Ms. Schall, the first Motek was held in Sinsheim in 1982, and this year it is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Stuttgart. Despite all the changes and technological progress, what has remained the same? What makes Motek special?

The character of Motek has remained authentic throughout the years: From the very beginning, it has been a pragmatic trade fair with a practical focus. The focus has always been on enabling suppliers and users to meet in person and in peace and quiet to discuss specific operational problems. Trade visitors should be able to go back to their production facilities with a practicable answer to their questions and implement improvements there. Motek has never been a show event, but always an application-oriented communication and business platform for the capital goods industry. And that will remain the case.

What do you particularly remember from your own Motek history?

What I remember as particularly impressive is how solidly and far-sightedly many companies from our assembly and production automation sector have developed over the years. There were not only boom times. And the current challenges are anything but easy. But many of our exhibitors are established machine builders, family businesses with a solid base that have been extremely successful in the market with pragmatism, a healthy down-to-earth attitude and a high level of commitment. They are resilient and highly innovative. The Motek spirit is forward-looking and practice-oriented through and through. This specific Motek spirit, this "doer atmosphere" comes from the exhibitors themselves, which we as trade fair organizers do not pretend to have. Of course, Paul Eberhard Schall once helped to shape and exemplify this special spirit. Driven by various trends and in the face of tough competition, our companies stand up to the high demands and are completely there for their customers here at the trade fair. I am equally impressed by these entrepreneurial and technological achievements.

Not only Motek is celebrating an anniversary, P. E. Schall GmbH is also celebrating a milestone anniversary: your late husband, Paul Eberhard Schall, founded the company in 1962. What are you planning to do to celebrate this double anniversary?

We're not in the business of celebrating big events. Rather, we are focusing on this fall trade fair and the optimal organization of Motek/Bondexpo in Stuttgart and Optatec in Frankfurt am Main a few days later. Our trade fair team is focusing all its attention on taking exhibitors' concerns into account and implementing them in the best possible way. Even though the trade fair-free period is fortunately behind us, the corona pandemic is still an issue for business and society. That is why we always want to provide the best possible business platform. This year, as in all other trade fair years, our main focus is on the optimal and pragmatic organization of the trade fair as a communication basis on which suppliers and users can be successful in business.

Back to Motek 2022: What are the highlights of this year's event for you?

One highlight overall is the modernization push, particularly with regard to energy savings in all areas and at all levels, which has long since begun. This will have an impact on many innovations and details. Even more digitalization and automation, even more software, even more support from artificial intelligence, even more efficient processes. I think that Motek/Bondexpo will be able to provide manufacturing companies with forward-looking answers to the serious questions of the present in many areas.

Were the effects of corona or the Russian attack on Ukraine still noticeable during the preparations?

Yes, it was already clear from the registrations over the past few months that companies are focusing on producing even more economically, economically, efficiently and reliably. They need to equip themselves accordingly. We all know how costs have gone through the roof and how supply chains have crumbled. As trade fair organizers, we have also felt the uncertainty and restraint, that is clear. At the same time, however, there is also a sense of forward momentum, as current events are forcing the industry to go on the offensive and innovate even more.

In which direction will Motek continue to develop until its golden anniversary in 2032?

The thematic content will continue to revolve around production automation in the future. We regularly adapt the nomenclature and topic structure to ensure that the trade fair remains as efficient as possible for exhibitors and trade visitors. The Motek/Bondexpo trade fair concept will also remain reliable - it will remain a practical, user-oriented trade fair for trade visitors. What will continue to be important in the future and what really counts is the quality of the technical discussions and finding concrete solutions. However, the technological developments in our industry are of course the linchpin and we are very excited about them - they determine what companies present at the trade fair. Digitalization, energy efficiency, sustainable management and production will all be moving to the forefront. We will see many more fully automated processes and networked systems that take all resources into account. Which is good and important, because they are not infinitely available.

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