During the pandemic, we witnessed the biggest supply chain disruptions in history. Yet, Industry survived the hard impact and found new ways to grow. To watch closely how we are moving forward I visited this year's Hannover Messe, the world’s leading industrial fair.

The objective of this event is to create the industries of tomorrow with a special focus on sustainability, green energy, 5G, and the industrial metaverse. About 2,500 organizations exhibited at the Hannover Messe 2022, which received ~75,000 in-person visitors, including myself, and ~15,000 attended digitally. The exhibitors from more than 50 countries showcased their industrial technologies and products.

Portugal was a partner country in 2022, showcasing a wide range of industries that exist within this European member nation. The “Portugal makes sense” message was well received, and the country was perceived as an attractive location for Industry. On the other hand, growing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa bring new market dynamics as they have enormous demographics and thus the economy of scale. This requires all of us to work together with a common understanding to diversify the value chain of the Industry.

Industry experts came together at this international fair to deliver a wide range of activities, including impulse lectures, thought-provoking forums, panel discussions, best practices, product pitches, awards, and guided tours. About 200 sessions were hosted each day between 30th May and 02nd June 2022. These activities precisely sum up what is the Hannover Messe.

INDUSTRY TRENDS 2022

1. Shift in the energy landscape

We have a strong hope to move away from fossil fuels as alternative energy sources are rising. Electrification is everywhere, spreading from Industry to mobility and accelerating the transition to greener energy, that was once slowed down by supply chain bottlenecks. This is further being complemented by recent development in green hydrogen, which also connects to solar and wind energy. Initial hydrogen use cases are to be implemented in mobility, paving the way for the first flight with hydrogen in the next 3-5 years.

2. Cobots & Connected machines

Digitalization has always been the mirror of the physical workforce. In the past, hardware and software were disconnected, and now with the help of physical IoT data layers, we have minimized this gap and are able to work together with Cobots, collaborative robots meant for direct human-robot interaction. We are now able to deliver sophisticated industrial productions with higher personalization and precision, empowering the diverse workforce in the industrial environment.

3. Industry Metaverse & Digital Twin

Interconnecting the machinery and equipment with new technologies such as Asset Administration Shell is building a new metaverse for Industry 4.0. This transformation is merging physical and digital into a single reality. Manufacturers can save time and material with virtual prototyping, thus speeding up the time to market and reducing environmental footprints by identifying the impact at any point of the industrial process.

4. 5G Industrial Applications

Currently, the world has little under 15 billion connected devices, and this number will rise by more than 40% in the next five years. The industry transformation has to keep up with this trend. Hannover Messe dedicated 5G Smart Venue, a private 5G campus network heavily focused on industrial applications. The main objective of industrial 5G is to accelerate the convergence of information and operational technology with low latency and high reliability. Leading telecommunication companies are already working on various use cases such as connected assets, autonomous fleet management, and 3D camera sensors.

5. Efficiency programs for greater sustainability

One of the main challenges of the Industry is reducing energy consumption and monitoring the sustainability KPIs. It is possible today with connected assets such as HVAC, lighting, electrical machinery, equipment, and smart buildings. We, as leaders, need to step back and reflect on the energy and emission data more closely with the help of IoT sensors so that we all can take decarbonization measures. This would give us a clear picture of sustainability KPIs and decisions about whether to continue, cease, or extend the operation of such energy assets and fleets.

At Preflet, we are working with a publicly listed company in Europe that has undertaken smart city projects, and a government energy agency in Portugal, which are using our solution to bring energy efficiency to the public lighting and buildings. To know more about this project and our upcoming e-Proactive AI model that aims to optimise energy asset tasks, reach out to us at hello@preflet.com or visit https://www.preflet.com

Sources:

• Hannover Messe
• AICEP
• VDE