Trilateral cooperation supports the digitalisation of industry at EU level

France (Alliance Industrie du Futur), Italy (Piano Impresa 4.0) and Germany (Plattform Industrie 4.0) joined forces in 2017 to form the Trilateral Cooperation. The aim is to advance the digitalisation of industry throughout the EU. 

The cooperation is organised in three Working Groups: 

• Standardisation and reference architectures 
• SME engagement and testbeds
• Policy Support

Thanks to the close coordination between the “Standardisation” and “SME engagement” Working Groups, it was possible to take full account of the special needs of SMEs and to channel testbed results directly into standardisation processes. So far, the Trilateral Cooperation has successfully introduced standardisation recommendations for international bodies such as ISO, IEC and OPC UA, for example with reference to the Asset Administration Shell and the digital twin. Meanwhile, the Working Group “Policy Support” discusses political framework conditions and formulates joint positions in international discourse, primarily directed at EU bodies. The three Working Groups are flanked by a Steering Committee.

Background 

Prior to the establishment of the Trilateral Cooperation, Alliance Industrie du Futur, Piano Impresa 4.0 and Plattform Industrie 4.0 maintained bilateral relations with each other. In March 2017, initial discussions were held at the high-level conference "Digitising Manufacturing in the G20" in Berlin with a view to coordinating collaboration. The Trilateral Cooperation’s Steering Committee met for the first time in June 2017 in Turin and adopted a Joint Action Plan as a basis for cooperation. Experts from industry, science and policy have been working together continuously since then.