Industry has to face a multitude of challenges: From climate change and energy scarcity to unstable supply chains and the skills shortage. Successfully meeting these challenges requires innovative technologies and a smart economic policy strategy.

HANNOVER MESSE 2023 offers both: a unique platform for exchange between industry, politics, science and society, as well as the latest technologies for a resilient, networked and climate-neutral industry.

"Solutions for each of the current global challenges will be on display at HANNOVER MESSE," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG. "CO2-neutral production, artificial intelligence, hydrogen technologies, energy management and Industry 4.0 - these are the overarching themes of the world's leading trade fair for industry. Only in the interplay of these technologies will it be possible to sustainably secure our prosperity and at the same time advance climate protection."

Under the central theme of "Industrial Transformation - Making the Difference", more than 4,000 companies from the mechanical engineering, electrical and digital industries as well as the energy sector will showcase solutions for the production and energy supply of the future: from the digitalisation and automation of complex production processes, the entry of AI into industry, the use of hydrogen to power factories to the application of software to record and reduce the carbon footprint.

Besides Germany, most exhibitors come from China, Italy, Turkey, the USA and Indonesia. Global tech corporations such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, SAP, Siemens, Bosch, NOKIA, ServiceNow or Schneider Electric are represented, as well as medium-sized technology leaders such as Beckhoff, Festo, Harting, ifm, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Rittal or SEW. Renowned research institutes such as Fraunhofer or the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) as well as more than 300 start-ups promise cutting-edge technologies and completely new business models.

HANNOVER MESSE will be opened by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Indonesia is this year's partner country of the industrial fair.
AI and Machine Learning

Since the hype about ChatGPT, so-called generative AI has been on everyone's lips. Systems such as ChatGPT, DALL-E or Luminous from the German AI company Aleph Alpha can already support texting, programming and designing.

At HANNOVER MESSE, Aleph Alpha is going one step further and, together with Hewlett Packard, is demonstrating how an industrial robot can be controlled by natural language. In the process, the robot reacts and responds to the worker's questions and commands.

At the same time, visitors to HANNOVER MESSE will experience how robots solve assembly tasks by following the human worker's hand movements and even learning from the operator's mistakes.

"AI can trigger a boost in efficiency in industrial manufacturing and at the same time be an outlet for alleviating the shortage of skilled workers in Germany and Europe, and thus an important location factor," says Köckler.
Hydrogen as a source of energy and hope

Green hydrogen is seen by many as a source of energy and hope for the energy transition. The industry wants to use it to free itself from dependence on fossil energy sources and reduce CO2 emissions.

But there are challenges. The production of hydrogen is complex and expensive because hydrogen is not yet used industrially on a large scale. Questions of availability, transport and large-scale storage still need to be resolved.

Köckler: "More than 500 companies at HANNOVER MESSE will be showing solutions for the use of hydrogen in industry." Siemens Energy, for example, is simulating the effects of changes in the energy mix: What happens when fossil fuels are replaced by renewable energy sources such as hydrogen? What role do storage solutions play? What challenges and solutions are there in the area of industrial processes? "This makes Hannover the world's most important and largest platform on the subject of hydrogen", adds Köckler.

Users from industry and political decision-makers can obtain holistic information at HANNOVER MESSE about the potential of hydrogen as an energy carrier and find out what course needs to be set on the road to a hydrogen-based industry.
Industry 4.0, Manufacturing X and the Metaverse

In order to tap the full potential of Industry 4.0, data is needed. Lots of data that all companies involved in the value creation process can access. A new interconnected data ecosystem is intended to remedy this: Manufacturing X.

In close cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and the trade associations BDI, VDMA and ZVEI, the first steps towards implementing Manufacturing X will be presented at HANNOVER MESSE.

At the same time, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are revolutionising industrial product development. The world's first Industrial Metaverse glasses, which enable interaction and collaboration between AR and VR, will be on display at HANNOVER MESSE.

Other companies will show how the boundaries between the virtual and real worlds are blurring, facilitating coordination on the 3D model, safe installation or even customer training.
Making energy flows and consumption visible

Considerable energy-saving potential is created in the interaction between software and machines. "Smart Energy Monitoring" solutions from HANNOVER MESSE exhibitors help to identify and optimise energy consumption at machine level and thus reduce the CO2 footprint.

"Most industrial users are still hardly aware of many hidden consumptions," says Köckler. Unregulated motors in pumps, fans, compressors or machines are still part of everyday life in many factories. Without intelligent control technology and the interaction of electrical engineering and IT, increases in energy efficiency are hardly feasible.

Köckler: "Industry consumes about 45 percent of the electricity in Germany. The solutions of the exhibiting companies can make an important contribution to significantly more energy-efficient production."
Comprehensive conference programme

With a total of more than 1,000 lectures and panel discussions, HANNOVER MESSE is a unique knowledge platform. Thought leaders will present the strategies and solutions they are using to respond to the challenges of the new era. The topics of digitalisation, climate protection and green hydrogen will be at the centre of attention.
Young talent initiative Your Future

Together with its partners, HANNOVER MESSE has developed a new concept called Your Future, which is aimed primarily at graduating classes, students and young professionals. HANNOVER MESSE offers them a central discussion platform and guided tours to interested exhibitors.
Career Congress WomenPower

The Career Congress WomenPower is one of the most successful networking and discussion events for women when it comes to diversity, career development, sustainability and new working environments. The congress is held annually as part of HANNOVER MESSE and is primarily aimed at participants from the STEM sector. This year's motto is "Celebrate Diversity".
Partner Country Indonesia

Indonesia, the largest economic power in the ASEAN region, will be the Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE 2023. The motto is: Making Indonesia 4.0. Indonesia aims to be one of the ten largest economies in the world by 2030. The share of renewable energies in power generation is to account for 51.6 percent of the total by then. At HANNOVER MESSE, the emerging country will present itself as a reliable partner for companies around the globe.
www.hannnovermesse.de

Tweet