A journey through the world of automation

More than 1,300 exhibitors on over 94,000 sqm of exhibition space - these are only the bare numbers of the leading global market place of the electric automation community. But indeed SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2010 (23 - 25 November) in Nuremberg showcased the automation industry in a so complete and comprehensive manner like nowhere else in the world. With 315 exhibitors from abroad, the international participation even exceeded the existing record of the boom year 2008 (285). The most strongly represented countries were Italy, Switzerland, China, Austria and the USA.

Growing internationality The first day exhibition tour at the meeting point of the automation industry, gathering at the NürnbergMesse venue, was impressive, next to the high-tech product presentations at the exhibition stands, especially through the density of the visitor flow. Although remaining a fair with a major focus on trade visitors from the Southern part of Germany, SPS has an international attendance of nearly 20 per cent, among them a majority of Asian faces could be seen.

Our personal impression of the first exhibition day is that the show transported a new after-crisis optimism of the automation industry. A global player like Siemens covered almost a complete hall under the slogan “Create Sustainable Value”, a strong sign of recovery and new self consciousness.

The automation industry in Germany provides 234,000 jobs nation wide and generates more than one quarter of the German electrical industry turnover, the second largest industry sector in Germany (behind the machinery and industrial equipment manufacturers). SPS goes Italy The Stuttgart based SPS organisers, the Mesago Exhibition Management Company, a 100 per cent daughter of Messe Frankfurt, is going to approach the Italian market next year with the equivalent format. Organised by Messe Frankfurt Italia, SPS/IPC/DRIVES will make its appearance in May 2011 in Parma. Parma seems to be the place to go, since it is located in the middle of the Italian automation industry cluster. Thus Frankfurt enters into a former domain of Fierra Milano, organising “BIAS Biennial International Automation, Instrumentation, Microelectronics and ICT for Industry Exhibition” in the even years. The Italian exhibition market The competition on the Italian exhibition market anyhow has risen during the last years - especially due to a massive increase of exhibition space. Since 2005 alone, the exhibition venues in Bologna, Rimini, Rome and Verona enlarged their covered hall spaces by almost 146,000 sqm. In Rome and Milan completely new exhibition centres have been built.