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Energizing a Sustainable Industry

The solution lies in the interplay of automation, digitalization and electrification, broad cross-industry and cross-border cooperation and a clear political course. Köckler: "With the main theme 'Energizing a Sustainable Industry', 4,000 exhibitors, top-class representatives from politics and business and the partner country Norway, Hannover Messe 2024 is the ideal platform for this."

More than 300 economic policy delegations are expected to attend the trade fair. Led by Federal Chancellor Scholz, who will open the Hannover Messe together with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In addition, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Federal Minister of Economics, Robert Habeck, will use the leading trade fair for industry to exchange ideas with business representatives. "If substantial and lasting production and investment is to take place in Europe, then the bureaucratic burden must be urgently reduced, for example through faster planning and approval procedures," appeals Köckler.

The exhibiting companies include global tech giants such as Accenture, AWS, Bosch, DELL Technologies, Google, Microsoft, SAP, ServiceNow, Schneider Electric and Siemens as well as medium-sized technology leaders such as Beckhoff, GP Joule, ebm-papst, Ericsson, Festo, Turck, Harting, ifm, igus, LAPP, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Schunk, SEW-Eurodrive, Wago, WIBU or Ziehl-Abegg, renowned research institutes such as Fraunhofer or the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) and more than 300 industrial start-ups.

Artificial intelligence: the next level of industrial digitalization

Hannover Messe has been the trade fair for the digitalization of industry for more than a decade. Artificial intelligence is now taking industrial digitalization to the next level. It is revolutionizing industry by making processes more efficient and enabling new value creation. By using AI, companies can shorten development times and save resources and energy.

"The speed at which AI solutions are finding their way into industry is breathtaking. Companies must invest now and, above all, introduce their employees to the opportunities offered by AI, otherwise they will be left behind by the competition," emphasizes Köckler. "AI is the key to a competitive and sustainable industry."

Concrete applications can be seen at the Hannover Messe: Robots that can be controlled by voice, machines that automatically detect errors and systems that reduce downtime through predictive maintenance. Köckler: "Generative AI will be able to design machines in the near future. This will lead to a fundamental change in the job profile of engineers. This will also be discussed at the Hannover Messe."

When will the hydrogen economy arrive?

With the increasing use of volatile renewable energy sources, hydrogen is increasingly coming into focus as a suitable energy source for an emission-free economy. Around 500 exhibitors from the hydrogen and fuel cell industry will be presenting their solutions in Hanover. This makes Hannover Messe the world's largest and most important trade fair for hydrogen.

Köckler: "Hydrogen offers enormous opportunities as the green energy carrier. However, the current speed of implementation and scaling is insufficient." The development of a hydrogen economy now requires bold political decisions in the regulatory area, intensive research and development for rapid implementation and the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for scaling. This is the only way to establish viable business models. "At the Hannover Messe, we will show what is technologically feasible and we will create the framework in which politicians and industry can discuss and hopefully decide on a concrete roadmap towards a functioning hydrogen economy," says Köckler.

Partner country Norway: Powerhouse for energy and digitalization

Norway is using the Hannover Messe global stage to present itself as an innovative and reliable energy partner, among other things. The partner country's motto is "Norway 2024: Pioneering the Green Industrial Transition". This underlines Norway's claim to play a key role in the development of solutions in the fields of renewable energies,_CO2-neutral production, carbon capture and the digitalization of industry.

At the "Renewable Dialogue - North Sea Energy Hub" conference on April 23, politicians and experts from Norway and Germany will discuss the energy transition with a focus on political framework conditions as well as technological developments and applications. Köckler: "In Europe, Norway is a powerhouse for energy and digitalization. And is therefore a perfect fit for Hannover Messe."

European Union: A strong economic alliance

Two months before the elections in Europe, the European Union presents itself as a strong economic alliance at the Hannover Messe. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will open the program with a speech at the opening ceremony on April 21. The EU program during the trade fair includes the "Investing in European Industry" conference on 22 April, where industry representatives can discuss topics such as the Green Deal with EU politicians.