This week the Telegraaf featured an interesting background article by economists Willem Vermeend and Rick van de Ploeg. We have reproduced it in full because it has many connections with our business. A new manufacturing industry in the Netherlands that can be realised with the help of the internet: cloud computing, internet of things, smart products and the smartphone and tablet economy. Music to our ears! After reading this article you will be fully up to date….
At the moment the euro is internationally regarded as the strongest currency in the world. Less than a year ago they were certain; the end was near. Things can change. Investors are looking at Europe again and turning away from emerging economies that were until recently seen as the winners of the future. They also have doubts about the US, putting the dollar under pressure.
For European countries such as the Netherlands, there is a golden opportunity here to capitalise on this positive sentiment by responding quickly to (future) technological developments and economic trends. This approach can attract international investors and stimulate growth and employment.
Investing in smartphone and tablet economy
That is urgently needed because in most European countries recovery is still fragile and for solid growth the economy will need to be structurally strengthened. This strengthening can be achieved by responding quickly to the most important new (technological) developments. This mainly concerns digitisation, innovative manufacturing methods via 3D printing, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, robotics and analysis techniques for big data.
The rapid global digitisation of our society is having a strong impact on all major policy areas in all countries, such as economic development, employment and public finances.
Over the coming decade, mobile internet – the internet of smartphones and tablets – will unleash a revolution in many areas; it is already referred to as the smartphone and tablet economy. 3D printing and the Internet of Things will also make an essential contribution. It is likely that many economies will change more in the coming decades than in the past fifty years.
Impact of the internet is great
As a result of the advance of the internet, entrepreneurs are increasingly dealing with foreign customers with their own culture, but also with global online competitors. Entrepreneurs who respond insufficiently to this development risk losing turnover and profit or even going under.
Internet of things or internet of everything
The web is also influencing education and training. Online education is growing rapidly worldwide. In the coming years we will see the advance of the Internet of Things, also referred to as the Internet of Everything. In the near future, more and more objects will be connected to the internet via chips and sensors. By 2020, more than 50 billion objects are expected to be connected to the internet worldwide. These so-called smart products can be controlled via the internet. This includes cars, street lighting, medical equipment, household appliances (refrigerator, heating, microwave, alarm systems, fitness equipment), dyke monitoring, traffic navigation, 3D printers, etc. The Internet of Things will mainly lead to new business activity and extra jobs in technical business sectors. In combination with 3D printing, a new innovative manufacturing industry can emerge with many new (craft) jobs.
The Netherlands must invest quickly
According to national and international forecasts, the Dutch economy will show low growth figures in the coming years. There are no magic formulas to boost our economy and make it grow faster. Nevertheless, international economic analyses indicate that it is certainly possible to increase the chance of extra growth by investing heavily and broadly in the digitisation of our businesses, governments, education, care institutions, etc.
The internet makes economies grow. The online world stimulates employment, creates new jobs and contributes to prosperity and well-being. Those who ignore the digital revolution miss opportunities. This revolution is in full swing. For the Netherlands, the challenge is to pursue a leading position in at least three areas: digital applications, 3D printing and the Internet of Things. This is possible because our businesses, our technical universities and research institutions have this knowledge in-house. There are also enough existing companies and startups that want to work in these areas. Due to the current reluctance of our banking sector, financing is often an obstacle. That is why we wholeheartedly welcome initiatives to establish a special bank for SMEs.
By investing heavily in the internet, 3D printing and the Internet of Things, we strengthen our competitive position, make ourselves more attractive as a business location and at the same time achieve sustainable growth. For this we need to have access to a super-fast internet network everywhere i