US President Barack Obama called it “the world’s leading show for industrial technology.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it is “the biggest industrial show of all.” Hannover Messe is not only the world’s leading trade fair for industrial technology, but also a standing annual appointment for political and business leaders from all over the world.

Mehul Shah, Managing Director, Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt Ltd, introduced the event to a select gathering of the technical press in Mumbai recently. Present on the occasion were Marc Siemering, Senior Vice President, Deutsche Messe, and Rajat Srivastava, Regional Director – EEPC India.

“Integrated Industry is the defining trend of 21st Century manufacturing,” said Marc Siemering. “Manufacturers who do not embrace digitalisation to increase efficiency, flexibility and productivity will struggle to remain competitive,” he added. In 2016, exhibitors demonstrated more than 400 practical Industrie 4.0 applications at Hannover Messe. With its lead theme for 2017, “Integrated Industry – Creating Value”, Hannover Messe brings to the forefront trends such as cobots (co-robots), digital twin, energy efficiency, predictive maintenance, and smart materials and coatings.

“Manufacturers must realize that digitalisation adds value not only with better facilities and machinery, but also by creating new lines of business and improving productivity and satisfaction among employees,” said Siemering. “At Hannover Messe 2017, exhibitors will demonstrate how even companies with limited resources can benefit from Integrated Industry.” Many countries now support digitalisation initiatives. Hannover Messe provides a unique opportunity to compare visions of Industrie 4.0 on a global scale.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajat Srivastava, Regional Director – EEPC India said, “EEPC India has a long association with Hannover Messe where it helps a large number of SME companies participate in this global event. This participation is not just concentrated in a single hall, but is spread across all the halls based on the profile of individual companies to ensure they are located among their peers in the appropriate show at the event.” For the 2017 edition, close to 65 companies have already confirmed their participation and EEPC India still has some more space to accommodate a few more companies.

Hannover Messe 2017 (24-28 April, Hannover, Germany) unites seven trade fairs at the Hannover Exhibition Centre: Industrial Automation, MDA – Motion, Drive & Automation, Digital Factory, Energy, ComVac, Industrial Supply, and Research & Technology. Roughly 6,500 companies from 70 countries present their products and services to more than 200,000 visitors from 80 countries. Poland is Partner Country in 2017.

As the birthplace and driver of Industrie 4.0, Hannover Messe is a magnet for business leaders and politicians who want to learn how digitalisation is transforming manufacturing and energy systems. Hannover Messe is also a major platform for technology transfer and the only event in the world that presents the complete industrial value chain, from product development all the way to final finishing.

Hannover Messe attracts managers from small and medium-sized companies as well as CEOs from global enterprises such as Apple, Foxconn, Microsoft, and Volkswagen. Roughly one third of visitors come from abroad. Ninety-five per cent of these are trade professionals, 68 per cent are key decision-makers, and 44 per cent are executives. Furthermore, 52 per cent of visitors seek new suppliers. A visitor’s average budget is 550,000 euros. Exhibitors generated approximately 5.5 million business leads at Hannover Messe 2016.