Interview with Kersten Bunke, Leipziger Messe
The fascination of progress at Intec and Z
SCOPE: The Intec/Z trade fair duo traditionally opens the trade fair year. What impetus will the trade fair duo give the industry for the new year?
Kersten Bunke: As the first trade fairs of the year, we provide exhibitors and visitors with important impetus for their annual investment decisions. Intec and Z offer a broad spectrum of exhibitors, including market leaders as well as niche suppliers and small and medium-sized companies. Intec also showcases the broad spectrum of East German mechanical engineering, which provides important impetus for the mechanical engineering industry, but above all for the automotive industry. Of course, we will be addressing the industry's hot topics, such as digitalization and Industry 4.0, in a practice-oriented supporting programme.
SCOPE: What "interactions" do you expect from Intec and Z? How do the two trade fairs and sectors influence each other?
Bunke: Intec and Z have been held in parallel since 2007 and are mutually beneficial. The supplier trade fair Z is an ideal complement to the mechanical engineering trade fair Intec: Mechanical engineering needs suppliers and suppliers need machines. Both sectors meet at the trade fair duo for international exchange.
SCOPE: What networking platforms do you offer exhibitors and visitors?
Bunke: The Businessforum Contact is taking place for the 13th time and is organized by the Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce and its partners in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). The event is free of charge for international visitors and all exhibitors, while German trade visitors pay 100 euros. The price includes a trade fair ticket and the international evening, which will be held after the end of the trade fair at a fantastic location in Leipzig at the invitation of the IHK. Registration for the international networking event is still open until January.
In addition, there are several cooperation forums, including the "Country Meeting 4.0 - Saxony-Poland-Czech Republic-Romania", the traditional "Polish-Saxon Business Forum" and the "International Cooperation Forum Russia/CIS".
SCOPE: Digitalization has now arrived in the industry. Intec/Z also reflects this megatrend. How has the digital transformation influenced the trade fair duo?
Bunke: The topic has a particular impact on our exhibitors. There is hardly a stand where the digital transformation does not play a role in one way or another. It's clear that digitalization is here to stay. As trade fair organizers, we have no influence on it, but we can pick up on the trend topics in our supporting program and prepare them appropriately for our target group. For example, the "Resource-efficient production" congress organized by the Fraunhofer Group for Production with the Fraunhofer IWU as the organizer is taking place for the 6th time. This year's motto is "Smart Production. Scenarios. Solutions. Benefit". When it comes to digitalization, the question often arises as to whether SMEs are being left behind in the digital transformation. I therefore think that the benefit aspect is particularly helpful for small and medium-sized companies, because digital transformation is about saving resources and increasing performance and functions - and that affects everyone. Like all events at Intec and Z, the congress is also practice-oriented and should also encourage SMEs to participate.
SCOPE: Sensors play a decisive role in the factory of the future. At Intec/Z there is a special show on sensor technology. How did you come to take up this topic?
Bunke: Sensor technology is part of digitalization. Together with our program advisory board from science and practice, we have considered which topics fit in with the trade fairs. It is no coincidence that our partner for the special show is the Automotive Suppliers Network Saxony (AMZ). We are facing a change in the automotive supply industry: the topic of electromobility will force many suppliers to rethink. Saxony is a supplier state, and this gave rise to the idea of what can be done. Sensor technology offers a lot of potential. The special show on sensor technology is not about sensor production or explaining the individual sensor technologies. The focus is on sensor data, among other things.
SCOPE: So it's about mastering sensor data, data analysis and possible business models?
Bunke: It's all about system integration: Which sensors can I integrate into my production and what can I do with the sensors? Which data is important? What added value do the sensor data bring me? The new special show on sensor technology is also exciting for us. We are well aware that there are special trade fairs and conferences in this area, so we are concentrating on what could be of interest to our exhibitors and visitors.
SCOPE: Another special show is "Additive + Hybrid". How did the decision come about to bundle the technologies in a special show instead of in monothematic special areas?
Bunke: In 2017, we had the two special shows "Additive Manufacturing" and "Intelligent Lightweight Construction", the latter of which already took place in 2015. For each, there is a program advisory board consisting of experts from science and practice. The idea of merging the special shows into one arose from these program advisory boards, as the two topics can no longer be separated. We are also convinced of the merge into the special show "Additive + Hybrid".
SCOPE: Were you able to attract new exhibitors by combining the two special shows?
Bunke: The special show has become more interesting for large companies in particular thanks to the bundling of additive manufacturing and lightweight construction. We are still in the acquisition phase, but we are very optimistic that we will be able to present a wide range of exhibitors and a comprehensive forum program. We can already say that there are exhibitors who are represented both at the trade fair and in the special show; one example of this is Trumpf. However, there are different themes to be seen on the stands.
SCOPE: What are you most looking forward to during the trade fair?
Bunke: I have been looking after Z since its beginnings in 2000, and Intec since it came to Leipzig in 2007. It was very impressive to see the machines being lowered from the cranes into the hall in 2007. The fascination has remained. It is the technological progress in the industry that you can witness every two years. And I am proud to be part of this industry, which is so important for Germany, and I am pleased to bring exhibitors and visitors together and that important projects and impulses arise from this.
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