Industry Directions from Hannover Messe 2018

May 14, 2018

By EIN Editorial Team

At the end of May Electrical Industry Canada attended Hannover Messe 2018, the world’s largest automation and control trade show. This year had over 5000 vendors, 60% of which were international, and 210,000 visitors, 70,000 of whom were from outside Germany.

The technology showcased was incredibly impressive, with robotic arms pouring and serving coffee as well as challenging visitors to games of ping pong and foosball. However, more important than some of the flashy innovations are the directions being presented that are changing the industrial side of the electrical industry.
The theme of the show this year was Integrated Industry— Connect and Collaborate, and the show certainly showcased how various manufacturers, distributors and end-users are coming together to advance the industry. German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the show, noting that she hopes “that the global economy also takes to heart the tradeshow motto ‘Connect & Collaborate.’”

After spending the week visiting the numerous companies showcasing their products, solutions and collaborative efforts, it is clear that we in Canada need to better drive collaborative efforts. More than once the conversation turned to how companies that may be in competition are able to collaborate, and the answer was the same across the board: “There will always be competition, and in effect it drives us to better our products and abilities, and beyond that competitors often face similar issues that when collaboratively solved have the potential to broaden the industry and create a widening market as well as potential niche sectors.”

The fair was divided into several sections including Integrated Automation, Motion & Drives, Digital Factory, Energy, Industrial Supply, and Research and Technology. Integrated automation was by the largest grouping covering integrated automation, industrial IT, power transmission and control.

A major talking point throughout the show was the rapid rise of Industry 4.0 and how it is affecting the market. “In every smart factory scenario of the future, the starring roles will be played by two main factors: people and machinery. In order for them to achieve top performance, however, the power of digital integration will need to be leveraged to the fullest… visitors to the show saw firsthand the benefits of integrated industry: enhanced productivity, future-proof jobs and exciting new business models.” In effect it will be industrial electricians who will work closely with the developments of industry 4.0 as it continues to penetrate manufacturing facilities.

The other term that was being discussed quite heavily was digitization as an essential component for energy efficiency. Today a key challenge is saving energy and digitization is changing how energy is saved in the manufacturing and energy sectors. The key to digitization is data. Achieving optimal energy efficiency, real-time monitoring, and reporting of electrical system operations will allow for system adjustments and corrections that will achieve energy efficiency and provide a growing source of data for tracking variations on the fly and over time.

Another prominent feature of the show was the Young Tech Enterprise showcase, which featured 130 start-ups from around the world. The showcase featured new, innovative products being developed, and provided a glimpse into the development of new business models that are driving these rising companies. As technology changes, it is essential to ensure you have a flexible business model capable of adapting to change, and a big part of that is being done through collaborative efforts and partnerships among companies.

Hannover Messe 2018 was, as it is year after year, a driving force in the development of modern technology that has permeated almost every aspect of the electrical market, whether it be lighting control systems or fully operational smart factories. And for the first time in its 70-year history the fair is moving outside Germany. On September 10-15, 2018 Hannover Messe USA will be hosted in Chicago alongside the IMTS-International Manufacturing Technology Show.