On March 23, 2017, the second edition of the Automotive Business Night was held. The Luxembourg Automotive Cluster (now Automobility) managed by Luxinnovation, had the pleasure of hosting active representatives as well as some of the top management of our members who networked and reflected on the automotive industry’s trends & challenges.
Luxembourg’s local automotive eco-system was well represented by key players including Delphi, Goodyear, Raval, CEBI, IEE, KPMG, Circuit Foil, LIST, the University of Luxembourg and many others. The opening session began with a warm welcome to the audience by François Delé, Cluster President. Delé stressed the importance of effective exchange and interconnection between members as crucial to both the support of the cluster and to local economic development. He also mentioned the support provided by the steering committee, composed of a mix of industry, public institution and academia, who help with the execution of the ambitious programme.
Since the creation of the cluster back in 2014, more than 20 new members with expertise in connectivity, smart infrastructure and mobility services have joined. After long reflection, and taking into account the uprisal of disruptive technologies that will revolutionalise the way we drive cars, the steering committee decided to refresh the cluster image by attributing a new name better reflecting our ambitions: Luxembourg Automobility Cluster.
Laurent Federspiel, Director Sector Development & Cluster Initiative, explained the new missions of Luxinnovation following its fusion with Luxembourg For Business (LFB). As a consequence, Joost Ortjens is now in charge of the sector’s economic development with the main goal of attracting foreign direct investment, while Anthony Auert is tasked with supporting the development of the local eco-system as Cluster Manager. The importance of cross industry innovation was emphasised as it is highly regarded as one key element to the stimulation of the economic growth of Luxembourg.
Anthony Auert next took the opportunity to reflect on the key 2016 cluster accomplishments and planned actions for 2017. The conclusions of last year activities demonstrated clear business growth potential in connected and automated driving technologies. He also stressed the importance of collaborative projects to strengthen the national ecosystem, attract young talented professionals, and increase the international recognition of the cluster.
To conclude the programme, Alessandro Coda, CTO of CLEPA (the European Association of Automotive Suppliers) explained his views on the trends and challenges for the automotive industry. His speech left open questions that further animated the wonderful walking dinner which had been prepared by the Hostellerie Stafelter team.
The newly named Luxembourg Automobility Cluster (LAC) would like to thank the many guests and Alessandro Coda, along with the organisation team for their active contribution in making the second edition of Automotive Business Night a success.
