Digital transformation is key focus at ITM Industry Europe

The four-day ITM Industry Europe exhibition in Poznań, Poland, concluded recently with almost 700 exhibitors (50% were either global companies or from overseas) and 15,156 visiting professionals. Lots of technological innovations and solutions were showcased on the stands and both the exhibition and conference reflected how much the industry is changing and what the factories of the future should look like.

The trade fair took place in seven halls with a total area of 42,000 sq. m included: metalworking machines; tools; industrial automation; robotics; metallurgy/foundry; welding and cutting; additive technologies; software and industrial metrology. The next show is scheduled for 4-7 June 2024.

“We are grateful for the involvement of so many companies, institutions and clusters that created this year's show with us. But our exhibitors’ offerings and the conference programme are the heart of the show,” emphasised Anna Lemańska-Kramer, Director of ITM Industry Europe.

The world of industry in times of transformation was the motto of this year's Industry Next Congress at the trade show. The opening lecture was delivered by Maciej Kawecki, PhD (a technology promoter, science journalist appointed by the European Commission as Digital EU Ambassador, and President of the Lem Institute).

The congress highlighted not just the need for digital transformation, but also discussed the environmental approach (Net Zero and the green future). Katarzyna Błachowicz, Vice-President of the Management Board of the Waste Management and Recycling Cluster, also spoke about the need for change towards a circular economy and support for innovative and digital transformation of companies as part of the panel ‘Green Transformation of Industry: How to Do It?’.

During the three days of the Industry Next Congress, experts emphasised the need for faster industry automation, pointing to the opportunities and threats related to artificial intelligence in business, discussed how to implement robotisation and digital twins and looked for support tools in industry transformation. In total, several dozen debates took place as part of the trade fair.

An important part of the exhibition was the representation of Polish research centres under the common name ‘Science for the Economy’. The synergy of industry and science resounded in the organised debates and conferences held during the trade fair. One example was the 16th ENGINEERING FORUM – 9TH MECHANICS DAY organised by the Federation of Scientific and Technical Associations of the Chief Technical Organisation (FSNT-NOT) and the Association of Polish Mechanical Engineers and Technicians. This year, scientists debated technical creativity and the possibility of implementing its results in the economy. Another example was the Industry 4.0 Forum, organised under the auspices of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Winners of the MTP Gold Medal were also honoured during the opening ceremony of ITM Industry Europe. During the exhibition, visitors were also able to visit three co-located exhibitions: the Modernlog Trade Fair of Logistics, Transport and Storage; the Subcontracting Industrial Cooperation Fair and the Work Safety in Industry exhibition.