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Hannover Messe 2008

The latest developments, topics and trends in industry are presented each year at Hannover Messe (the Hannover Fair). From 21 to 25 April 2008, senior business leaders, politicians and scientists will be coming to Hannover for the world's most important technology event. The outstanding feature of the show is its broad-spectrum coverage of many different industries, creating a dynamic climate in which new ideas are born and new contacts made. Hannover Messe is the collective branding for a whole group of international trade shows, which together document virtually every stage in the end-to-end industrial value-adding chain. Because some events take place in alternate years only, the line-up for Hannover Messe changes from year to year.

The headline themes of Hannover Messe 2008 are industrial automation, energy technologies, subcontracting and services, and new technologies for the future. At the same time the show is also targeting school-leavers and students with its special youth-oriented presentation "TectoYou". A new addition to the program is the trade fair Power Plant Technology. And featured for the first time is the display category "Mobile Robots and Autonomous Systems".

The HANNOVER MESSE line-up for 2008 consists of ten flagship international trade fairs:

INTERKAMA+ - Trade Fair for Process Automation (Halls 7 to 9, 11): INTERKAMA+ covers all aspects of automation in the process industries - from individual components to complete automation solutions, as well as engineering and maintenance services. New themes for 2008 include Wireless Hart, analytical instrumentation and plant simulation, plus the special presentations "Hygenic Design" & "Cleanroom Technology". The main focus is on the presentation of complete systems solutions developed for the major industrial users: chemicals and pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, food and semi-luxuries, mechanical and plant engineering, cellulose, utility supply and waste disposal, and the iron and steel industry.

Factory Automation - Trade Fair for Production Automation (Halls 8, 9, 11, 14 to 17): Integrated automation solutions are the dominant trend in factory automation. Specialists in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics will be presenting the latest developments for virtually every branch of industry. In 2008 two themes in particular will be at the center of attention. One is the role of IT systems in industrial automation. And a new group of exhibits - "Mobile Robots and Autonomous Systems" - is being added to the line-up for this year's Factory Automation (Hall 25). Talking of mobile robots: the RoboCup German Open, which proved a popular attraction in 2007, will be staged for the second time at HANNOVER MESSE 2008. Other important display categories include "Robotics", "Sensor Systems", "Assembly" and "Handling". In Hall 17 the "Application Park" display offers visitors live demonstrations of prototypes and the presentation of customized solutions. The program of events associated with Factory Automation also includes the "Robotics Academy" and the special presentation "Industrial Identification" (both in Hall 17).

Industrial Building Automation - International Trade Fair for Integrated Industrial and Building Automation Systems (Halls 11, 14) The trade fair Industrial Building Automation reflects the growing trend towards integrating peripheral installations and production facilities with core production or process automation systems. The show is the main international meeting place for production planners, designers, developers and senior engineers, who come here to gather and exchange information on all aspects of industrial building automation. The displays cover instrumentation and control systems, applications-specific automation systems and integrated solutions for particular branches of industry. Industrial Building Automation showcases the pioneering technologies used to integrate industrial production facilities with production and process automation systems.

Digital Factory - Trade Fair for Integrated Processes and IT Solutions (Hall 17): All the IT tools that industry needs to develop, manufacture, distribute, service and support its products throughout their lifetime can be found in concentrated form at Digital Factory. The core categories of exhibits are "Product development" (e.g. PLM/CAD), "Planning" (e.g. ERP/PPS), "Production" (e.g. MES) and "Services" (e.g. service management, CRM). Together they document the complete set of IT solutions for every stage of the product life-cycle - from initial product idea to after-sales support. Together with partners Autodesk, forklift manufacturer HUBTEX and Germany's NC Gesellschaft, the new special display RapidX demonstrates how network-integrated in-plant engineering works in practice. The group presentation myOpenFactory brings together members of cooperatives, partners and end users to show how the right IT networking tools can enable manufacturing companies to exchange data without a hitch. Visitors to Digital Factory will also be able to take advantage once again of themed guided tours led by experts.

Subcontracting - Trade Fair for the Subcontracting Industry (Halls 3 to 5): The acknowledged strengths of Subcontracting are its international appeal, its across-the-spectrum coverage of industry and its focus on the complete value-adding chain. Subcontracting technology forms the basis for all the applications and products featured at HANNOVER MESSE. The exhibitors at Subcontracting use this unique opportunity to showcase their products in the heartland of industry, surrounded as they are here by all their buyer industries. 50 per cent of the exhibiting companies come from outside Germany. Unsurprisingly, therefore, global sourcing is a big theme of the show. As the premier international meeting place for the industry, Subcontracting helps companies to extend their knowledge base, network more effectively and pick up new ideas for developing products and innovations. There will be a special emphasis this year on engineering materials. Other highlighted themes include outsourcing and systems supply. Celebrating its premiere is the special display "Systems Partners Mechanical Engineering/Automotive" (Hall 4), which presents examples of high-tech transfer and sophisticated systems supply in action.

Energy - Trade Fair for Renewable and Conventional Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (Halls 11 to 13, 27): Energy is the only trade fair worldwide that documents the complete range of technologies and services for a future-proof energy mix at one time and in one place. This includes technologies and processes for conventional and renewable energy sources across all areas of usage. The range of exhibits at Energy is being systematically extended, and in the "Renewables" section of the show all forms of renewable energy will be fully covered. The biomass sector is particularly well represented this year. New for 2008 is the section "Processes, Systems and Solutions for the Energy Industry", in which for the first time at Energy all the suppliers of business process management, grid management and geoinformation systems will be presenting their products and services to an audience from the international energy industry. Also making its debut at Energy 2008 is the special display "Solar Gigawatt", which looks at the latest developments in solar-thermal generating plant.

World Energy Dialogue (22 and 23 April): To accompany the program of events at Energy, HANNOVER MESSE is hosting the next round of the "World Energy Dialogue" in 2008. This strategic energy congress brings together senior international politicians, industrialists, research scientists and business leaders to discuss the future of power plants and distribution grids. The discussion will focus on security of supply, cost-ef.



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