HANNOVER MESSE 2012: Sustainable efficiency the key to success

Sustainability and efficiency are increasingly at the center of industrial development around the world. Assessments of companies' performance no longer focus purely on commercial factors, but also take into account their use of energy and raw materials. Today's investors clearly favor enterprises that use sustainable and efficient technologies.

HANNOVER MESSE 2012, which runs from 23 to 27 April, provides a unique overview of all key resource-saving industrial technologies. Literally thousands of innovations will be unveiled in Hannover this year. They will span all sectors of industry, from industrial automation and IT, energy and environmental technologies, industrial supply, production technologies and services through to research and development.

The official HANNOVER MESSE 2012 motto is "greentelligence." "The exhibitors at all eight flagship fairs to be featured under the umbrella of HANNOVER MESSE will demonstrate that an intelligent mix of efficient processes, eco-friendly materials and sustainable products is critical to survival in today's highly competitive, dynamic international markets," said Dr. Wolfram von Fritsch, Chairman of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe.

Electric motors offer enormous scope for boosting energy efficiency. According to estimates by the Association of German Engineers (VDI), some 300 million electric motors are currently in use around the world – a number which the Association suggests is rising by 10 percent each year. The VDI believes that energy consumption in industrial operations can be reduced by as much as 30 percent through the use of intelligent energy automation systems, modern energy transmission technologies and state-of-the-art electrical engineering components. According to the VDI, the demand-side savings will come from variable-speed drives. The latest expert analyses indicate that the use of these kinds of intelligent motor control systems can potentially save some 1.7 billion kWh of electricity worldwide   the equivalent of the annual output of 290 nuclear reactors.

The presentations run by this year's HANNOVER MESSE Partner Country, China, will also reflect the sustainable efficiency trend in industry. "China's Partner Country showcase will focus on intelligent manufacturing processes, sustainable energy generation, intelligent electricity grids and eMobility. HANNOVER MESSE will enable our Chinese partners to put the spotlight on the dramatic changes taking place in the Chinese economy and develop new markets," explained von Fritsch.

Given the growing importance of sustainable efficiency, this year's HANNOVER MESSE will also see the debut of a new flagship fair that is dedicated to this very issue, IndustrialGreenTec. Here, companies will present state-of-the-art solutions, processes, machines and energy efficiency concepts that help industrial enterprises change over to "green production systems." "IndustrialGreenTec is a platform for efficiency solutions that are developed by industry for industry. Its keynote themes include environmentally compatible production processes, the circular economy and recycling, systems for the efficient use of renewable energy and renewable materials, and solutions for measuring and monitoring pollutants and harmful substances," said von Fritsch. "IndustrialGreenTec is the perfect complement to the array of themes covered at HANNOVER MESSE, and its debut is extremely timely given this year's keynote theme of ‘greentelligence.'"

‘greentelligence' will also be a focus theme at Industrial Automation, the leading trade fair for process, factory and building automation systems and solutions, and at the Energy show, where energy companies will be presenting their solutions for a reliable and competitive energy sNike Air Max