Sandvik Coromant looks to the future and reveals trends

This follows an extensive study, which saw the company taking a closer look at the macro trends influencing the future of manufacturing industry. A video has also been produced (above). "Traditionally, manufacturing industry has been conservative in exploring new opportunities. Now, the situation is different. Simply put, the world is moving at a much faster pace than before," explains Kevin Lorch (pictured), marketing manager, innovation at Sandvik Coromant. "In order to develop future solutions and meet customer demands, industry leaders have to be perceptive and forward thinking." The company decided early on that the result of the study should be shared with the rest of the industry by way of supporting a more general discussion relating to the common challenges of the future. "While many companies perform market and trend research for internal use, we decided that the result of the survey could be used to spark a dialogue about the future of manufacturing and the attitudes in the industry toward new challenges," Mr Lorch offers. In brief, the study has revealed: Rapid urbanisation In a future context, societies evolve rapidly. Global and local are no longer opposites, but part of an intricate network, spanning across borders. Today, half of the world's population – 3 billion people – lives in urban areas. Over the next 15 years, the makeup of the group of top 600 cities will change, as the centre of gravity of the urban world moves south and, even more decisively, east. Sustainability Environmental issues have been part of manufacturing industry for a long time, perhaps, especially, in terms of legislation. However, in the future, sustainability will be a much more integrated part of the manufacturing business model, in terms of recycling, energy saving processes, reduction of water use and green transports. New advanced materials A major influence on manufacturing industry is material development. With new high performance materials, like carbon fibre and super alloys, the demand on productivity increases. This also influences new methods of manufacturing, machine and tool design, as well as software. New technologies Digital solutions are a more integrated part of manufacturing than ever before. There is a lot of data to interpret and analyse in order to optimise manufacturing processes. Several CAM companies are deeply involved in projects relating to the use of digital data in the development of CADCAM services to the end customer. This opens up the use of digital products, which is turning into a competitive advantage. "With the release of the trend report, we hope to spread a dialogue about the future across the manufacturing industry. No matter if it relates to products and productivity solutions or competence and labour needs; insights and knowledge about our constantly changing world are an important keys to the future success of the manufacturing industry," concludes Mr Lorch.