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About Hannover Messe 

The Hannover Messe in Germany is the world's leading international trade fair for industrial technology and smart automation, bringing together the best in key automation technologies. The trade show was held from April 22 to April 26, 2024, with the theme of "Energizing a Sustainable Industry". This year's event attracted over 4,000 exhibitors from more than 150 countries and more than 130,000 visitors. Leaders, decision-makers, and experts from all manufacturing sectors around the world came together at this platform where leading global companies and CEOs exchanged ideas to facilitate knowledge transfer, collaboration, and new technology development opportunities.

The industry trends in focus this year were Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Future Hub, sustainable development and energy transition (including hydrogen). Below is a detailed description. 

Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Industry 4.0 and AI not only enhances productivity in manufacturing, but also shows great potential for sustainable development and combating climate change. At the exhibition, many exhibitors showcased Industry 4.0 and AI solutions, especially generative AI (GenAI) applications, including data collection from machines in operation; and data visualization throughout the factory or across production lines. GenAI is being used to accelerate the training process for robots and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Natural language interactions lower the barrier to adoption so that robots and automation can be deployed more precisely, faster, and at lower cost. Also included in this field are virtual production line simulation and optimization, predictive maintenance, digital twin technologies, and supply chain management solutions – technologies that can improve production efficiency, quality, and customization capabilities. 

The German company Simens was one of the largest exhibitors this year. They highlighted (1) AI and machine learning use cases, e.g., the combination of GenAI with robotics to accelerate the adoption of robots by integrating operation manuals and product specifications into a GenAI model that can complete instructions through real-time natural language interaction; (2) the industrial metaverse that enables remote point-to-point multi-person collaboration through VR goggles, combined with AI capabilities to speed up industrial design and product development; (3) sustainable indoor precision agriculture with the use of big data analytics to increase crop yield and quality while reducing water consumption by approximately 15%. 

Source: ITRI/ISTI Research

Picture 1: Siemens demonstrates natural language conversations powered by GenAI for robots to complete instructions

Future Hub

The scope of the future hub trend encompassed future manufacturing technologies such as human-machine collaboration, virtual reality, and mixed reality. The focus was on the interaction between humans and machines and technologies such as at collaborative workstations; the use of virtual reality and mixed reality to enhance industrial design, manufacturing, maintenance, etc.; the use of real-time multi-person interaction to improve efficiency and reduce costs; digital skills development, including digital training platforms, virtual reality simulators and other tools to fast-track employees' digital competences to meet future manufacturing needs. 

Microsoft, also one of the largest exhibitors at this event, highlighted (1) integration of GenAI across production stages, such as anomaly detection with a chat interface to provide real-time responses, helping frontline workers to make decisions; (2) real-time digital twin systems allowing remote experts or managers to collaborate with and provide guidance to on-site personnel; (3) mixed reality combined with AI enabling the overlaying of equipment information onto real world images, and the use of AI conversational systems to help on-site personnel troubleshoot problems. 

Source: ITRI/ISTI Research

Picture 2: Microsoft showcases mixed reality combined with AI to help on-site personnel with troubleshooting

Sustainable Development and Energy Transition (Including Hydrogen)

The trend of sustainable development and energy transition focused on green energy technologies such as renewable energy (wind and solar), energy storage, etc.; energy efficiency management, including the use of industrial IoT, big data analytics and AI to improve energy efficiency; low-carbon materials and the circular economy, e.g., green manufacturing processes and electronic waste recycling technologies to help companies achieve carbon neutrality. 

The main focus of this part of the exhibition was hydrogen production, storage, and applications. The German company Bosch presented a complete hydrogen ecosystem solution, from the highly efficient electrolyzers for hydrogen production, high-pressure hydrogen storage systems, hydrogen transportation solutions (hydrogen transport vehicles), to industrial hydrogen applications like refueling stations and fuel cell systems.

Source: ITRI/ISTI Research

Picture 3: Bosch presents their solutions for a hydrogen ecosystem: production, storage and consumption

IEKView

The insights drawn from this exhibition for Taiwan's industries are as follows: The rapid development and the industrial use cases of GenAI around the world are accelerating various production processes, lowering costs and reducing energy consumption. As geopolitics is leading the decentralization of manufacturing activities, diversified footprints and collaborations are set to become the new paradigm. The application of technologies such as mixed reality and digital twins can speed up the expansion of global footprint. Finally, the international community’s extensive experience in the construction of the hydrogen ecosystem from production and storage to consumption can serve as a reference case for Taiwan. In summary, the Hannover Messe unveiled the latest global trends in industrial automation, robotics, production lines, digital technology, renewable energy, and various integrated hardware/software automation solutions. These are valuable benchmarks for Taiwan's industries and worthy of continued attention.