Kit media
At the press conference presenting the SPS IPC Drives, Johann Thoma, Managing Director of Mesago Messemanagement, the company organising the show, was optimistic about the 2013 edition. His predictions turned out to be correct. Once again, the exhibition dedicated to automation, control and training solutions, held from 26 to 28 November in Nuremberg, broke attendance records. This year, it passed the 60,000 exhibitors mark (60,027 compared to 56,874 in 2012) and 1,600 exhibitors (1,622 compared to 1,458 in 2012). These figures once again show Germany's strength in automation from the point of view of manufacturers and publishers as well as visitors who use their hardware and software solutions for the design of their machines and industrial equipment.
For three days, the aisles of the 13 halls with an exhibition area of 114,000 m2 did not deplete. Of course the stands of the biggest names in industrial automation such as ABB, Beckhoff, Bosch Rexroth, B-R, Schneider Electric, Pilz, etc. or even detection and control solutions such as Sick, ifm, Leuze, Wenglor, etc. attract crowds. It is often difficult to make your way on their stand despite their very large surface area.
The pinnacle of gigantism and attendance undoubtedly belongs to Siemens, which is here at home: its stand alone occupies a good part of Hall 2. But smaller businesses are, of course, attracting just as much interest from visitors. Because the most renowned suppliers, despite their striking force, cannot offer all the hardware and software solutions needed for the multitude of applications on the market. Especially since at SPS IPC Drives, the visitor is above all a technician who comes to talk about technology and looking for solutions that meet his requirements. Lucas Wintjes, Senior Vice President Sales Factory Automation, Industrial Applications at Bosch Rexroth confirms: "This show attracts an audience of highly skilled professionals not only from Germany but also from Asia and America." The same impression from the CEO of software publisher EPLAN Software - Service: "We meet a large number of users who are very at the forefront on these topics and who ask us very specific questions." Volker Jahns, CEO of ifm electronic, said: "SPS IPC Drives is a very important event for us. We meet people with clearly defined tasks who are looking for concrete solutions. All conversations are at a high technical level."
Building on the success of the German edition of SPS IPC Drives, at the request of some professional organisations and manufacturers, the event has declined in recent years in Parma (Italy) and Guangzhou (China). In 2015, it will be in India. The organizers announced at the opening of the Nuremberg show that SPS Automation India will be held for the first time from 5 to 7 February 2015 in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). It must be said that with an estimated $2.2 billion in automation market and an average annual growth of 12%, India is generating many appetites. But until 2015, the German edition of SPS IPC Drives will be held from 25 to 27 November in Nuremberg.
Youssef Belgnaoui
Find out more: https://www.mesago.de/en/SPS/home.htm
