The smart manufacturing industry

The introduction of the steam engine, mass production on the assembly line, the use of electronics and computers and the creation of smart...

When the Industrial Revolution gets underway in England in the second half of the eighteenth century, the northern Netherlands is still a...

In 1841, the Gelderland entrepreneur Willem Albert Scholten bought a piece of land in Foxhol, near Hoogezand. Here he founded his first...

Toward the end of the 19th century, small forges grew into veritable machine factories. With technological development and the introduction...

In 1884, Albert Fongers began producing bicycles on a small scale. The company grows steadily. In 1895,...

Innovations in technology make mass production possible, with electricity also playing an important role. The assembly line, the use of which...

In the early twentieth century, the Frisian agricultural equipment industry grows considerably. Some of the companies that are established grow...

Socio-economic development through industrialization does not proceed in the same way throughout the Netherlands. During the interwar period, efforts to...

In 1950, Brabant-based electronics manufacturer Philips establishes itself in Drachten to produce shavers. Philips spreads like an oil slick....

Government policies for the region have had moderate success, but employment in the Northern Netherlands remains under pressure. In the search for...

After the turn of the century, the smart manufacturing industry was increasingly embraced as a strength of the North. The emphasis was initially on...

In response to increasing market competition following the economic crisis of 2008, an international development is emerging from Germany in 2011,...

Since the arrival of Phillips, Drachten has become an important nucleus for the smart manufacturing industry. In 2012, companies are hitting the...

The former Philips factory in Emmen is home to the smart industry Technologies Added in 2018. With its innovative use of...

Since 2023, the European Digital Innovation Program has also been working on the smart manufacturing industry. Under the name European Digital Innovation Hub,...

From the Industrial Revolution to Industry 4.0, the smart manufacturing industry has undergone a real transformation. The Northern Netherlands has historically not been at the forefront of...