“Belgium has a lot to offer: we are located right in the centre of the European automotive industry, we have a wide knowledge and a lot of know how, and we can call on a flexible and productive workforce.” Erik Vandervreken, Director, Agoria Automotive
Support innovation through the creation of clusters
Innovation is a hot topic for the many companies that supply the automotive industry. “Agoria Automotive works closely together with Flanders’DRIVE, the innovation platform and partner in innovation for the vehicle industry,” Vandervreken continues. “Flanders’ DRIVE focuses mainly on three priorities: light weight materials, alternative powertrains and active safety. We want to create clusters around these in order to share the R&D efforts and to develop new modules and components. This will allow us to further strengthen the rich network of suppliers. Agoria Automotive encourages suppliers to make optimal use of their know-how and experience and thus become true partners with the automotive industry.”
An industry with influence
The automobile industry is very important for Belgium. Every year over 700,000 cars and over 40,000 commercial vehicles, buses and coaches roll off the assembly lines. Belgium has one of the highest motor vehicle production per capita in the world. The export ratio for assembled vehicles exceeds 80%. Directly and indirectly nearly 10% of the Belgian workforce is employed by the automotive industry. The influence of the organizations that represent the latter’s interests should therefore not be underestimated.
Agoria Automotive is a division of the technology industry association Agoria, set up to represent the Belgian automotive industry. Agoria Automotive defends the interests of the manufacturers of cars, buses, trucks, trailers and supply industry.
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