“More business, more international drawing power and more innovations: EMO has once again lived up to its reputation as the leading global tradeshow for the world of metalworking,” remarked Carl Martin Welcker, General Commissioner for EMO Hannover 2017, adding that it was also the definitive exhibition for machine tool makers worldwide and a pacesetter for the future of production technology. Welcker also pointed out that EMO had had a major impact on business activity, quoting a survey in which EMO visitors indicated their intent to invest a total of over € 20 billion in production technology over the course of the next 24 months. Deals worth € 8 billion were sealed during the one-week event.
The show’s chosen motto of Connecting systems for intelligent production proved to be right on the mark, effectively pulling in the crowds, especially from abroad. In this spirit, most exhibitors were − many for the first time in such grand style – touting connectivity solutions, data analysis applications and innovative services. The emphasis was on systems capable of interconnecting multiple partners, cloud-based machine monitoring solutions, simulation software, augmented reality for machine maintenance, blockchain technology for secure data transfer, new business models and much more. EMO’s General Commissioner Martin Welcker said: “This was exactly what our tradeshow visitors were looking for. The machine tool industry demonstrated that its high-tech offerings are in perfect alignment with the latest market requirements.”
Foreign industry professionals were particularly keen on attending to get a grip on the future of manufacturing. More than half of the show’s total of approx. 130,000 attendees came from abroad, with 70 % of these foreign visitors originating from European countries. Attendance from Asia, in particular, was found to have risen sharply. “Foreign visitors were keenly interested in seeing how the market leaders are leveraging digitization to benefit the various process chains. They were also eager to see how new business models are growing up out of all the harvested data,” explained Welcker.
Overseas exhibitors clearly see EMO Hannover as a stepping stone to international markets. The increasing global drawing power of EMO was matched by the decision-making caliber of its attendees. Many exhibitors enthusiastically spoke of the in-depth, high-caliber nature of the talks in which they engaged with customers and prospects from around the world. According to the EMO visitor survey, nearly 60 % of the show’s attendees were of managerial status, while more than half were found to play a decisive role in their organizations’ purchasing decisions.
The show’s supporting programme provided even more insight into today’s – and tomorrow’s – manufacturing technology trends. A rich array of conferences, seminars and special displays put the spotlight on key topics like industry 4.0, future production scenarios, additive manufacturing, intelligent tools, machine safety, training for factory workers and promising markets from India to the U.S. and Mexico, and everywhere in between. The supporting programme was a major magnet for anyone keen on grasping and gearing up for tomorrow’s realities.
Thanks to its winning exhibitor lineup, attractive supporting programme and – last but not least – upbeat spirit, EMO Hannover 2017 also proved to be unsurpassed as a hub for dialogue and networking. After four years of waiting for the gates to open on the next EMO Hannover, expectations were running high. The event got off to a special start with none other than German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier taking part in the opening-day festivities.
The entire industry is already looking forward to another promising edition of EMO in the year 2019. “The themes of digitization and connectivity will still be high on the agenda in two years’ time,” reported General Commissioner Welcker. “And by then we will have an even better grasp of what lies ahead.” The next EMO Hannover will be staged from 16–21 September 2019.
For further information please visit: www.emo-hannover.de/en