“Carbon-neutral production, artificial intelligence, hydrogen technologies, energy management and Industry 4.0 – those are the overarching themes of Hannover Fair 2023,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of the Deutsche Messe group of companies. “Only the interplay of these technologies will make it possible to sustainably safeguard our prosperity and at the same time drive climate protection forward,” he said.
At the world’s leading trade fair for industry, some 4,000 companies from the mechanical engineering, electrical, and digital industries — as well as the energy sector — will showcase solutions for production and the energy supply of the future.
Today, 120 journalists were invited to the press preview, including this editor from Design World, where they were treated to previews of roughly 25 companies and a passionate speech by Festo’s Dr. Nina Gaissert, who introduced the company’s PhotoBionicCell technology. She also implored the room of journalists to tell everyone about the need for developing technology to combat climate change.
Festo’s Dr. Nina Gaissert.
“We need smart engineers to work on these ideas. But the problems will not be solved within the next five years,” Gaissert said. “This transformation of industry away from fossil resources will not be done within five years; it will take maybe 50 years, and therefore we also need the next generation to work on that. We’ve heard that the next generation has read a lot about climate change, about the pandemic, and about the war. But we have to give them an inspiration, why it is worth working on a great future because there can be a great future … make the kids believe in a good idea.”
From the digitalization and automation of complex production processes and the use of hydrogen to power factories and the use of software to register and reduce carbon footprints, Hannover Fair offers a holistic picture. As Köckler explained, “Approaches to solutions for each of the current global challenges will be on display at Hannover Fair.”
The exhibiting companies in 2023 will include global tech corporations such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, SAP, Siemens, Bosch, NOKIA, ServiceNow and Schneider Electric, as well as medium-sized technology leaders like Beckhoff, Festo, Harting, ifm, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, and SEW. Renowned research institutes such as Fraunhofer or the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), as well as more than 300 startups promise cutting-edge technologies and completely new business models.
Hannover Fair will be opened by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Indonesia is this year’s Partner Country at the industrial fair.
Industry 4.0 & Manufacturing X
Large amounts of data are needed to tap the full potential of Industry 4.0 — data that can be accessed by all companies involved in the value creation chain. A new interconnected data ecosystem — Manufacturing X — is part of the solution.
This vision of a sovereign and secure data platform is being driven forward by the industry associations BDI, VDMA and ZVEI, among others. The first steps towards implementing Manufacturing X will be presented at Hannover Fair in close cooperation with the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
As Köckler puts it: “The aim is to preserve the independence of companies. They should not lose access to the customer interface, but they also need to tap the potential of the platform economy.”
ChatGPT – good for industry as well?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in industry. In addition to optimizing processes, the manufacturing industry is increasingly relying on AI in simulation and product development.
So-called generative AI will also find its way into industry. Systems such as ChatGPT or DALL-E can already support text generation, programming and design today. “In the future, it is quite conceivable that AI will design a machine and the human will then check which adjustments are necessary for real operation. This saves time and offers considerable potential in view of the prevailing shortage of skilled workers,” reports Köckler. On the subject of AI, Hannover Fair offers a comprehensive range of visitor tours, forums and presentations of AI tools and use cases from exhibitors.
Festo’s PhotoBionicCell.
Making energy streams and consumption visible
The interaction between software and machines creates considerable energy-saving potential. Smart energy monitoring solutions from Hannover Fair exhibitors help to identify and optimize energy consumption at the machine level, thereby reducing the carbon footprint.
“Most industrial users are still hardly aware of the numerous hidden forms of consumption,” said Köckler. Unregulated motors in pumps, fans, compressors or machines are still part of everyday life in many factories. Without intelligent control technology and the interaction of electrical engineering and IT, energy efficiency improvements are scarcely feasible.
“Industry consumes around 45% of the electricity in Germany. The solutions presented by the exhibiting companies can make an important contribution to a significant increase in energy-efficiency in the production realm,” said Köckler.
Hydrogen as a source of energy and future hope
Green hydrogen is all the rage right now. Industry wants to use it to free itself from dependence on fossil energy and reduce carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection describes hydrogen as a key energy carrier that is essential for the long-term success of the energy transition and climate protection.
Still, there are challenges. Producing hydrogen is a complex and expensive process. Questions of availability, transport and large-scale storage still need to be resolved.
“More than 500 companies at Hannover Fair will be showcasing solutions for the use of hydrogen in industry,” said Köckler. “This makes Hannover the world’s most important and largest platform covering hydrogen themes.”
Users from industry and political decision-makers can get a holistic picture of the potential of this energy carrier in Hannover and see the course that needs to be set on the road to hydrogen-based industry.
Young talent and women to be focuses
With the Your Future initiative, Hannover Fair and its partners have developed a new concept aimed primarily at graduating classes, students and young professionals. Hannover Fair offers them a central discussion platform as well as guided tours taking them to interested exhibitors.
The WomenPower Career Congress is one of the most successful networking and discussion events for women when it comes to diversity, career advancement, sustainability and new working environments. The congress is held annually as part of Hannover Fair and is primarily aimed at participants from the STEM sector. This year’s motto is “Celebrate Diversity.”
In addition to the program of lectures, panel discussions and workshops, WomenPower offers companies, associations, networks, organizations and trainers the opportunity to find out about career prospects, studies, coaching and mentoring services, and other labor policy topics and trends in the accompanying exposition.
2023 Partner Country is Indonesia
Indonesia, the largest economic power in the ASEAN region, is appearing as the Partner Country at Hannover Fair 2023. Their motto is: “Making Indonesia 4.0”. Indonesia aims to be one of the ten largest economies in the world by the year 2030. Renewable energies are expected to account for some 51.6% of total electricity generation by then. At Hannover Fair, this up-and-coming nation is presenting itself as a reliable partner for companies across the globe.
Visiting the Hannover Fair
Hannover Fair is the world’s premier trade fair for industry. Its lead theme, “Industrial Transformation — Making the Difference” unites the display sectors of Automation, Motion & Drives, Digital Ecosystems, Energy Solutions, Engineered Parts & Solutions, Future Hub, Compressed Air & Vacuum and Global Business & Markets. The key topics include CO2-neutral production, energy management, Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and hydrogen and fuel cells. The exhibition program is complemented by a series of conferences and forums. The trade show will run in Hannover, Germany from April 17-21, 2023.
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