BFPA has a successful 2017 Hannover Motion, Drive & Automation Show and a new show is announced for 2018

16 May 2017

Chris Buxton, BFPA CEO reports of the 2017 Hannover MDA Show

A small group of six companies attended Hannover as part of the BFPA’s Pavilion in April 2017, and all the attendees reported high enquiry levels and great optimism as regards likely conversion rates.  Exhibitor Jason Flanagan, Sales Director of Abbey Seals commented: “this is probably the best exhibition that we have ever done and it will undoubtedly have a profound impact upon our business” while  Martin Cuthbert, MD of Webtec expressed similar sentiments stating: “this is by far the best Hanover Show that we have attended with high levels of interest across a wide range of sectors.”  

The staff of the Hannover Messe introduced a little controversy when they announced that from next year (2018), the MDA Show is going to be merged with the Hannover Industrial Automation Show to create an all new event called ‘INTEGRATED AUTOMATION MOTION AND DRIVES’ (IAMD).

Christian Kienzle, Chairman of the Fluid Power Association within VDMA (the German Engineering Federation) and CEO of the Argo-Hytos Group said of the new initiative: “Transmission and fluid power systems play a key role in engineering performance. With digitalization, these systems have now also become important data sources. Two years are an eternity in the age of digitalization. That’s why it’s important that we have the opportunity to put our latest solutions in front of customers without undue delay,”

The Messe promotional flyer seeks to remind the industry of the dramatic technological convergence and the importance of following the market trends towards more generic motion control. Along the entire value chain, industrial sectors and systems are becoming increasingly integrated. The trend towards connectivity and built-in intelligence has resulted in ever-shorter innovation cycles. At the same time there is a growing demand for total solutions geared to practical operating requirements. HANNOVER MESSE has made structural changes in response to these developments. They believe that the amalgamation of Industrial Automation and MDA will create a global hotspot for smart manufacturing solutions designed for the factory of the future.

Many members have asked whether or not the new event will provide the relevant platform for their products.  The answer to this question is ‘Yes’ but it will also provide a more modern context for their stands which recognises the current changes in the market.  There have also been questions asked whether or not BFPA will be attending what has now turned into an annual show.  At this stage we will, as always, be driven by the wishes of the membership but it is unlikely that we shall change our biennial approach of attending every other year.  This is especially the case given that the FPS Show is also held in the Spring on a biennial basis and appeals to the domestic focus of most BFPA members.

Chris Buxton

CEO, BFPA