State Secretary Mona Keijzer visits AWL-Techniek

On Monday, February 5, the State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate, Mrs. Mona Keijzer, visited AWL-Techniek in Harderwijk. Keijzer intends to visit a company every week. Earlier in the day, the Smart Industry Agenda was signed in Bussum. This includes how the digital industry can and must contribute to the earning capacity and employment situation in the Netherlands. AWL-Techniek showed Keijzer how robotization creates employment and growth.

Director Brand van ’t Hof guided Mona Keijzer around the work floor, where she was given an elaborate explanation of all automated high-tech machinery. The guided tour culminated in the Experience Center, where Keijzer was given a laser welding demonstration.

Earlier in the day, the State Secretary visited the Smart industry Event in Bussum, where the Smart Industry Agenda for 2018-2021 was presented. Keijzer: “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are the motor of our economy, with work for four million people. The challenges are different for each SME. But whether you are a start-up or a third generation family business: it is important for all Netherlanders that we support SME. That starts with discovering and listening to their stories. That is why I am visiting various different companies in the Netherlands. I like to hear from entrepreneurs what they are satisfied about, but also where they think things can be done better.”

Director Van ’t Hof: “It is good to see that the government considers it important to visit companies. Then they can experience for themselves the initiatives that there are and that have already been taken within trade and industry. I think that our Experience Center is a good example of this. We found this a successful visit.”

The Experience Center offers the possibility of creating test assemblies and of running trial series and pre-series. Reliable applications are realized based on the newest technologies. AWL also uses it for carrying out welding tests, so that they can validate their customers’ new developments. Moreover, in collaboration with the Fieldlab Industrial Robotics (FIR), this is the place where the machine builder from the Veluwe region of the Netherlands trains robotics technicians and robot engineers.

A short impression of her visit: