The Hannover Messe 2024 conference, a massive industrial automation conference in Germany, focused heavily on AI and machine learning; carbon-neutral production; energy supplies for industrial applications; hydrogen and fuel cells; and industry 4.0 business trends.
The conversations and presentations apparently involved more than 4,000 exhibitors; nearly 2,000 speakers; and 130,000 on-site attendees (based on 2023 attendance figures).
EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) Looms Large
Among the key goals for attendees: Finding ways to transform and align their businesses with compliance mandates such as the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Eager to assist the march toward CSRD, technology companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nvidia, Rockwell Automation, Schaeffler and Siemens will leverage the conference to describe their various AI and sustainability solutions.
Our live blog, updated regularly, tracked the latest sustainable technology news from the conference.
Hannover Messe 2024 Day Four: Sustainable and Industrial Technology News
Diego Pantoja-Navajas, VP of new products, AWS Business Applications
16. The Big Focus: A focus on sustainability represented the biggest trend and most prevalent message at the conference, according to Diego Pantoja-Navajas, VP of of new products for AWS business applications.
15. Smart Manufacturing, Mobility: Delta, a provider of power management solutions, is previewing collaboration robots (cobots) for smart factory automation applications, and a new 500kW DC ultra-fast charger for traditional and heavy-duty electric vehicles (EV).
14. Supply Chain Management Software: The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management platform is previewing a Traceability feature. The capability allows uers to track the "achievement of sustainability and ethical supply chain goals," according to Microsoft Corporate VP Bryan Goode.
Hannover Messe 2024 Day Three: Sustainable and Industrial Technology News
13. Partnership - Siemens and Mercedes-Benz: Under a strategic partnership between Siemens and Mercedes-Benz AG, the companies have co-created Digital Energy Twin technology to "improve the integration of energy efficiency and sustainability measures in factory designs and upgrades," the two companies said.
Hannover Messe 2024 Day Two: Sustainable and Industrial Technology News
11. Partnership - IT Services and Energy Management:Fujitsu and Metron SAS are partnering to promote AI, consulting and energy management solutions designed for manufacturing customers. The effort involves Fujitsu Uvance -- an ESG consulting group -- and the Metron Energy Management and Optimization System (EMOS). Fujitsu Ventures invested in Metron SAS in March 2023.
10. Software Platform & AI Assistant: AVEVA has unveiled CONNECT, an industrial intelligence software platform that allows customers to "drive performance, optimize efficiency, and maximize sustainability for increased ROI." Also,Aveva is previewing an industrial AI assistant, running on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service. The AI assistant "acts as a virtual expert, simplifying the vast task of extracting insights from scattered data sets to answer complex, multi-stage questions," Aveva said.
7. Hydrogen Power: Bosch is pitching various "sustainable solutions for factory automation, the hydrogen economy and AI."
Paul Savill, global practice leader for network and edge, Kyndryl
Hannover Messe 2024 Day One: Sustainable and Industrial Technology News
6. IT Services: Edge computing is helping manufacturers to improve sustainability, according to a blog from Paul Savill, global practice leader for network and edge at Kyndryl -- the global managed infrastructure service provider. Dig a little deeper into the blog, and Kyndryl mentions work with Litmus, a software company that helps customers to "make sense" of industrial data.
5. Intelligent Factories: Rockwell Automation provided more details about its Microsoft and Nvidia partnerships. The effort strives to "enable intelligent factories" while helping customers to "achieve sustainability goals and operational excellence."
4. Amazon Web Services: AWS will showcase solutions that "empower businesses to transform their operations, enhance sustainability, and drive innovation," the company said. Also, we think Diego Pantoja-Navajas, VP of of new products for AWS Business Applications, or his lieutenants may be on hand for the conference. Pantoja-Navajas is deeply involved in the AWS Supply Chain effort.
3. Siemens: The industrial technology company will be plenty busy. Among the developments expected at the conference:
The AI-powered industrial metaverse, presented by Roland Busch, president and CEO of Siemens AG, and Rev Lebaredian, VP of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA.
Electrification X, which is "designed to manage, optimize, and automate the challenged electrification infrastructure of commercial, industrial and utility customers. The aim is to improve efficiency and performance while reducing costs and CO2 emissions."
Building X, a digital building platform and an associated Sustainability Manager app, "which can be used to achieve greater transparency in the operation of manufacturing and office spaces."
2 Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork:Rockwell Automation will tout its PartnerNetwork -- including Cisco, Ericsson, Microsoft, ODVA, the OPC Foundation and NVIDIA -- and demonstrate solutions that address AI, autonomous operations and sustainability. Among the executives to potentially watch: Malte Dieckelmann, vice president, enterprise software sales, EMEA, Rockwell Automation.
Malte Dieckelmann, VP, Rockwell Automation
1. More Hannover Messe 2024 News: Got news to share? Email me the details (Joe@MentoreVentures.com) and we'll potentially include it when we next update this blog.
Hannover Messe Conference Background, History
The conference's roots extend back to 1947, when Germany built its first export fair. By the 1950s, foreign exhibitors began to participate in the fair.
By 2019, the conference had grown to 215,000 visitors and 6,500 exhibitors. But the 2020 conference was cancelled for the first time in its history amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And the 2021 event was purely digital.
When the pandemic began to ease, the in-person show returned in 2022 and attracted more than 75,000 visitors. By 2023, attendance surged to 130,000 visitors.
Stay tuned for continued updates from the 2024 conference.
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