And it's more than just parts and components that will be on offer, because these days subcontractors are key development partners and providers of creative engineering solutions to industry. The focus of next year's Industrial Supply show will be on lightweight construction, smart materials and innovative surface finishing solutions. Special displays within Industrial Supply include the SurfaceTechnology Area , the Integrated Lightweight Plaza and the Industrial Supply Forum .

"The decisive edge HANNOVER MESSE has over other, more specialized industrial technology fairs is that it allows trade visitors to directly compare competing solutions," commented Olaf Daebler, Deutsche Messe's Global Director Industrial Supply for HANNOVER MESSE. "It's only when you have the opportunity to compare different processes and materials that you can broaden your horizons and find what can often be quite surprising alternative solutions. What's more, the highly international exhibitor lineup and visitor make-up at HANNOVER MESSE add up to a truly global event."

Exhibitors, too, benefit from HANNOVER MESSE's scale and breadth. No other trade fair attracts more user industries, which gives technology providers unmatched opportunities to diversify their clientele. About half of all Industrial Supply visitors come from companies that manufacture and assemble finished products. The most important visitor groups are product developers, design engineers and purchasing executives from the mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, automotive, aerospace, metalworking, plastics, construction and process manufacturing industries.

Lightweight construction

For many years, lightweight construction has ranked among the most important keynote themes at HANNOVER MESSE. Next year, the lightweight exhibits will be clustered in Hall 5. There, visitors will quickly see that lightweight construction is about much more than reducing product weight. It is in fact a very specialized field that requires a high-tech approach to engineering and is extremely relevant to all industrial processes and materials. In 2019, the Integrated Lightweight Plaza will once again serve as the beating heart of the lightweight scene at HANNOVER MESSE. In 2018, some 14 companies and a number of industry associations used the Plaza to showcase lightweight materials, design and processing technologies. The Plaza also featured a Speakers' Corner for knowledge sharing and a meeting area for informal networking.

SurfaceTechnology Area back in 2019

Surface finishing solutions will likewise feature prominently at the next HANNOVER MESSE. In odd-numbered years, HANNOVER MESSE features the SurfaceTechnology Area – a dedicated platform within the Industrial Supply show for providers of surface finishing solutions. Located in Hall 5, next year's SurfaceTechnology Area will feature exhibits covering the following themes: parts cleaning and pre-treatment solutions, electroplating, liquid surface coating technology, shot-blasting technologies, industrial plasma coating, measurement, testing and analysis equipment and associated services. Visitors will also benefit from the many synergies that exist between the SurfaceTechnology Area and nearby exhibits of lightweight solutions, smart materials and adhesive bonding and joining technology.

Forum for knowledge sharing and dialogue

Next year's Industrial Supply Forum , which serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and dialogue, will be located right at the heart of Hall 4. In 2018, around 1,400 visitors attended the forum's 50-plus lectures and panel discussion over the five days of HANNOVER MESSE. In 2019, the event will feature lectures and panels on a variety of topics, including Partner Country Sweden, procurement and global sourcing, lightweight construction, mobility technologies, surface technology and additive manufacturing processes. In addition, Friday, the final day of the show, will once again be devoted to youth and technology.

HANNOVER MESSE's Industrial Supply show spans a wide range of technologies and solutions, including parts, components, semi-finished products, finished products and assemblies that are made using a diverse range of processes. Design and product engineering play crucial roles in all of this, especially when it comes to casting and forging technologies, non-cut component manufacturing and machined parts. The materials expertise that will be on display spans metals and steel, NF metals and aluminum, hybrid and special materials, rubber and plastics, and technical ceramics and composites. This broad range creates major synergy potential with the surface treatment solutions on show in the SurfaceTechnology Area .