IEN Europe: MATELEC INDUSTRY is an event that offers the entire industrial sector a platform that connects knowledge, professionals,
products and companies. What are the main focuses of this edition?
IFEMA has set out to help to connect industry with new realities and contexts in which it will be operating and helping to strengthen trade from now on. MATELEC INDUSTRY, organised by IFEMA, will take place at FERIA DE MADRID from 25 to 28 October 2016 and will be a unique business platform for Southern Europe's new 4.0 industry. The event will act as a catalyst of the reindustrialisation happening in this part of Europe, in automation, the connected industry, Smart Factory and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). All this in the conviction that technology, innovation, knowledge, solutions and people are the underlying variables of this strategic industrial development project for our country. MATELEC INDUSTRY will be a unique, cross-cutting event that brings together an array of industrial sectors: process automation, textiles, petrochemicals, packaging, food industry, logistics, etc. As well as presenting and responding to new challenges, it will also be a place for reflecting on the real impact on business of disruptive production technologies such as additive manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data and the Cloud.
IEN Europe: The new digital era, with its industrial applications of the future based on connectivity, has been a hot topic in recent times. How will you approach it in the exhibition? What opportunities and challenges do you think the digital evolution will bring?
All companies (large, medium and small) from all sectors, must gradually evolve towards identifying and analysing big opportunities and the specific challenges facing industry in the 4.0 manufacturing era. Some are already doing it and others are just about to start the journey. They will all find interesting solutions at MATELEC INDUSTRY, a multi-sectoral event that will bring together different areas that optimise productivity and competitiveness in production processes. The Trade Fair offers the industrial sector an opportunity to find technological solutions for Smart Factories to streamline the introduction of technological equipment available to the new industrial revolution and the connected industry. The event will provide the industrial sector with a platform that connects know-how, professionals, products and companies. With the motto "Let's Link-up", the interconnectivity required in industrial production processes, engineering and management, are the focus of this event focused on 4.0 reindustrialisation and the Smart Factory, connecting processes and markets through the Internet and the latest technologies. Technology, innovation, knowledge, solutions and people are the underlying variables of this strategic industrial development project for our country.
IEN Europe: How is the economic situation of the Spanish industrial market in terms of investments at the moment?
Now emerging from a long crisis, the country has started growing and Spanish industry is starting to show clear signs of recovery, in the shape of new investments and projects, a new scenario where specialisation is more important than ever before. Now is the right time for holding a trade show that will serve as a springboard for recovery and will help to drive the gamut of economic and industrial activities, harnessing all the possibilities of the manufacturing revolution with connected, smart, efficient reindustrialisation 4.0. On the one hand, the company's objective is to standardise and produce more and better units. And, on the other, customers are demanding ever more personalised products. Industry 4.0 offers solutions for both requirements through contact networks, self-configuration and self-diagnosis. Right since the beginning, the Industry 4.0 concept has been on the agenda for a lot of companies and it has now become an essential part of the production process.
IEN Europe: How are the attendance figures looking in terms of international exhibitors at Matelec 2016? What does the presence of international players mean to this kind of event?
As I have already said, MATELEC INDUSTRY is not limited to Spanish industry, but also has a marked international component. It will therefore attract representatives from all over Spain, to the extent that I can assure you that it will be the greatest industrial event for this area of the continent. What's more, the Trade Fair is not restricted solely to technology-based sectors but is targeted at all types of companies and industries. In other words, it is cross-industry event designed to help companies to be more competitive in this new industrial revolution. We have set ourselves the task of stimulating the industrial sector, committing to innovation, technology and the trade and focusing on efficiency and the industrial community.
IEN Europe: This year's edition will be divided with new areas designed to offer a more effective response to the challenges identified. Can you give us more details about this new format?
The Trade Fair will have the following sectors: AUTOMATEC, Industrial, Energy and Processes Automation; Digital Factory; Industrial Electronics; Installations, Electricity and Telecommunications; Solutions and Energy Management Control; and Other Industry Suppliers. There will also be an exhibition area focused on fostering networking among specialised manufacturers and people responsible for production, control, maintenance, quality and process safety, machine manufacturers, engineers... from an industrial sector that requires constant improvements in terms of the efficiency of their production processes, time and cost management, flexibility in the assignment of resources, safety and profitability. Among the most industrialised segments I would particularly mention the car industry, energy, health, textiles, food, transformation and metallurgical sectors. The event will also feature a multidisciplinary space for sharing knowledge, experiences, spaces for debate, success stories, new technologies, workshops and demonstrations, will take place in the framework of FORO "GATE 4.0", where there will be debates on current and future aspects of industry, such as industrial cyber-security, communications, big data... devoting one day to each of these subject areas, with specific content for each industrial sector.
IEN Europe: In which other countries do you organise exhibitions? Can you identify some differences between the different markets and audiences?
IFEMA has important international repercussions with its close ties with Latin America and it organises Trade Fairs and events in different parts of the world. It is precisely this global character that gives us such an accurate overview of the way that the connected industry is evolving. This evolution needs to be strengthened to bolster the competitiveness of companies in the global market by introducing advanced technology, not only in production but also in machines and processes. In all countries, manufacturing is changing faster than it ever has before. ITC has reached industry and the use of robotics and machines is generating great flexibility. The ways we provide services, internal logistics and control systems are no longer static but are aspects that need to improve continuously; digitalisation will drive the industry to new levels, both in manufacturing, planning, design, engineering, prototypes, etc. In short, digital transformation will be a necessity for companies to be able to create and maintain quality jobs and to stand out from their competitors.
