2016 is now behind us, and 2017 will also be a year full of events dedicated to the industrial automation sector. The calendar is therefore very busy and there is no shortage of events where to discover the latest innovations in a sector that, according to data presented at the last edition of SPS IPC Drives, has grown by an average of more than 7 percent in Italy over the previous year.

But let’s look at the main events scheduled in Italy for next year in the field of industrial automation.

From March 23-25 in Parma, Mecspe returns, the trade show dedicated to the manufacturing industry as a whole that offers a comprehensive overview of innovative materials, machines and technologies including Industry 4.0, a topic of growing interest given also the recent plans proposed by the government. The fair in 2017 will be centered in a series of exhibitions related to different topics in automation: machine tools, digital factory, motek italy, power drive, logistics, control italy, mechanical subcontracting, electronic subcontracting, additive manufacturing, machines and plastic subcontracting, and treatments and finishing.

The benchmark event on Electrical Automation Technologies, Systems and Components is SPS IPC Drives Italia, which will also be held in Parma May 23-25. This exhibition brings together suppliers and manufacturers from the world of industrial automation by addressing a wide range of industry products: electrical components, complete systems, and integrated automation. 2017 will see growth in the event’s exhibition space with drive systems and components, mechanical infrastructure, sensors, control technology, IPC, industrial software, interfacing technology, low-voltage switching devices, human-machine interface (HMI) devices, industrial communication, training and consulting, and system integrators. There will be no shortage of insights dedicated to new technologies such as collaborative robotics, IIoT and M2M, BIG DATA and Analytics, augmented reality, 3D printing and Cyber Security.

From Oct. 4 to 6, however, the appointment is with M&MT in Fiera in Milan, an event dedicated to the world of mechatronics, automation, embedded and control. The exhibition was designed with space planning inspired by the Italian piazza, in which there are large areas that encourage socialization between exhibitors and visitors, and an arrangement of booths around that central hub.

Absent in 2017 was the Ipack-Ima fair, which will return, however, in May 2018 in an edition boosted by a new format that will combine the verticality of the proposal, with a subdivision of the exhibition structure by customer sectors, with an extensive enhancement of the eight business communities: Food, Fresh & Convenience; Confectionary; Beverage; Pasta, Milling & Bakery; Industrial & Durable Goods; Health & Personal Care; Chemicals Industrial & Home; Fashion & Luxury.

And interest in the food automation sector is also growing: by October, half of the available exhibition space had already been booked.

For 2017, EiQ Industrial will once again confirm its participation in some of the major events in the industrial automation sector, as part of which it will present its expertise in the design and production of certified switchboards.