Hannover Messe: Building on U.S. momentum, IIoT technology

‘Integrated Industry’ is the theme for 2017 global trade event.

By Larry Turner, Hannover Fairs USA March 10, 2017

Every year Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial technology trade show held annually in Hannover, Germany, attracts industry leaders and decision makers to showcase intelligent automation solutions that increase factory floor productivity and efficiencies. This year’s event will be even bigger than Hannover Messe 2016, as it is the first time the show combines with CeMAT, the leading logistics industry trade show. Hannover Messe 2017 combined with CeMAT is expected to draw more than 200,000 visitors and 6,500 international exhibitors.

This year, Industrie 4.0 will be demonstrated throughout the halls of Hannover Messe. Industrie 4.0 applications have been disrupting the global manufacturing industry since the term was coined at Hannover Messe 2011. True visionary manufacturers annually attend Hannover Messe to gain competitive advantages and insights into implementing Industrie 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies and solutions. Now more than ever, the global exhibitors on the floor of Hannover Messe will be clearly demonstrating machines and software intelligence that echo the show’s theme "Integrated Industry-Creating Value".

American companies at Hannover Messe

Once again in 2017, the United States will showcase its industrial technology expertise from our country’s largest exhibitors to industrial technology-focused start-ups to associations and organizations that promote research and best practices for Industrie 4.0 and IIoT. American companies and associations will be demonstrating the latest solutions and projects that address trends across industrial automation, motion, drive & automation and various digital factory segments.

Houston-based Tatsoft, a developer of industrial automation software, attended Hannover Messe for the first time in 2016 when the United States was the event’s partner-country. As with many other American companies that attended the show last year, Tatsoft collected very good results from the time and dollars it spent to exhibit. The company quickly realized that a consistent presence at the show will help them establish their brand globally and grow international sales.

During Hannover Messe 2017, Tatsoft will be exhibiting in the Digital Factory area. The company is launching its newest release of the Tatsoft FactoryStudio software platform, which was just announced in December. Tatsoft FactoryStudio is a development platform built completely in the Microsoft .NET Framework, delivering solutions to run on Windows PCs, Windows Compact Framework (Windows CE), Linux computers, Web browsers, tablets, virtual machines and smart devices with iOS or android environments to deliver applications ranging from standalone HMIs to IT Operations Centers, data aggregation and real-time asset monitoring. The latest software platform provides extreme flexibility for multiple users.

"Our main goal at Hannover Messe 2017 is to establish distributors, develop system integrators and solution providers’ channels that are capable of developing sales opportunities and implementing systems using the Tatsoft FactoryStudio platform," said Marcos Taccolini, CEO of Tatsoft. "This year, we intend to develop international contacts to establish more regional distributors across Europe and the Middle East. We are utilizing Hannover Messe 2017 to grow our solutions network."

"Not only do we reach global end-users but when companies and potential users from the United States visit Hannover Messe," Taccolini added, "they are able to see for themselves our technology and to compare our offering to any company in the world."

Also during Hannover Messe 2017, Illinois-based Bimba Manufacturing, a repeat Hannover Messe exhibitor, will be demonstrating its factory automation products, new line of ISO pneumatic drives, linear robots, vacuums and IIoT technology platform, IntelliSense, which is a preventative maintenance tool for pneumatic cylinders.

Bauer Gear Motors, Huco, Matrix, Warner Electric, Stieber, Twiflex and Wichita will be demonstrating Illinois-based Altra Industrial Motion’s industrial automation applications. Altra Industrial Motion believes it is important that its clients know it is a global corporation and will be communicating its participation at Hannover Messe 2017 to all of its U.S.-based customers.

"Because Hannover Messe does a great job of attracting potential customers from all over the world, Altra can present its global capabilities and support network," said David Brooksbank, director of marketing at Altra Industrial Motion. "We have two major objections: first, we want to make sure our current customers fully understand the potential of working with one of our brands globally, and we want to attract new customers and outlets."

Also attending Hannover Messe 2017 is the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) headquarted in Needham, Massachusetts. IIC is an international organization with hundreds of member companies, academic institutions, government agencies and research organizations from dozens of countries, working together to build testbed projects proving best practices in the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) to verticals like healthcare, financial services, precision agriculture, smart cities, and manufacturing, to name a few.

The IIC is focused on both international buyers and distributors that attend Hannover Messe. As the IIC did in Hannover Messe 2016, it will be showing off some of the best results of those testbed projects at this year’s event, displaying its strong partnership with Plattform Industrie 4.0 to work toward interoperability for the Industrial Internet.

Richard Mark Soley, Ph.D., the executive director of IIC, said, "There is intense interest in North American companies, and those from Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere in our testbed projects. We believe that Hannover Messe 2017 is an important venue for them to learn more about the application of the Internet of Things to industrial systems."

American exhibitors expand sales

Tatsoft recognized that year-over-year attendance at Hannover Messe will properly solidify the company’s presence in international markets and will allow the company to find the best local partner. Taking their global outreach one step further, Tatsoft recently opened a branch in the UK. Taccolini added, "Tatsoft’s presence at Hannover Messe 2016 was key for the start of our global operations. Exhibiting at the show is ideal as it historically has had a very high number of international visitors that attend Hannover Messe exactly with the intention of getting updated on industrial technology and searching for potential new business partners."

"As a global company, it’s important for Altra to show our brands at a show as prestigious as Hannover Messe. We have exhibited for many years and find it very worthwhile to be present and use the trade show as a platform to promote our European brands," added Brooksbank. Commenting on IIC’s exhibition Dr. Soley added, "As the largest event of its kind, this show is in a critically important market for one of the key verticals of the IIC. We wouldn’t dare MISS OUT on attending Hannover Messe 2017."

Larry Turner is President and CEO of Hannover Fairs USA, the U.S. division of Deutsche Messe and a member of Plant Engineering’s Editorial Advisory Board.

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