Germany: Hannover fair to fight energy and labor shortages
It all started with a fish sandwich.
The Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest trade fairs, kicks off on Sunday in the German city of Hannover, nearly 75 years after the first industrial technology showcase. Originally coined the “fish sandwich fair” (“Fischbrötchenmesse”) for the free meal that came with every ticket, exhibitors at the 1947 event displayed items such as typewriters, dentures and collapsible baby carriages to visitors, many who lived until the end of the World War. World War II just two years earlier.
Since then, things have escalated. This year, more than 4,000 exhibitors from 63 countries are in Hannover to showcase the latest technologies from the electrical, digital and engineering industries.
The 2023 show takes place against a backdrop of energy and labor shortages as industrial players struggle to use more digitalization while moving away from fossil fuels. Carbon-neutral production, artificial intelligence, hydrogen technology and Industry 4.0 are some of the main themes of this year’s fair, whose theme is “Solutions for the challenges of our time”.
“Only by bringing these technologies together will it be possible to sustainably secure our prosperity as we pursue climate change mitigation,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, chairman of the board of directors of Deutsche Messe, organizer of the fair, in a press release.
Industry in the Metaverse
Industry 4.0, or the idea of creating “smart” and interconnected industrial production systems that rely heavily on automation, only gained importance from 2011 onwards, when the term was publicly launched for the first time at the fair as part of the technology strategy of the German government. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies will be on display, including demonstrations of the world’s first industrial glasses for the Metaverse and an industrial robot that responds to natural human speech while doing its work.
More than 300 companies from 25 countries are at the fair to showcase solutions related to green hydrogen, which many hope can be scaled up to offer industrial players an alternative to Earth-warming fossil fuels. Heavy industries like steel and cement production require extreme heat and therefore need large amounts of energy. This usually comes from carbon-intensive coal.
“So that Germany […] meet its international obligations under the Paris Agreement, hydrogen needs to be established as a decarbonization option,” the federal government said in its national hydrogen strategy, which includes plans to import the green fuel from overseas partners. sustainable (“green”) hydrogen still has a high cost and long acquisition time, leading some to call it the “champagne of the energy transition”.
Indonesia shows industrial ambitions
While most exhibitors are from the host country and industrial powerhouse, Germany, China, Italy, Turkey, the United States and Indonesia are also showing strong.
Indonesia will take on the role of partner country at this year’s fair, fulfilling an agreement originally arranged for 2020 when the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Today, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the biggest economic power in the ASEAN region. With the motto “Making Indonesia 4.0”, the country will use its platform to showcase its growing experience and ambitions in the domains of digitization and industrialization. Indonesia aims to be one of the 10 largest economies in the world by 2030.
“We build all of their Airbus helicopters in Indonesia,” Indonesia’s ambassador to Germany, Arif Havas Oegroseno, told a press conference in Hannover ahead of the opening of the fair. “Not many people know that.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will open this year’s industry fair on Sunday. Ten years ago, former Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the 2013 fair with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her side. Today, global industrial players are struggling to adapt to supply chain disruptions and energy market turmoil caused by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which dramatically increased costs and shortened production time to many companies.
Like last year, Russian companies were not invited to participate in this year’s fair. Chancellor Scholz used the 2022 event as a platform to condemn Russia and pledge support for the industrial sector.
Edited by: Rob Mudge
Source: DW
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.