What do we focus on?

Produktion2030 focuses on six challenge areas in which Swedish industry, universities and research institutes are internationally competitive. However, these challenge areas require continued investment in order to keep Swedish manufacturing competitive over the long term.

Sweden has an opportunity to take up a position as global leader, resolving challenges in the production field and thus boosting the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry. The six areas of strength have been prioritised in dialogue with a large number of representatives from industry, universities and research institutes. The areas of strength also match the EU’s priorities in industrial research and innovation.

Digitalisation and sustainability

Digitalisation and sustainability are multidisciplinary themes that run through the areas of strength. Digitalisation affects every part of the production chain and is vital in securing the future of production in Sweden. Sustainability encompasses economic, environmental and social sustainability and is a core aspect of future production.

Challenge areas in Produktion2030

01: Resource- efficient production

Industry challenge: To minimise the resource consumption and environmental impact of production systems and products.

Resource-efficient production is a prerequisite for manufacturing in a country such as Sweden, with high wages, high quality standards and high material costs. Resources such as materials, people, energy, capital and time must be used efficiently in order for production to remain competitive. Research and innovation aimed at resource-efficient manufacturing requires a holistic approach and affects all the lifecycle phases of products and production systems.

02: Flexible production

Industry challenge: To further develop manufacturing processes to keep pace with the products of the future.

Today and tomorrow’s consumers demand increasingly customised and personalised products, which requires a great deal of flexibility from the production process. Flexible production is able to handle volume changes, different variants, new materials and new combinations of materials. We need new knowledge, innovative manufacturing methods and automation solutions. Automation and digitalisation contribute to flexibility by, for example, simulating or integrating systems to achieve decentralised management and monitoring of the production process.

03: Virtual production development

Industry challenge: To convert information and data into knowledge and input for decision-making in virtual and physical production systems.

04: Humans in the production system

Industry challenge: To strengthen cooperation between humans and automation in order to enhance people’s performance and increase productivity and flexibility.

Although the future of manufacturing is digital, humans still have a vital role to play. Complex production requires competent people to collaborate with advanced automated production systems and robots. Digitalisation, sensors and big data impose new demands on personal safety, communication, interfaces and allocation of tasks between people and technical systems. While technological advances demand virtual and global networks, they also enable access to information regardless of language. New technical solutions also make it possible to improve workstations, working methods and ergonomics.

05: Circular production systems and maintenance

Industry challenge: To develop competence and service-based products.

A circular production strategy, such as re-manufacturing, is a way to enable smart and resource-efficient products and production systems. The shift towards a circular economy and circular production requires new design at the product and production level. The service life of products and production systems can be extended through smart maintenance, new combinations of materials and components and data analysis. To achieve this, we need to develop competence and find new types of service-based products.

06: Integrated product and production development

Industry challenge: To strengthen product development processes and tools for innovative product development.

A product must create value for all the parties in the supply chain. Development of products and production systems needs to take place more rapidly, in parallel and in an integrated way in order to meet market demand for speed and flexibility. Strengthening the integration of product and production development is crucial for competitive manufacturing companies.