Admantex2i mission to Japan

Admantex2i project’s main objective is to lead international cluster cooperation in advanced manufacturing and advanced textile materials as an enabler for globally competitive sustainable products functional in a broad range of high-end applications. Admantex2i project is composed of three advanced textile materials clusters and three advanced manufacturing clusters from 6 EU regions and 4 EU member states in southern Europe. On 11-15 March 2024, the Admantex2i project organized its third and last country mission, bringing a delegation of 22 European participants to Japan (from 20 different organizations: 8 companies, 6 Research and Technological Organizations and the 6 clusters), for a week of industrial visits, business meetings and participation in the Smart Manufacturing Summit 2024, in order to identify potential business and technological innovation opportunities. The mission was exploratory in nature with business-oriented objectives and aimed at discovering this important global market and its diverse opportunities for the sectors involved in the project. The delegation visited the premises of 3 renowned entities in Japan operating in the fields of advanced manufacturing, aeronautics, chemical fibers, and textiles, and contacted many other Japanese companies during the international event Smart Manufacturing Summit, held in Aichi Prefecture.

The mission provided participants with an excellent overview of the Japanese market and the state of the art of its innovative technologies.
On the first day, the delegation visited the facilities of the JCFA in Tokyo to learn about their ecosystem and discuss potential collaboration opportunities with their member companies. In the afternoon, the delegation visited two facilities of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) around Tokyo.
On the second day of the mission, the delegation had the opportunity to visit two Kawasaki facilities, namely the Robot Manufacturing Factory in Akashi in the morning and the Robot Showroom in Nishi-Kobe in the afternoon. These visits were one of the highlights of the Japan mission and provided a thorough overview of the Japanese robotics industry. The last 3 days of the mission were dedicated to attending the international event Smart Manufacturing Summit 2024, organized for the first time in Japan by the French company Global Industries / GL Events, in partnership with the Aichi Prefectural Government. The Admantex2i partnership had a booth at the fair that served as a meeting point for participating companies. Of the 3 missions organized in the framework of the Admantex2i project, by far the most challenging from a cultural point of view was the Country Mission to Japan. With this in mind, the organizers prepared 2 collective coaching sessions for the participants of the mission. The first one was organized with the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, and the second one with AICEP Global Portugal Tokyo and the Trade & Investment Commissioner at the Embassy of Portugal in Japan. 
Admantex2i would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the EU-Japan Centre, the Japan Chemical Fibers Association, JAXA, Kawasaki Robotics, AECIP Portugal Global, and the Smart Manufacturing Summit for their invaluable support and collaboration.

Source: Admantex2i