From 30 May to 2 June, some 2,500 companies will be displaying their technologies for the factories and energy systems of the future at the Hannover Exhibition Center. Under the lead theme of ‘Industrial Transformation’, they will demonstrate how connected production facilities can operate more efficiently and conserve resources as well as how to generate and transmit energy sustainably. Among these companies will be a large number of exceptional firms from the Netherlands.
Impression of the digital Hannover Messe of 2021. The event will be live again this year. Photo: Hannover Messe
‘In view of the current global political situation, the topics at Hannover Messe are more relevant than ever’, asserted Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe, at the Hannover Messe preview event. ‘The heart of the matter is how we can ensure security of supply and growth in a dynamically changing world – politically, environmentally and economically – while counteracting climate change. Innovative technologies will play a key role in this’, he added.
Exhibiting companies include corporations like Siemens, Bosch, Schneider Electric, Schaeffler, SAP and Service Now, joined by numerous medium-sized industrial enterprises such as Beckhoff, Festo, Harting, Pepperl+Fuchs and Ziehl-Abegg. Accompanying them will be major research institutes like Fraunhofer and Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) as well as roughly 100 startups that see Hannover Messe as an ideal platform for networking with industry.
Green energies
When it comes to CO2-neutral production and energy security in Europe, renewable energies and green hydrogen have a key role to play. Many companies are already leading the way with concrete solutions. In view of the current energy supply debate, the subject of hydrogen is gaining further prominence at Hannover Messe. ‘We have offered the largest European platform for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry for years. In Hannover, more than 200 companies – including Iberdrola, Saint Gobain, Emerson, ElringKlinger, Siemens, Phoenix Contact, Enapter, Bosch, Hexagon Purus, Nel Hydrogen, Hydrogenious and GP Joule – will present solutions for a sustainable energy supply based on hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources’, said Köckler.
Dutch companies
A number of Dutch companies will also be showcasing their innovations at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell platform in hall 13, including Hygear, developer and manufacturer of on-site hydrogen production systems. VONK, solution provider for power conversion, will also be presenting there, as will Resato, provider of scalable hydrogen filling stations and IHI Hauzer, specialists in coating bipolar plates in fuel cells. There will also be Dutch green hydrogen start-ups in hall 3, where ‘Young Tech Enterprises’ will be showing their innovations to the world.
Dutch Pavilion
One place where Dutch industry will be presenting itself at Hannover Messe this year is hall 8, where the Holland High Tech Pavilion will be located. With a joint public-private presentation and collective programme under the title ‘Integrating industries for a smart sustainable future’, Dutch companies and industry bodies will be demonstrating how smart and sustainable solutions can be developed by working together closely nationally and internationally. ‘Together with our strategic partners in Germany and within Europe, we are developing smart integrated value networks that enable us to make, maintain and recycle products energy-efficiently. These networks offer Europe autonomy and technical leadership at important control points’, says a spokesperson for the organisers, FME. Companies represented at the pavilion will include: BMTEC, Technolution, Studio Mango, Laevo and Sorama.
Sourcing partner
In addition, the Netherlands wants to present itself as a strong and reliable sourcing partner for German industry. ‘The fact is, companies cannot be completely vertically integrated and keep everything in-house. So it’s better to do business with a supplier that can exchange ideas with you at a high level. Victor Koppelaar of Global Fairs, the representative of Hannover Messe in the Benelux countries: ‘At the trade show, Dutch suppliers will demonstrate that by working together in a truly open way – showing each other everything, even the margins you are making – you can really boost innovation and speed. Plus you can work more sustainably, with reduced transport emissions and a better understanding of the opportunities that circularity offers. Firms need to become CO2-neutral within a very short time-frame, and that will be much easier to achieve local4local, within European supply chains.’
Combat climate change
Europe is seeking to become climate-neutral by 2050. More and more companies have set ambitious goals and are in the process of completely converting their production and services. Hannover Messe exhibitors supply the required technologies. Not only can the production of virtually all goods be made more resource-conserving and energy-efficient with the help of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment. Also solutions from mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering and the software and IT industry can vastly improve the control processes of complex systems, thus boosting innovation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world.
Recording the CO2-footprint across entire supply chains is often the first step towards climate neutrality. Hannover Messe exhibitor Siemens has developed software that captures emissions data throughout the supply chain and combines it with data from the company’s own value chain to determine a product’s actual carbon footprint. Exhibiting at the event will be Dutch start-ups active in the fields of AR, AI, quantum mechanics and quantum computing.
Economic policy platform
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa will jointly open Hannover Messe. This year, Portugal is the Partner Country of the world’s foremost industrial trade fair. Other political dignitaries, such as Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission, have also confirmed their attendance.
In addition to the exhibits at the show, attendees can look forward to a first-rate supporting programme. The four conference stages cover topics like automation, cloud and infrastructure, analytics and data management, digital platforms, robotics, IT security, artificial intelligence, renewable energies, green hydrogen, energy-efficient and CO2-neutral production, digital energy management, the circular economy and much more.
Strengthening Dutch-German partnership
At the time of going to press, the Dutch contribution to the programmes has still only been ‘pencilled in’. The intention is to hold a dinner with the German partners at executive level on Sunday 29 May with the aim of fleshing out the details of the Dutch-German Innovation and Technology Pact signed previously. The theme will be the same as the theme of the pavilion: ‘Integrating industries for a smart sustainable future’.
On Tuesday 31 May, the Dutch delegation wants to hold a ‘Europe Day’ featuring various activities to enhance industrial high-tech cooperation in Europe. Subjects covered will include: Smart Mobility, European Data Spaces, sustainability and Smart Industry, Industry 4.0. On Wednesday, the focus will be on strengthening regional partnerships.
Benefiting from digital experience
The complete programme will not only be available to visitors on-site, but will also stream simultaneously via the Hannover Messe website. Koppelaar: ‘Meeting people digitally doesn’t really work. So we are very pleased that the trade fair will be taking place physically again. But we have gained a great deal of digital experience over the past two years which we continue to benefit from. Provided they give their permission, everyone who attends the trade fair will be digitally visible. Which means it is now very easy to see who is present and who it is important to get in touch with. And we offer a good match-making platform: even if you are unable to come to Hannover yourself, you can establish valuable contacts at the trade fair.’
