The program has now been finalized – and makes impressive reading. On Tuesday, 2 April, leading experts from politics, business and research will be on stage at the first-ever Lightweighting Summit under the umbrella of HANNOVER MESSE. Organized by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, this event will create the basis for a profitable dialogue on the importance of lightweight design and engineering, examine the current competitive situation and explore strategies aimed at promoting this key technology.

The 1st Lightweighting Summit will focus on the importance of lightweight engineering in the context of digitization and globalization. "Lightweight engineering is a strong innovation-driver which can contribute to enhanced resource and energy efficiency," says Federal Economics Minister Peter Altmaier. "This is equally important for environmental and climate protection, as well as for strengthening Germany’s competitiveness as an industrial location. Lightweight engineering has an important role to play in mastering global challenges." In his role as the summit’s patron, Altmaier will welcome the visitors at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 April. Introductory speeches will also be delivered by Dr. Michael Meister, Parliamentary Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research , and Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) has organized this decision-makers' forum in collaboration with Deutsche Messe AG and the Lightweighting Initiative of the BMWi.

Two keynotes will lay the foundations for the subsequent panel discussions. Firstly, Professor Dr. Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer Society , will analyze the opportunities and challenges inherent in lightweight engineering. Secondly, Dr. Ralf Fröchtenicht, who represents BMW’s Purchasing and Supplier Network, will talk about the importance of lightweight design in the automotive industry. In addition to the two keynote speakers, Christoph Dammermann, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, and Dr. Andreas Gebauer-Teichmann, a member of Volkswagen’s Group Technology Strategy & Management Dept., will contribute to the subsequent panel discussion on the significance of lightweight engineering for Germany as an industrial location.

The first panel discussion (featuring Prof. Dr. Hubert Jäger, Professor of Lightweight Systems Engineering and Multi-Material Design at Dresden Technical University and CEO of Carbon Composites, and Dr. Peter Dahlmann, Managing Director of the VDEh Steel Institute) will outline the key elements in a national lightweight engineering strategy from the viewpoint of industry and the research community. The second panel discussion will continue the industry-policy dialogue, with contributions by Dr. Peter Dahlmann, Dr. Wolfgang Seeliger, Managing Director of Leichtbau BW GmbH, Dr. Winfried Horstmann, Head of Industrial Policy at the BMWi, Heinz Gaub, Director of Engineering at ARBURG, and Hans-Peter Dahm, Managing Director of TGM Lightweight Solutions. Finally, Björn Thümler, Lower Saxony's Minister of Science and Culture, will present his conclusions. The 1st Lightweighting Summit will end at approx. 5 p.m.

This new summit meeting for politics, business and research will take place at HANNOVER MESSE in the conference section of Hall 19 (Room New York 1). The number of participants is limited to around 300. Registrations can be e-mailed directly.

Lightweight engineering is one of the key topics at HANNOVER MESSE. In Hannover, users from all industries can meet experts who will demonstrate the role of lightweight design in the product improvement process. More than 100 companies and associations will be presenting smart lightweight solutions at HANNOVER MESSE. The central information hub will be the Integrated Lightweight Plaza in Hall 5 under the umbrella of Industrial Supply . The Industrial Supply Forum on the morning of Tuesday, 2 April, will also focus on lightweight engineering. The program embraces various lectures and discussions, all under the heading "Lightweight as an Enabler of Tomorrow's Mobility". The forum program has been organized by the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Technologies .