Chancellor Merkel and Mexico’s president Nieto were in agreement this evening: Progress and prosperity are only possible with open markets. The opening ceremony was marked with an international free trade agreement between Mexico and the EU that was agreed on Saturday. In the future, these countries want to trade 99 percent of their goods duty free.

Mexico is this year’s partner country of the trade fair. This is no coincidence. Mexico currently plays a central role in the German automobile industry. More than 160 Mexican companies are presenting their products and are competing for innovation partnerships at the exhibition.

A Signal against Protectionism

Chancellor Merkel said in her address that HANNOVER MESSE embodies an upswing and sets standards. She went on to explain that it is the place where the big names in the technology industry come together. With regards to Mexico, Merkel emphasized the two nations shared values. She also expressed that both countries support globalization driven by global free trade. The bilateral trade volume has increased by 25 percent in the last year.

Merkel views the digitization of industry optimistically and believes Germany will master any challenges through connectivity and automation just as successfully as in the previous industrial revolutions. She also elaborated that despite the record numbers in the German job market and the innovation power of small and medium-sized industrial businesses, the German government will invest more heavily in research and development in the coming years. A greater focus is being placed on artificial intelligence to keep up with strong competitors, such as the USA and China.

Mexican president Nieto promoted partnerships and investments in his speech. He views HANNOVER MESSE as an opportunity for his nation to showcase its industrial progress to the world. Mexico is one of the strongest and most integrated global economies, he continued. Furthermore, Mexico has a long history of business transactions with Germany.

An Appeal for Interconnectivity and Collaboration

Stefan Schostok, mayor of the region’s capital city, Hannover, and Carl Martin Welcker, president of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) also emphasized the importance of open trade relations.

Schostok says that it was especially important in times of increasing isolation to overcome borders and achieve prosperity. The interaction between man, machine, and the digital world is an enormous leap forward for the economy and society. Schostok views HANNOVER MESSE and CeMAT taking place at the same time as a sign of positive collaboration.

Carl Martin Welcker highlighted the leading role of SMEs in developing industrial innovations. He explained that Industrie 4.0 is now a reality and that mature applications, products, and business models already exist. Welcker sees protectionism as one of the greatest challenges: "Whether they are virtual or real barriers – everyone loses." Consequently, he sees the trade fair slogan Connect and Collaborate as a political mission to build bridges.

Endress+Hauser Wins the HERMES AWARD

At the opening ceremony, Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek announced the winner of this year’s HERMES AWARD. Deutsche Messe AG honors innovative products that will be presented at HANNOVER MESSE for the first time with this award. This year, Endress+Hauser Messtechnik won the accolade. The company convinced the jury with a thermometer that calibrates itself.

The device is designed to be used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. In these industries, even a slight deviation in temperature can have disastrous consequences for the goods produced and could endanger human lives. To ensure all temperatures sensors operate continuously accurately, companies have to perform complex calibrations several times a year. The thermometer iTHERM TrustSens TM371 from Endress+Hauser automated the process – a genius simplification.

HANNOVER MESSE enters its 71st year

The showcase dedicated to global industry offers visitors a full program again: Around 5,000 exhibitors from 75 countries show their solutions live and on site. This includes more than 500 use cases for connected production and logistics solutions as well as over 1,400 presentations and panels have been announced.