The exhibition halls and lecture halls will open their doors on 11 June 2018. Around 3,800 exhibitors and 167,000 participants from over 100 countries will once again make Frankfurt the centre of the process industry world for five days. Positive news has characterised the industry environment in recent weeks. The organisers are therefore looking forward to the industry event with optimism.
„We usually hold back a little with our forecasts,“ says Dr Thomas Scheuring, Managing Director of ACHEMA Ausstellungs-GmbH. „But we are seeing significant growth in some exhibition areas such as automation, pharmaceutical, packaging and storage technology, but also in mechanical process engineering, which gives rise to positive expectations.“
At a trade press day in mid-March, it also became clear that the large Digitisation trend This is the most important topic for all sectors and exhibition groups, whether in the laboratory, in plant engineering or in packaging and logistics. The exhibitors will be showcasing many innovations based on digital methods: there are pumps that can be integrated into the system via „plug & play“ thanks to digital interfaces and monitor their status independently. Today, control and operation centres are set up in such a way that the possibilities of cooperation between man and machine are redefined. The two focus topics in particular „Flexible Production“ and „Chemicals and Pharma Logistics“ benefit from this trend, as modular systems or integrated supply chains are inconceivable without data integration.
However, quite „conventional“ topics such as components that increase process efficiency or the use of new materials are also on the agenda of companies that offer products or technologies for the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.
Positive industry sentiment provides tailwind
ACHEMA is receiving positive impetus from its core industries, which are currently optimistic about the near future despite all the uncertainties. The organisers expect ACHEMA to benefit from these effects and possibly slightly exceed the figures of previous years. Dr Thomas Scheuring will provide further details.
pj: Dr Scheuring, even nine months before the start of ACHEMA 2018, a high level of participation was already apparent. As the organisers, what expectations do you have for the new edition of the event?
Dr Thomas Scheuring: As before every ACHEMA, we are excited and looking forward to the moment when ACHEMA actually opens its doors. We can already sense that the industry is eagerly awaiting the event. This time, demand was particularly high in the pharmaceutical, packaging and storage technology and automation sectors. We will see a lot of new things there. And also with our Focus topics „Flexible Production“, „Biotech for Chemistry“ and „Chemical and Pharma Logistics“, we seem to have hit a nerve - there is a great deal of interest in them.
pj: ACHEMA 2018 sees itself not only as a marketplace for the present, but also as an innovation exchange for the future. What can visitors expect at the industry show?
Dr Thomas Scheuring: The exhibition has always shown a Broad spectrum of market innovations. Many exhibitors plan so that they can present their innovations on a large scale at ACHEMA. In the congress they will find many ideas and solutions that are not yet to be found in the halls today, but will be in three years' time. The close integration between the two makes ACHEMA a forum that not only showcases today's innovations, but also provides impetus for tomorrow.
pj: How does the packaging sector fit into the theme of the World Forum for Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering and Biotechnology?
Dr Thomas Scheuring: The packaging sector has always been an integral part of ACHEMA and covers a very broad spectrum from bulk solids technology with big bags to blister packaging for medicines. Due to the increasing Integration of the supply chain However, packaging technology has a new role to play: it is no longer at the end of a production process, but becomes an integral part of it. Visitors can experience this very clearly in Hall 3: There are packaging lines there that are seamlessly linked to production. The same is increasingly true at the other end: when the carton is placed on the Euro pallet, the process is not finished. This was already the case in the past - „Track & Trace solutions The prerequisite for this is that the products can be tracked seamlessly. Therefore, the first-time expansion of ACHEMA to include the focus topic „Chemical and Pharma Logistics“ a sensible step.
pj: How important are packaging-related developments? Which trends will be shown?
Dr Thomas Scheuring: Pharmaceutical, packaging and storage technology as an exhibition group already grew significantly in 2015, and demand has now increased once again - so much so that we have even rented an additional hall. On the one hand, this is being driven by the ongoing integration I just mentioned. Track & Trace was already a major topic in 2015 and remains so, also in view of new regulatory requirements. And in the field of biopharmaceuticals in particular, there are the special requirements for handling, storage and transport - right through to personalised medicine, which cannot function at all without appropriate logistics.
pj: What is actually particularly exciting for you?
Dr Thomas Scheuring: When set-up begins and we „relocate“ to the exhibition centre, it's always a goosebump moment. We work towards every ACHEMA for three years and it's great to see it literally come to life.
