We can see that there is increasing emphasis on high-tech and high addedvalue production and these bring new opportunities and also new challenges. It is abundantly clear that our region is embracing these opportunities and not only meeting the challenges they face, but surmounting them. The solutions our manufacturers are creating are always innovative and often  groundbreaking, and our region is developing a reputation for excellence in advanced  manufacturing that rivals that of any our competitors. Furthermore, the concentration of talent in Twente makes it an attraction for other manufacturers wishing to move to the region to share and build on our depth of knowledge and experience.

InnovatieNU regularly features local champions of industry, outlining their responses to these new and varied challenges. In this particular issue, for example, our editorial team has reached out to key members of our local manufacturing community who are ardent supporters of InnovatieNU. We requested their viewpoints on how they are riding the wave of manufacturing advancement, how they see the future of manufacturing in the region and how they anticipate it may impact them, now and in years to come. Their answers proved to be very insightful.

When my colleagues and I started this magazine, we were uncertain how it may be received. After all, people today can get their information from many different sources. A new magazine is quite a rare thing to see in this day and age, and could be seen as a risky venture. We were extremely pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response we received from companies who obviously appreciate what we are doing to highlight both the manufacturing industry and the region. They gladly provided articles for this special edition. The support we have received from local industry has been exceptional and it was great to receive and read the articles presented in this latest edition of InnovatieNU. We trust that you too will be interested to read their viewpoints.

I may be jinxing things (and I sincerely hope that I am not), but 2022 certainly seems to be starting with a spring in its step. Although we are still dealing with COVID on a daily basis, it does seem that the worst may indeed be over and that most of us can finally start to concentrate on rebuilding our daily lives. As I look out from my office at the University of Twente campus, I can see more people out and about than I have for many months. I can also see that most of them are (at least when they are seated or outside without the omnipresent masks on) happy and smiling. The future is looking brighter than at any time in the past two years and in 2022, we are gearing up to present you with more outstanding articles offering you a wealth of new ideas, innovative approaches to old problems and cutting edge techniques, to help you keep abreast of a rapidly changing industry.

Chair Professor of Industrial Engineering (UT) & Scientific Director
Fraunhofer Project Center at the University of Twente