EMO Hannover 2017 was marked by record participation

This autumn, EMO Hannover opened its doors to over 2200 exhibitors and a staggering 130 000 visitors from all around the world. The action-packed 2017 edition of the trade fair for the metalworking sector featured the "creme de la creme of international production engineering", as EMO General Commissioner Carl Martin Welcker stated at the grand opening on September 18th.

A survey held within the visitors revealed their intent to invest a total of over EUR 20 billion in production technology over the next 2 years, which indicates the major impact on business activity the event has had. In the six exhibition days, deals worth EUR 8 billion were signed.
"An open society and prosperous economy rest on a foundation of communication and trust.

Trade fairs like EMO embody this in a concrete and tangible way. Fortunately, this tradition continues to flourish, even in an age of digital catalogs, video conferences and just-in-time production", said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the opening of the event.

The total of 2226 exhibitors at EMO Hannover represented 44 different nations, while the visitors came from 159 countries around the world. 71% of the foreign visitors came from European countries, but this year’s attendance from Asia in particular had also risen significantly and they represented 23% of attendees. In terms of countries of origin, the foreign visitors were mostly from Italy, Sweden, China, Turkey, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, Austria, Poland, Taiwan, Denmark, India, and others.

"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.

Visitors were keen to get a grip on the future of manufacturing
The greater part of the exhibitors was touting connectivity solutions, data analysis applications and innovative services in line with the show’s chosen slogan "Connecting systems for intelligent production". Most interesting in terms of engagement were the showcased systems capable of interconnecting multiple partners, cloud-based machine monitoring solutions, simulation soft-ware, augmented reality for machine maintenance, blockchain technology for secure data transfer, new business models and much more.

Almost half of all attendees expressed an interest in milling machines, machining centres and flexible manufacturing - 44%, while 38% were interested in lathes. 33% were looking for precision tools, workpiece/tool holders, 24% for measuring technology and quality assurance, 21% for industrial electronics and robotics, and another 21% for software, manufacturing and process automation. Another major point of interest was the topic of additive manufacturing, which mirrored the interests of a fifth of the show’s attendees.

A promising economic environment surrounded the event
The record participation and an incredible amount of signed deals during EMO Hannover 2017 were accompanied by a promising economic environment with key economic indicators pointing upwards. British-based Oxford Economics, the forecasting partner of the German Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (VDW), which produces EMO, revealed that industrial production and investment on the part of the machine tool industry’s main client industries is expected to grow this year by 3,4 to 5,6 percent.

Asia is expected to take the lead with a 6,5% investment growth, followed by Europe and the Americas. At the same time, machine tool consumption is expected to grow at a rate of 3,2%, Europe being in first place here with growth of 4%.

"The southern European nations of Italy and Spain, but also France - all three large machine tool markets within Europe - continue to be stable drivers of European growth. Asia is expected to increase its machine tool consumption by 3,5% in 2017. On the one hand, China has emerged from its dry spell and is expected to grow at a rate of 3,9%", added the experts from Oxford Economics in an official statement.

In Germany, the situation is just as positive, with production up 3% and employment increase by 2,3%. As for the Americas, analysts are expecting the machine tool market to stabilize there following the downturn in 2016. For 2017, the forecasts are for 0,5% growth.
"On the whole, the international economy is providing the ideal prerequisites for increased sales, which can be prepared and even concluded at EMO Hannover," stated Dr. Heinz-Jurgen Prokop, Chairman of VDW.

The show’s supporting program revealed even more technology trends
In line with the various topics of interest, the rich supporting program of EMO Hannover gave important insight into the present and future manufacturing technology trends.

The visitors were able to attend a wide array of conferences seminars and special displays which put an emphasis on Industry 4.0, future production scenarios, additive manufacturing, intelligent tools, machine safety, training for factory workers and promising markets.

One of the special displays was an aerospace show presenting process chain in chip removal. It was organized by The Machining Innovations Network - an amalgamation of companies and research institutes that have established a common integration and partner platform in the technology field of chip removal. This event covered the aspects of simulation, tools, price monitoring, machinery control systems and more, explain every step from planning to reworking.

For the first time, a special joint pavilion on start-ups for intelligent production & product pitches was held during the entirety of EMO Hannover. The booth was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and its purpose was to give platform to young companies in marketing their innovations.

An outlook for the future
The substantial rise in participation for this year’s EMO Hannover lie in the fact that after four years, the show returned to Hanover, the venue that has been acknowledged as an international sectoral highlight and a superlative platform for showcasing innovations, suggested Carl Martin Welcker. The next iteration of the event will again be held in Hannover - from 16 to 21 September 2019.

Pictures Source: TLL Media