Citing “a spirit of optimism” at its annual global trade event, Hannover Messe officials touted its successful return to a full-service trade event in a press conference Fri., April 23. It further asserted manufacturing’s leadership role to tackle the environmental issues of the day, challenging global governments to join the effort—or at least, to get out of the way.
The past five days of the trade fair have made clear that the technologies for competitive and climate-neutral industrial production are available—now it is just a matter of developing the necessary speed and determination in their implementation,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Deutsche Messe Managing Board, which presents Hannover Messe each year.
“Hannover Messe is the global platform for networking among industry, government, research and society as a whole. And it has never been more important than today to share knowledge and ideas.
“The technological solutions for climate-neutral production are already present,” Köckler added. “However, in order to secure the competitiveness of industry and our prosperity in the long term, bureaucratic obstacles need to be overcome, opportunities fueled and transnational cooperation agreements concluded.”
The week-long event highlighted the core issues of sustainability and carbon neutrality, along with the digital advancements of artificial intelligence and machine learning that can rapidly move industry to solutions to these issues.
“Climate protection and sustainability are now at the top of the industry agenda throughout the world. In order to achieve the targeted climate neutrality, new, intelligent technologies and solutions are needed for resource conservation and efficient production across all areas of life,” said Thilo Brodtmann, executive vice president of VDMA, the German mechanical engineering association. “Here at Hannover Messe we have sensed the great interest of customers in the solutions that the mechanical and plant engineering sector is providing for this. That’s why this year’s show was a complete success for our industry and an important sign that intelligent and connected production can solve the major challenges of our age.”
Dr. Gunther Kegel, chairman of the Hannover Messe Exhibitor Advisory Board and president of ZVEI, the German electrical and electronics manufacturers association, shared in the view that the show’s role was to lead on the climate and sustainability issues. “Electrification, digitization and automation: These three trends have shaped this year’s Hannover Messe and are already leading to solutions for achieving effective climate protection,” Kegel said. “And it is precisely the interplay of these trends that demonstrate that the energy turnaround must also usher in a turnaround in energy efficiency. This tradeshow confirms our optimism for the electrical and digital industry.”
The event drew 4,000 exhibitors and 130,000 attendees to the event in Hannover, Germany. Those are fewer exhibitors and attendees than at the show’s apex in the mid-2010s, where more than 200,000 attended Hannover Messe. Yet the show also took a large step forward in both areas from an abbreviated 2022 event, and show organizers believe they are headed toward growth.
Some of that was reflected in the international nature of the attendees. A large delegation from partner country Indonesia attended, and more than 43% of visitors came from outside of Germany. The United States delegation ranked sixth behind the host country, the Netherlands, China, South Korea and Poland. It also was announced at the show that the 2025 Partner Country would be Canada. It marks the first North American country to be the Partner Country at Hannover Messe since the United States in 2016.
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