The ‘POM antennas’ is one of the departments of POM Limburg (socio-economic development organisation for the region of Limburg). The team connects start-ups and mature companies with each other and the existing economic ecosystem. The meetings are set up as a ‘captain’s table’, and have various themes. POM can already look back at two successful editions, on digital learning techniques and data valorisation.
The POM antennas bring various economic players in Limburg closer together. Deputy for Economy and POM chairman Tom Vandeput: “The antennas translate our POM vision into the field and strengthen our services. They connect start-ups and scale-ups with mature companies, but are also our link to local authorities.”
Captain’s tables
The POM antennas organize monthly meetings at various locations in Limburg, set up as a captain’s table. Tom Vandeput: “On a cruise ship, the captain invites passengers to his table who he thinks should get to know each other better. We apply the same principle here. The start-ups and mature companies meet around a common challenge; POM moderates. Our goal is achieved when new partnerships or insights emerge from these meetings. We have already succeeded in that in the first two editions.”
Digital learning techniques
The first meeting at Thor Park brought Limburg companies together around learning techniques. Training low-skilled employees is currently often time-consuming and therefore inefficient. For example, ZF Windpower, Veldeman, Dilissen Logistics and Bewel indicated. Digitization plays an important role here. Start-ups MobieTrain, Umital and Banzai Studios came up with various innovative solutions and presented them to the interested companies. A mobile learning app that employees can use at their own pace. Game-based learning: virtual environments that are an exact representation of the workplace. But mapping out the available knowledge, with a view to informal knowledge sharing, was also emphasized.
Data capture with artificial intelligence
At C-mine crib, another challenge was tackled during the second captain’s table. Companies have an increasingly amount of data available, but often do not know how to use it qualitatively. Multiple Limburg start-ups develop applications, with or without artificial intelligence, to support companies in this. POM invited start-ups: Strain 2 Data, InfoFarm, Vlegel Technology and Dillen Technologies. They had a discussions with mature companies: Nelissen Steenfabrieken, Punch Metals, Dexis Belgium and VOS technics. During the conversation, specific issues came up, such as the link with an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) environment, or the use of data in the monitoring of production processes. But the affordability of artificial intelligence was also a concern, which was countered by the attendees at the table.
Source: POM Limburg
