Global hub for all things Industry 4.0 and more

16 June, 2017

"More attendees, more solutions, more international – that aptly sums up Hannover Messe 2017," commented Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of the managing board at Deutsche Messe. "Hannover has served as a global hub for all things related to Industrie 4.0. Every sector involved in the digitalisation of industry was on hand to showcase its answers to the key question faced by industrial enterprises everywhere: How can I best get my company into shape for the digital future? Hannover Messe has resoundingly underscored its value as a prime source of orientation for decision-makers from around the globe.”

The show's chosen lead theme of ‘Integrated Industry – Creating Value’ put a major spotlight on the benefits of Industrie 4.0 and the role of humans in tomorrow's integrated factories. As this year's featured Partner Country, Poland called added attention to the need for close cooperation throughout Europe, while impressing attending professionals with its credentials as an innovative partner to global industry.

Of the show's 225,000 attendees (up from 217,000 in 2015 as the most recent comparable event), more than 75,000 came from abroad. "This is an unprecedented figure in the 70-year history of Hannover Messe,” said Köckler. “This impressively proves that decision-makers from around the world rely on Hannover Messe as their definitive source of Industrie 4.0 orientation and solutions.” The largest number of foreign visitors came from China (9000), followed by the Netherlands (6200), India (5300) and Poland, whose 5000 visitors set a new Partner Country record. The long-term impact of Partner Country participation was underscored by an impressive 3000 visitors from the US as last year's Partner Country.

“In close collaboration with our exhibitors, we succeeded in making this year's lead theme tangible in the truest sense of the word,” remarked Köckler. “With an array of more than 500 application scenarios, the show gave real shape to the promise that digitalisation holds for industry and the energy sector.”

Cobots and factories

A new generation of robots was also in the limelight: the so-called ‘cobots’, i.e. collaborative robots, which are about to fundamentally transform the way we work in factories. Their connectivity, artificial intelligence, innovative sensors and intuitive operation allow them to communicate directly with humans, as they learn autonomously and swap instructions with other cobots. As Köckler pointed out: "There was huge interest in the displays in the robotics halls. Not only are cobots an exciting prospect for large companies – many SMEs were also at Hannover Messe to find out about these new helpers for their manufacturing operations."