Hannover, Germany – After five action-packed days and with a significant upswing in attendance, Hannover Messe 2016, where USA was the Partner Country, drew to a close in on Friday, April 29th.

“Hannover Messe 2016 has shown that the United States and Germany are equal partners in the pursuit of digitalized manufacturing and energy,” remarked Dr Jochen Köckler, member of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe. “In order to connect products, machines, industrial enterprises and people across countries and continents, we need to arrive at universally applicable technologies and standards. Here at Hannover Messe 2016, the USA and Germany – along with other leading industrial nations – have sparked the dialogue needed to make that happen.”

No other trade fair has ever featured so many real-world application scenarios with smart technology for the world of manufacturing, thus making Industrie 4.0 a tangible experience. The solutions on display ranged from retrofits of individual machines right on up to full production-line integration, complete with data capture and analysis in the cloud. “This marks the breakthrough for Industrie 4.0,” said Köckler. “Next on the agenda is the commercialisation phase. The technology is ready to roll, and about to make its way onto the factory floor.”

This year’s Hannover Messe attracted over 190,000 visitors (up from 175,000 in 2014 as the last event of comparable scope) intent on future-proofing their operations and investing in state-of-the-art technology. More than 50,000 of them came from abroad – an increase of some 25 percent over 2014. Attendance from the USA and China soared to record heights. “The roughly 5,000 American visitors who came in search of new technology for their manufacturing plants and energy systems are sure to have found what they were looking for here in Hannover, and to have made a lot of valuable new acquaintances along the way,” remarked Köckler. With 6,000 visitors coming from China, the People’s Republic once again topped the list among foreign nations, second only to Germany as the host country. The visitor tally for the rest of Europe was 30,000.

According to Köckler: “This Hannover Messe provides impressive confirmation of the event’s unique position as a global hot spot for Industrie 4.0. This is where the latest technologies and innovations are unveiled to a wide audience. Industry initiatives from Germany, the USA, China, Japan and the EU have come together here in Hannover to embark on a shared journey into the digital future.” An excellent example was the "Industrie 4.0 Meets the Industrial Internet" forum, which attracted more than 8,000 attendees eager to catch up on the latest technologies, standards and business models for integrated industry.

The second keynote theme of this year’s event was "Integrated Energy – the Energy System of the Future". Displays there covered the complete supply chain in the energy industry – from generation, transmission, distribution and storage to alternative mobility solutions. These displays were anchored by a special display called the "Integrated Energy Plaza", presenting a unique interactive model of a complete regenerative energy circuit. “Hannover Messe” is the only trade fair in the world to showcase the energy systems in their entirety. This display sector is going to be expanded for future editions of the show,” said Köckler.

The Industrial Supply show at Hannover Messe confirmed that Industrie 4.0 is also becoming a routine requirement for today’s industrial suppliers. Other key themes in this category included new materials and lightweight design. Trade visitors were treated to a wide range of design ideas and lightweight design components made out of plastic, composites or steel.