With technological change transforming all aspects of industry, whether production processes, employee productivity or global supply chains, manufacturers everywhere are beginning to fully appreciate the rapidly growing importance of digitization for their survival. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in Southeast Asia.

In recognition of this key trend, Deutsche Messe AG and SingEx Exhibitions Pte Ltd are staging a second season of Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC. It will be held from 22 to 24 October 2019 at the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre. Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC is the only trade show in the Asia-Pacific region that provides full coverage of the opportunities and challenges of industrial transformation.

The ASEAN Free Trade Area is the world’s fifth-largest economic region. This year, investment in the region’s IoT infrastructure is projected to exceed 15 billion US dollars, and countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have already launched their own Industry 4.0 initiatives in the pursuit of their economic objectives. In Singapore, the government recently published the Singapore Smart Industry Readiness Index, which gives local companies a common framework for Industry 4.0.

Owing to the trade tensions brewing between China and the USA, many manufacturing companies around the world are shifting their focus to Southeast Asia as an alternative production location. The resulting sharp increase in demand is prompting many SME-scale manufacturers in the region to step up their investment in advanced technologies. According to global management consultancy Bain & Co., this trend has the potential to generate new business worth about one trillion US dollars.

The trend is no doubt part of the reason for the Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC show’s successful 2018 launch. "The premiere in October 2018 exceeded our expectations," commented Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe. "It attracted twice as many exhibitors as we expected, and three times as many visitors. That’s a fantastic result, and it shows the strength of the region’s interest in state-of-the-art technologies and Industry 4.0 expertise. This year we are adding an Integrated Energy section to the program so that we can offer visitors an even more extensive overview of all key industrial trends."

Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC comprises an exhibition component, a conference component and various education and B2B matchmaking events. The exhibition component has five main display sections: Additive Manufacturing, Industrial Automation, Digital Factory, Intralogistics and Integrated Energy. This year, the show will again have a strong focus on Industry 4.0 themes. Other key themes include artificial intelligence, human-machine collaboration, platform business models and smart supply chain management. The confirmed exhibitor registrations to date include such companies as Balluf, Beckhoff, Fraunhofer Singapore, Harting, ifm Electronic, igus, Konica Minolta, Mitsubishi, Pilz, Trumpf, Sick and Wago.

The show’s visitors are drawn from a diverse range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, biomedicine, chemicals, consumer goods manufacturing, electronics, marine and offshore technology, oil and gas, and precision engineering. For these visitors, one of the big highlights of the show is the "Gateway to Industry 4.0", an immersive showcase where participants – novices and experts alike – can discover first-hand how best to implement Industry 4.0 technologies and ideas. Other education forums in the exhibition section include sandboxes, learning labs and workshops.

Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC is organized by SingEx Exhibitions, Singapore. Deutsche Messe is SingEx’s international partner, providing support for brand development and global sales activities. The premiere in 2018 featured 266 exhibitors from 23 nations and attracted 15,000 visitors spanning 55 nations.