WMF 2025 Panels
World Manufacturing Forum 2025 – Panels
13-14 November 2025
Join us to explore the 2025 World Manufacturing Report and learn about the key strategies and innovations that will drive a competitive, sustainable, and prosperous manufacturing future.
Throughout the two-day event, a series of panel discussions will explore critical pathways and technologies shaping the future of manufacturing. Experts will examine strategies for achieving net-zero industries through sustainable and circular practices, address the urgent need for skills development to support the twin green and digital transitions, and highlight the role of recycling platforms in securing critical raw materials for a resilient industrial future. Panels will also delve into advanced technological solutions, including agent-based industrial AI for next-generation smart manufacturing, multi-robotics systems designed to empower workers and boost productivity, and the application of extended reality (XR) and industrial metaverses to enhance industrial operations. Together, these discussions will provide a comprehensive roadmap for innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness in an evolving global industrial landscape.
The panel discussions will complement the presentation of the 2025 World Manufacturing Forum (WMF) Report, “Key Enabling Technologies for the Future of Manufacturing: Roadmaps & Platforms,” as well as the keynote address “Factories of the Future: Challenges Ahead and Pathways to Future Opportunities.” The 2025 WMF Report will offer strategic insights into the technological advancements and collaborative initiatives necessary to drive the manufacturing sector forward.
The 2025 World Manufacturing Forum will bring together global leaders and experts to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges. Gain actionable insights into how advanced technologies, sustainable practices, and a skilled workforce will shape the next generation of manufacturing. From net-zero goals and circular economies to the latest breakthroughs in AI, robotics, and XR, this forum offers a comprehensive roadmap to navigate the evolving industrial landscape.
This Year's Panels
Special Address by the WEF: “Global Lighthouses: Driving Impact and Scale in Digital Transformation”
A “Global Lighthouse” is an internationally recognisable manufacturing site or supply chain that has achieved an exceptional impact on productivity and sustainability, which has been enabled by digital transformation. To become a “Global Lighthouse”, a manufacturing company or supply chain should demonstrate the successful deployment of advanced technologies that contribute to recognisable advancements and innovations in its business or operating model towards efficient, resilient, and sustainable operations. This special address by the “Global Lighthouse Network”, an initiative of the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, will share best practices enabling manufacturers to replicate and scale innovations and provide a roadmap to navigate digital transformation and sustainable growth.
Keynote: “Factories of the Future: Challenges Ahead and Pathways to Future Opportunities”
In this keynote, the European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA) will share its vision for guiding European manufacturers in their twin green and digital transformation journeys towards innovative, competitive, and sustainable business and operating models. It will highlight the challenges ahead in these journeys and the pathways to future opportunities in an evolving and complex global industrial landscape that calls for integrating advanced technologies into manufacturing and supply chain operations to ensure the competitiveness and resilience of any economy and society.
WMF Panel I: “Roadmapping Sustainability and Circularity Interconnected Pathways to Achieve Net-Zero Industries”
Industrial transformation towards the “Net-Zero Factories of the Future” demands a holistic integration of sustainability and circularity pathways within a manufacturing site and supply chain. This panel will discuss strategic roadmapping approaches that align these interconnected dimensions to accelerate the transition to zero-emission, resource-efficient manufacturing eco-systems. The panellists will examine how data-driven decision-making, digital platforms, and advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, digital twins, and additive manufacturing enable systemic efficiency and circular material flows. Key discussion points will include embedding lifecycle thinking into product design and manufacturing operations, deploying renewable and low-carbon energy sources and water conservation solutions, and developing circular business models that extend product life and minimise waste. The panel will also highlight collaborative strategies that foster value chain integration and shared sustainability outcomes, including industrial symbiosis, reverse logistics, and policy alignment. Emphasis will be placed on how manufacturing companies and industrial clusters can structure phased roadmaps, from diagnostic audits and pilot initiatives to full-scale transformation to achieve “Net-Zero Industries”.
WMF Panel II: “Roadmapping Twin Skills Development Strategies for the Twin Green-Digital Transition”
As the global manufacturing sector undergoes a profound industrial transformation driven by the twin green and digital transitions, developing a future-ready workforce for highly digitalised and sustainable workplaces emerges as a strategic imperative. This panel will explore the roadmapping of twin skills development strategies, integrating green competencies and digital capabilities, to empower the workforce to design, operate, and evolve sustainable, data-driven, and resilient industrial systems from production lines to manufacturing sites to supply chains. The panel discussion will address how education, training, and lifelong learning frameworks, including digital learning platforms, simulation tools, and on-the-job training, must evolve to equip workers with the green and digital skills needed to implement advanced digital manufacturing technologies while supporting climate neutrality, circularity, and resource efficiency. Panellists will present strategies for aligning curricula and vocational programs with emerging industry demands, including green process engineering, AI for energy optimisation, digital product passports, and low-carbon supply chain analytics. The panel will explore public-private partnerships, upskilling initiatives, and certification schemes that accelerate talent pipelines, close skill gaps, and ensure workforce inclusivity in the twin transition.
