Digital transformation: from May 22-24, industrial automation professionals gather in Parma at the leading trade show. An event that had over 33,000 visitors in the last edition.
As always, the event is highly anticipated and again this year the premises are interesting in the nature of content and presence. SPS IPC Drives 2018 in Parma, Italy’s flagship exhibition on industrial automation that has become the main platform for meeting industry over the years, is about to return.
From May 22 to 24, companies and industry professionals will meet to take stock of an ever-evolving sector, especially in light of Industry 4.0 developments, and to initiate business relationships.
EiQ Industrial will also be in Hall 5, booth H064 to present qualityandcertified switchboardsfor the food, bottling, pharmaceutical as well as oil&gas, marine and rail industries.
New features this year include the expansion of the fairgrounds through the creation of a pathway dedicated to Digital Transformation and the new “Digital District” pavilion with exponents from the digital, software and cyber security worlds.
Products
The numbers tell of a steadily growing event that reached 738 exhibitors and more than 33,000 visitors last year, both up 15 percent. Most of the guests include Engineering and Design Office professionals and Company Executives: this confirms the growing interest and specificity of the fair, which is to all intents and purposes a reference point for the Italian manufacturing scene.
SPS IPC Drives 2018 covers an extensive variety of products: from electrical components to complete systems, including integrated automation solutions .
In particular, these are the product categories:
- Drive systems and components
- Electromechanical components and peripheral devices
- Sensors
- Control technology
- IPC
- Industrial software
- Interfacing technology
- Low-voltage switching devices
- Human-machine interface devices
- Industrial communication
- Training and consulting
- System integrator
- Technical publishing
- Trade associations
Ample space, as mentioned, is devoted to Collaborative Robotics, IIoT and M2M, Big Data and Analytics, Augmented Reality, 3D Printing and Cyber Security.
Digital transformation: pavilions and meetings
As many as 6 pavilions will be open: 3 will be devoted to products and solutions, components and systems for automation and mechatronics, and new disruptive technologies; another 3 will include a track on the interconnected industry, which is becoming increasingly strategic today.
The organizers have also planned a series of meetings that will try to address some topical issues in the world of industrial automation:
- On May 22, “Innovative industrial automation by vocation: future challenges for humans and technology” will be discussed in the morning. In the afternoon, an in-depth scientific discussion will take place on “Artificial Intelligence: vision and connectivity for Digital Transformation“
- A conference entitled “Robot & Co: Collaboration in Industry 4.0″ will be held in the morning on May 23. In the afternoon, however, the scientific breakthrough: “The challenges of automation: efficiency and flexibility.”
- Finally, “Digital&IIoT: the role of digital technologies in process and product innovation” will be discussed on May 24.
The concept
The fair grew out of the sister event of Germany’s SPS IPC Drives, the largest industrial automation event in Europe for more than 25 years. It draws sap from an Advisory Panel made up of leading companies and a Scientific Committee composed of automation managers, end users, machine builders from major Italian manufacturing companies and universities.
