CNH and Flanders Make, mark a milestone in the transformation of its Harvesting Center of Excellence in Zedelgem, Belgium. The site, one of CNH’s global manufacturing and R&D centers, completed its three-year ‘Accelerator’ project (2022–2025).
With this project Flanders Make, VLAIO, the Flemish Government’s arm that supports innovation and entrepreneurship and CNH, alongside other partners, are positioning Flanders as one of Europe’s most advanced regions for digital and sustainable manufacturing.
The objective of the ‘Accelerator Project’ is to introduce advanced digital manufacturing methods and build a powerful and innovation partnership with Flemish public authorities and regional R&D players. A significant part of these investments targets advanced production technology beyond current modern Industry 4.0 solutions. This will push the boundaries of automation, AI-supported quality control, and flexible manufacturing.
At the Zedelgem facility, this resulted though a €150 million investment in a new flexible assembly line that benefits from an improved flow of material within the production process. A further benefit has been the introduction of Advanced Planning Systems and algorithms that ensure optimal material ordering, based on both historical data and process information.
CNH co-created the accelerator framework together with Flanders Make, an organization which supports production innovation within the Flemish manufacturing industry, and five other leading companies with manufacturing in Belgium (Picanol, Atlas Copco, Vandewiele, Sabca and Crop’s). This ecosystem, which has been designed for both scalability and international expansion, is supporting Flanders’ industrial renaissance. Early results already show how these innovative solutions enable CNH and the local industry to be both globally competitive and flexible.
Driving digital transformation
The Accelerator project supported the redesign of the plant’s logistics and operations, paving the way for the launch of CNH’s new NextGen Pilot Line. This dedicated space has already seen six R&D projects deployed into manufacturing, enhancing both production efficiency and flexibility.
This investment was also key to the production of the New Holland CR11, the brand’s next-generation flagship combine-harvester. The CR11’s launch significantly increased production complexity at Zedelgem, challenging the plant to manage a 30% rise in active parts while maintaining efficiency, quality, and operational agility, a feat made possible by embedding digital innovation and resilience into every layer of the production systems.
To support this transformation, CNH received €1.85 million in financial support from the Flemish government, with €1 million allocated directly to R&D suppliers. This funding helped modernize operations, shorten innovation cycles, secure new high-tech employment, and create a more sustainable and responsive manufacturing foundation in Flanders.