WMF Panel III: “Recycling Platforms for Securing Critical Raw Materials for a Sustainable and Resilient Future”
As many industries worldwide accelerate the shift toward electrification, digitalisation, and renewable energy, the demand for critical raw materials is surging. Ensuring a sustainable and resilient supply of these materials is a strategic necessity. This panel will explore the role of recycling platforms as essential enablers for securing critical raw materials, reducing environmental impact, and closing material loops within a circular economy framework. Panellists will discuss the development of advanced recycling technologies and the emergence of digital platforms that enable efficient collection, tracking, and recovery of critical materials from end-of-life products such as batteries, electronics, and industrial equipment. Also, they will emphasise the need to design products for recyclability from inception. The panel conversation will provide insights into building robust recycling infrastructures critical to achieving a sustainable, sovereign, and resilient future for industry and society.
WMF Panel IV: “Combining Additive, Subtractive, and Hybrid Manufacturing Platforms for Value-Added and Resource-Efficiency“
As industries strive for personalisation and sustainability, the integration of diverse manufacturing technologies offers a pathway to enhance product functionality, minimise material waste, optimise energy consumption, and increase production flexibility. This panel will explore how additive manufacturing technologies provide design freedom and material savings, subtractive methods ensure precision and surface quality, and hybrid systems seamlessly combine both, offering unparalleled versatility. Panellists will discuss best practices for selecting and integrating these manufacturing platforms to maximise value creation while minimising resource consumption. The panel will highlight how manufacturers can achieve enhanced product and production performance, cost savings, and sustainability by leveraging combined manufacturing technologies to drive innovation and achieve sustainable manufacturing outcomes.
Keynote: 2025 SPRI & WMF Special Report on “Supporting Manufacturing Industries to Measure Gender Equality As a Way to Improve Competitiveness”
Since 2020, the SPRI Group and the World Manufacturing Foundation, alongside the Women in Manufacturing expert group, have advanced research demonstrating that gender-equal industrial companies are more competitive, showing higher turnover, innovation, and internationalisation. Equality-driven competitiveness stems from strategic, sustained actions across five areas: engaging girls in STEM vocations, measuring women’s employability, developing an equitable work environment, generating gender equality plans, and promoting the participation of women in decision-making and management positions. This keynote will address how manufacturing industries can assess, benchmark, and improve their gender-equality practices while deepening the link between equality and performance.
Special Address by the OECD: “Navigating Global Shifts in Manufacturing: International Trade & Tariffs”
The global manufacturing landscape is undergoing profound shifts driven by the evolving international trade dynamics and the resurgence of tariffs. These changes challenge the principles of open, rules-based international trade that have long underpinned the global economic growth of the manufacturing sector. Rising protectionism, supply chain realignments, strategic reshoring, and new market explorations are reshaping manufacturing competitiveness and investment patterns. This special address by the OECD will explore how to adapt to these shifts, emphasising the importance of multilateral cooperation, innovation, and diversification to sustain industrial resilience.
WMF Panel V: “Agent-based Industrial AI Platforms for the Next Frontier of Smart Manufacturing Systems“
The next frontier in smart manufacturing lies in the seamless collaboration between AI assistants, copilots, and human agents within human-centric smart manufacturing systems. This panel will explore how agent-based Industrial AI platforms are evolving beyond cognitive automation towards augmented intelligence, empowering human workers with real-time insights, adaptive decision support, and predictive capabilities. Panellists will discuss how AI assistants and copilots are deployed across manufacturing and supply chain operations, from dynamic production scheduling and quality inspection to predictive maintenance and energy management. The discussion will explore the key enabling technologies driving this transformation, including conversational AI, reinforcement learning, and cognitive AI models. Special emphasis will be placed on human-centric systems design, ensuring trust, transparency, and explainability in AI-driven recommendations to support frontline operators and engineers in unlocking new levels of productivity, innovation, and operational excellence.
WMF Panel VI: “Multi-Robotic Platforms for Empowering People and Boosting Productivity“
The integration of multi-robotic platforms in manufacturing sites and warehouses is redefining the future of human-centric factories by empowering people and radically boosting productivity on the shop floors. This panel will explore how collaborative, mobile, aerial, and humanoid robot platforms are converging into flexible, intelligent ecosystems that augment human capabilities rather than replace them. Furthermore, the panel will discuss how collaborative robots (cobots) enhance precision and ergonomics on production lines, mobile robots (AGVs and AMRs) streamline material flows, aerial robots (drones) enable advanced inspection and inventory management, and humanoid robots bring unprecedented dexterity and adaptability to complex tasks, always ensuring safe, intuitive, and productive collaboration between human workers and robots.
WMF Panel VII: “Extended Reality (XR) Platforms & Industrial Metaverses for Enhanced Industrial Operations“
Extended Reality (XR) platforms and emerging Industrial Metaverses are revolutionising how industrial operations approach product design and assembly, asset maintenance, and workforce training. This panel will explore the transformative potential of XR technologies, including Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR), and their convergence into immersive digital manufacturing environments. The panellists will discuss how XR platforms enable real-time collaboration in product design, optimise complex assembly processes through guided work instructions, and streamline predictive maintenance with virtual diagnostics. Additionally, the panellists will highlight how Industrial Metaverses create interconnected, data-rich simulations of factories and supply chains, fostering scenario planning, risk mitigation, continuous process improvement, and accelerated skills acquisition. Strategic insights on how to leverage XR platforms and Industrial Metaverses to future-proof operations, unlock new value streams, and create a more agile, resilient, and digitally empowered workforce will be the main contribution of this panel.
