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Hannover merges shows to form annual automation event

03 April, 2017

Deutsche Messe, the organiser of the Hannover Fair, has announced that from 2018 it is merging its annual Industrial Automation (IA) show with the biennial Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) event, to create a combined flagship tradeshow called Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives (IAMD). The new show, which will also be rolled out to other Deutsche Messe events around the world, will cover industrial automation, mechanical power transmission and fluid power technologies.

The organisers argue that Industry 4.0 is blurring the lines between the various sectors of industry, while innovation cycles are getting shorter. “The marketplace has changed,” says Deutsche Messe board member, Dr Jochen Köckler. “In the digital age, new products are reaching the market stage much more quickly, with the result that companies want to showcase them at shorter intervals. That’s why we’ve decided to feature transmission and fluid power technologies annually from 2018 on.

“From a technology standpoint, the Industrial Automation and MDA shows have been converging for a number of years now,” Köckler adds. “This merger reflects the reality of today’s market environment, which increasingly favours cross-sector and cross-platform solutions, as well as digitally integrated products.

“It also further bolsters Hannover Messse’s position as the world’s number one Industry 4.0 tradeshow,” he continues. “Like no other fair, Hannover showcases complete Industry 4.0 solutions – everything from smart components to cloud-based data management – not just the individual building blocks.”

According to Deutsche Messe, exhibitors and German trade organisations have also been asking for an annual event like IAMD. It quotes Dr Gunther Kegel, head of the measurement technology and process automation division of the German industry trade body, ZVEI, and managing director of Pepperl+Fuchs, as saying: “The automation industry’s sensor, control and networking products, systems and solutions are the ‘enablers’ of the fourth industrial revolution. And by bringing them together with electronic and mechanical drive systems under the IAMD umbrella, Deutsche Messe has created a flagship fair that covers the entire factory shopfloor and shows how it can be integrated into the Industry 4.0 environment.”

Industry 4.0 is blurring the lines between different sectors of industry, the show organisers argue
Photo: Deutsche Messe

Under the old MDA system, fluid power developments were highlighted at Hannover only once every two years. “With digitalisation, these systems have now also become important data sources,” points out Christian Kienzle, chairman of the Fluid Power Association in the German engineering federation, VDMA. “Two years are an eternity in the age of digitalisation. That’s why it’s important that we have the opportunity to put our latest solutions in front of customers without undue delay.”

The new IAMD show will cover: production, process and energy automation systems; robotics; industrial IT; hardware and services; production technologies and services; transmission and fluid power; pneumatic and hydraulic systems; bearings; geared motors; linear technology; and sealing technology. Supporting events will include an Industry 4.0 Forum and a special display on predictive maintenance.

Deutsche Messe plans to roll out the IAMD brand to markets around the globe. This will open up opportunities for companies wishing to export to fast-growing emerging economies, such as China. The existing offshoot tradeshows in China, Canada, the US and Turkey, will be restructured and rebranded in line with the parent event in Germany. The company also has plans to establish IAMD shows in other key markets.




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