In 2018 FEDIL – The Voice of Luxembourg’s Industry celebrates its 100th anniversary.
It is the human who makes the story come alive.
Thus, the history of FEDIL is marked by strong personalities of the economic life, all driven by the will to make industries prosper through the attraction and the development of talents, through innovation and the research of new export opportunities. The great merit of the people active in our organisation has been, again and again, to emphasise companies and entrepreneurs as contributing to the wealth of the country, while adopting a constructive and open attitude towards the profound changes shaping our society.
We believe in the future of industry!
We are convinced that, as a source of innovation, industry can bring solutions for major global challenges, such as climate change or the scarcity of natural resources. On the other hand, the combination of tangible and intangible investment goods in our industries gives them new opportunities – including in our regions.
The economic transformations lying ahead can turn out negative or positive. Our industrial sectors have the task of anticipating these transformations, whether digital, energy-related or other, and to position Luxembourg thanks to innovation and the mobilisation of talent, thus contributing to economic growth driven by productivity.
With this in mind, we chose to place our centenary under the slogan “Together we are 4.0”.
For us, it’s not just about celebrating a century of existence and activities on the canvas of a turbulent history, but much more: we are celebrating 100 years of entrepreneurial cohesion, 100 years of motivation for a common cause, 100 years of cooperation with our partners, and especially 100 years of complicity with and between our member companies.
The world of politics and the world of business are subject to different constraints and forms of complexity. In this context, FEDIL, reliable and always attentive to its partners, acts as an intermediary.
If FEDIL is “The Voice of Luxembourg’s Industry”, our magazine is its sounding board and amplifier, in short, its echo. Our anniversary was also the occasion to revamp an almost century-old tool: The écho des entreprises which, founded in 1920, has accompanied, illustrated and written the life of our federation for almost 100 years.
Also, the launch of the online écho (www.fedil-echo.lu), illustrating the digitalisation of the industry, will highlight the sometimes still too unknown excellence of our companies and all sectors that we regroup. In the same vein, we have created the FEDIL Feed available on www.fedil.lu, where we broadcast our members’ news. This openness – which, alongside independence, is FEDIL’s key value – asks us not to give up our efforts when it comes to attracting new talent for the industry, in all sectors, whether for the conventional industry, construction or services.
Therefore, we have chosen to intensify our communication efforts, emphasizing the opportunities that arise from the many innovation and investment efforts in our industries. We are convinced that our federation will be able to perfectly combine the need to contribute to a more objective image of companies with our missions to effectively represent the interests of our members and to assist them in their projects.
It should be added that, at the end of the year, we will publish a book written by the historian Charles Barthel, a specialist in Luxembourg’s industrial history of the 19th and 20th centuries. This book will analyse the period of creation of FEDIL and will look at the challenges it posed to the industrialists and politicians of the time.
On 25 January, this year’s traditional Companies’ New Year’s Reception will be held in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and the Hereditary Grand Duke. Alongside the messages of FEDIL’s chairman, Nicolas Buck, and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, we will welcome Hubert Védrine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, as keynote speaker.
Press Contact
Dr Michèle Vallenthini, Adviser – Head of Communication
michele.vallenthini@fedil.lu
T +352 43 53 66 606
