L-DIH Crossborder Tour 2026: a positive outcome

At the initiative of the Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub (L-DIH), a delegation of around fifteen Luxembourg industrialists participated in the 2026 edition of the L-DIH Crossborder Tour. This exclusive, well-structured programme offered the group an immersive experience at the heart of European innovation.

The two-day event aimed to connect participants with European best practices and equip them with the tools to refine their digital strategies. Attendees gained valuable insights into European innovation support schemes and learned how to test, evaluate and integrate technology solutions tailored to their needs.

“Aware that SMEs are often pressed for time, L-DIH uses events such as Global Industrie to showcase innovations relevant to them,” explains Mickael Desloges, Senior Advisor – Assessments & Roadmaps at Luxinnovation. “We then turn this awareness into practical action by guiding companies towards national and European support mechanisms, helping them transform new knowledge into real, applicable expertise for their industry.”

“This initiative has succeeded on two main fronts,” adds Prune Gautier, researcher at Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). “Firstly, Luxembourg participants showed genuine interest in the real challenges of AI in their daily work. The visit to CEA enabled them to identify concrete issues and value-added use cases, moving beyond the current hype around AI. Secondly, there was a real sense of community, with participants exchanging ideas and benefiting from external perspectives to address their internal challenges. While no one left with ready-made solutions, everyone found practical ways to improve, thanks to the stands visited and peer exchanges.”

The Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Paris played an active role in organising the L-DIH Crossborder Tour Paris 2026. “This perfectly illustrates the support we can offer Luxembourg companies in the French market,” says Marie Desprez, Economic and Commercial Attaché at the Embassy. “We help them develop visibility and export opportunities, facilitate contact with strategic French companies and partners, and, when needed, guide them through administrative challenges. In this way, we help build concrete bridges between the Luxembourg ecosystem in France, whether in innovation, industry or business.”

AI-Matters: democratising access to testing infrastructure

The Crossborder Tour began at CEA-list in Paris-Saclay, one of the two institutes of the Technological Research Directorate of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, employing around 1,000 people, including nearly 15% doctoral students.

The first highlight was the presentation of the Testing and Experimentation Facility (TEF) of the European AI-Matters network, dedicated to the resilience and flexibility of the manufacturing sector. These TEFs provide expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, with subsidised access for SMEs.

AI-Matters (AI in Manufacturing Testing and Experimentation Facilities for European SMEs) is a European initiative funded by the European Commission and Member States, aiming to democratise access to technological testing and experimentation infrastructure through a trusted network of Technology Transfer Actors (RTOs).

“The goal is to strengthen Europe’s leadership in adopting human-centric AI systems, enabling robotics and other advanced technologies to transform European manufacturing,” explained Carmen Avellaner de Santos, EU Project Manager AI-Matters at CEA-list.

This initiative aligns with the “Build & Test” service of the Luxembourg AI Factory, which supports Luxembourg companies. This integrated ecosystem accelerates AI adoption for businesses of all sizes and sectors, supporting startups, SMEs and large companies at every stage of their AI journey, from initial awareness to deployment.

Coordinated by LuxProvide and supported by Luxinnovation, the Luxembourg National Data Service (LNDS), the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Luxembourg AI Factory offers sovereign infrastructure based on the MeluXina supercomputer and end-to-end expert support: AI maturity assessment, roadmap design, data preparation, proof-of-concept development, compliance with the European AI Act, and access to national and European funding.

“The Luxembourg AI Factory provides a real competitive advantage for companies, offering access to accredited AI experts, regulatory testing environments (sandboxing) in line with European law, and support in identifying funding opportunities,” says Mr Desloges.

Digital technologies for industry

The visit continued with the PRISM innovation platform, dedicated to digital technologies for industry. It features infrastructure for digital inspection (SPRING), additive manufacturing digital continuity (PRISMA), and interactive intelligent robotics (R2I), all based on digital twins.

These facilities enable improvements in workstations, process planning and monitoring, test bench configuration for automatic disassembly, and the use of AI algorithms for decision support.

The Factory Additive Hub, a centre of industrial-scale 3D printing, demonstrated how plasma and electric arc manufacturing processes can reshape production, enabling new geometries, lighter materials, advanced functionalisation, customised products, more efficient logistics, and improved plant performance.

Global Industrie: France’s largest industrial event

The second day of the L-DIH Crossborder Tour was dedicated to the Global Industrie trade show, France’s largest gathering of industry professionals, with over 2,500 exhibitors and 60,000 professionals.

Organised into 14 thematic areas, the event reflected the diversity of the industrial sector, from additive manufacturing and robotics to electronics, mechatronics, innovative materials and production environments. Each area provided a comprehensive view of its ecosystem.

A particular focus was the connected warehouse, developed with Proxinnov, which showcased technologies such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), cobots, machine vision systems, advanced conveyors and ergonomic solutions—demonstrating the future of logistics and handling.

Luxembourg companies at Global Industrie

• The gamification of industrial supervision is the playground of WorkInov, a member of the Business Club France-Luxembourg, which aims to foster partnerships between French and Luxembourg decision-makers and to contribute to a better mutual understanding of the strengths and means available to the various economic players. At the heart of Global Industries, the company presented its "gamer" cockpit for the control and monitoring of continuous castings at the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Belval. “This approach resonates with the digital-native generations and is an effective way to attract and retain future operators,” explained Philippe Guilloteau, noting that, according to the World Economic Forum, Millennials and Gen Z now make up 75% of the global workforce.
• Antelis Steel, based in Leudelange, participated for the fourth time since 2010. The company specialises in trading steel products, especially thick plates and flat products. “This type of show is essential for our image and commercial development. It allows us to meet our entire ecosystem—customers, suppliers and prospects—in just a few days,” said Emmanuel Ninin, Managing Director.
• No-Nail Boxes, based in Wiltz, has specialised for over 60 years in folding plywood and steel boxes for industry. “Global Industrie is a unique opportunity to meet a wide range of sector players in one place,” said Antoine Dufays, Technical Advisor. “The show offers significant visibility and helps build lasting professional relationships. While contracts may not be signed immediately, these events are part of a long-term development strategy, with returns measured over time.”

L-DIH Crossborder Tour: Testimonials

Two really constructive days. I learned a lot about the potential of the CEA and possible collaborations. This initiative helps us stay up to date and use this knowledge to address our industrial challenges. Idriss Laanaite, Mondo Industries

I discovered many opportunities to automate and digitise our processes, which are still very manual. Automation with AI is clearly the future if we want to remain competitive. Roland Munhowen, Moutarderie de Luxembourg

The visit to the CEA gave me a better understanding of the direction of AI in industry, with medium- and long-term perspectives. The Global Industrie fair enabled me to make valuable contacts for personnel management, automation and production planning. We will now organise follow-up meetings. Sébastien Herbelot, Luxlait

The CEA visit introduced us to topics directly relevant to us, such as non-destructive testing, opening up collaboration opportunities. At Global Industrie, we discussed automation and autonomous robots and received interesting commercial proposals for concept validation. Ihsan Goksu, Amer-SIL

What stands out for me are the ideas—those we can quickly apply to our current systems, or by adding new tools. For example, using cameras for defect detection. The discussions met our expectations. Astrid Marson, Accumalux

Innovation and relationships sum up this initiative. We saw real progress in innovation and, contrary to popular belief, not everyone in Luxembourg knows each other! I made valuable professional and friendly contacts and saw what Luxembourg and its people are capable of. Vladimir Nickels, Artec Europe