Workshop PNO project INSPIRE gives insights in drivers for re-shoring

The event, which was co-organized by the SPIRE community, offered the participants an opportunity to contribute to defining innovative business models and picturing the future EU process industry. The day consisted of two parts; a plenary session and four parallel sessions that contained INSPIRE Business Model Game, in which participants tried to design new business models.

Plenary session

First a project overview and a recap on the first year was given by the project coordinator (PNO Innovation). Then, other consortium members from the project (ZLC and TNO) gave their view on how new business models are being driven by new technologies and socio-economic trends.

This first part of the morning session was a perfect opportunity to do a survey among the attendees on the backshoring process of their companies. With this survey, the consortium could update and validate insights in the external factors like environmental issues, costs, customer related issues, risks or supply chain management as well as the internal issues that influence backshoring.

Parallel sessions

Four parallel sessions, that were each led by an INSPIRE partner, focused on the potential of one of the four business model archetypes, that should create a flexible and sustainable system in the progress industry as well as its associated challenges.

During these business model innovation games that were based on real specific cases, attendees had to redesign the value chain, while considering flexibilities and technologies and simultaneously assess the redesign on business, sustainability and reshoring.

The following business model archetypes were proposed;

1. Decentralised or modular production (led by TNO) is a business model archetype that covers industries that decentralize their manufacturing and split their production processes into various locations or regions.
2. (Mass) customisation (led by ITIA-CNR) combines the personalization and flexibility of custom-made business manufacturing with the traditional principles of mass production.
3. Servitisation (led by ZLC) considers deliver functionality, rather than ownership.
4. Reuse and sustainability (PNO) focusses on mechanism for a more sustainable and competitive industry through improvements in resource and energy efficiency.

Outcomes of the survey and the very effective Innovation Business Model workshops will be revealed in the next INSPIRE newsletter, that is expected Medio December 2017.

Interviews

During this day, project partners as well as several experts who attended the workshop have been interviewed. A video made during these interviews and the rest of this successful day, provides a clear explanation of the INSPIRE project, its objectives and impact. The video shall be available on the website soon.

More information

For more information, or outcomes of this day, there is a possibility to subscribe to the newsletter on the INSPIRE website, follow INSPIRE on LinkedIn or send an e-mail to info@inspire-eu-project.eu.