across a wide range of high-tech industries such as wireless technology, nanoelectronics, IoT, machine learning and more.
• Sirris, a collective innovation center, network driver and incubator covering various R&D fields relevant to the high-tech industry.
• Highlighting one of Flanders Make’s core labs, CoSys-Lab performs industry-oriented research in the domains of machine building, mechatronics and cyber-physical systems. In particular, it focuses on sensors, signal processing, embedded control, and related model-based design methodologies and optimization techniques.

In addition, your company can choose to work directly with a myriad of fundamental technological research groups and competence centers at Flanders’ five universities, which focus on industry-driven innovation and collaboration. Some prominent examples:

• Mecha(tro)nic System Dynamics (LMSD) and Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM) – two KU Leuven departments that coordinate a wide variety of research groups and tracks relevant to smart manufacturing and robotics. 
• Leuven.AI – a KU Leuven initiative within the context of Flanders’ impulse program on artificial intelligence (which is aimed at research, industrial implementation, ethics and training). It ensures smooth coordination and efficient cooperation between a number of KU Leuven’s multidisciplinary research groups and labs that work on AI topics.

BruBotics is an initiative that unites various VUB research groups with a clear mission: to improve quality of life through human robotics. BruBotics is home to experts in engineering and life, computer and social sciences that work closely with industry partners. Below are just some of the research groups that work together with BruBotics:

• Artificial Intelligence Research Group – boasts unique expertise in multi-agent systems, reinforcement learning, evolutionary and hybrid AI, cognitive AI, computational creativity and knowledge representation.
• SMIT – associated with both imec and VUB, and dedicated to media, innovation and technology studies. Its expertise includes human-robot interaction, participatory design and co-creation, the study of user experience and acceptance, and business and policy analysis.
• INDI – develops pragmatic solutions for the deployment of robots in environments such as construction and agriculture, where the use of robotics is traditionally low.
• RERE-NEURO – focuses on rehabilitation research, neurological rehabilitation and rehabilitation psychology. It explores the effectiveness of rehabilitation robots and robotic assistance for neurological patients, as well as the psychological aspects linked to the use of robot systems in this environment.
• R&MM Group – concentrates its research on robotics & multibody mechanics (R&MM) and human-robot interaction (HRI).

In Flanders, there are many incubators that help high-tech companies thrive in many business areas by providing affordable office space, administrative services and even development tools. Here are just a few examples:

• Corda Campus – this extensive tech campus fosters fruitful relationships and knowledge sharing between tech companies.
• OMC – the Open Manufacturing Campus supports innovation in engineering and manufacturing.
• Orsi Academy – known for world-class, minimally invasive surgical training and test facilities, Orsi Academy also provides support to any organization or individual contributing to new developments in this area.

Flanders is home to a variety of living labs for technological industry players: open labs where companies can try out new technologies and carry out basic testing before making investment decisions. Numerous innovative topics and domains can be explored, from cobots and cybersecurity for machines to condition-based and predictive maintenance as well as production support software such as manufacturing execution systems (MES).

Flanders is home to a lot of expertise in particular high-tech branches, such as:

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is crucial to developing innovative mechatronic devices, machinery and production processes as well as novel control, diagnostics and material delivery systems. To enable this, organizations like Sirris, Agoria, Flanders Make and Flam3D work closely with AM research departments at all major universities and university colleges in Flanders.

Building smart factories requires mechatronics, robotics, digitization and the Internet of Things to go hand in hand. Flanders is home to some of the world’s most innovative R&D players, which support this ambition. To give just one example, the region’s strategic research center for nano- and digital technology – imec – empowers companies to ride the wave of the 5th industrial revolution. In addition, strategic research center Flanders Make plays a major role in enabling smart factories through mechatronics and robotics research.

When deciding to establish activities or headquarters in Flanders, your high-tech company can reap the rewards of:

• government subsidies and support for investments in R&D and innovation, strategic transformation, ecological efforts, growth and other domains.
• tax incentives to fund a broad range of business activities.
• fiscal options to help you cut labor costs.

Flanders offers access to several tax incentives that are particularly relevant to research-intensive sectors such as machinery, robotics and other high-tech activities. Examples include:

• the innovation income deduction – up to 85% of a company’s net innovation income can be exempt from corporate tax.
• the R&D investment deduction – 13.5% of the investment value (at once) or 20.5% of the annual depreciation (staggered). 
• the R&D payroll tax exemption – 80% of the withholding tax on professional income for researchers and academic personnel.