For many years, HANNOVER MESSE has been known for ground-breaking innovations, cutting-edge technologies and new ideas on how to successfully address global industrial challenges.

Technologies and applications that have emerged from Industrie 4.0 are being used across the world and are also closely connected with HANNOVER MESSE. This is where Industrie 4.0 was first presented a little more than 10 years ago and this is where the brand was established.

Industrie 4.0 is making the global industrial sector more efficient and more competitive. And Industrie 4.0 is only just beginning to unfold its full potential. Data ecosystems, digital infrastructure, industrial AI applications and opportunities such as the industrial metaverse are key components of Industrie 4.0 and stand for a vital process of transformation in industry.

The development of data ecosystems, in particular, is now increasingly growing into an interoperable, dynamic and trusted overall system offering solutions that are ready for use. More than ever, recent developments have shown just how paramount it is for Germany and Europe to have sovereign digital solutions to ensure their competitiveness. Solutions that are also indispensable for data-dependent AI solutions. Solutions that must work globally. Our industrial sector is active across the globe and its supply chains do not stop at the EU border. This is why it is so important for us to take not only our European, but also our global cooperation partners on board whenever we develop data ecosystems.

This is exactly what the International Manufacturing-X (IMX) initiative aims to do: together with our European and international partners, we are developing and testing use cases, such as the Battery Passport (Hall 8, stand D26). This is the only way to build trust and acceptance for a global data ecosystem.

At national level, we must now roll out Manufacturing-X so that it is widely adopted and easy to use – particularly for SMEs. We must not limit ourselves to the traditional manufacturing sector: there are many important sectors including healthcare, energy and defence that are subject to a host of regulations and specifications that need integrating into data ecosystems. Overall, our objective must be to develop horizontal solutions that cut across different sectors.

We can only achieve this by joining forces. Industry, science and academia and the political sphere must all pull in the same direction. To this end, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action has developed various funding frameworks for the development of data ecosystems under the umbrella of the Manufacturing-X initiative. Many of the experts on the Industrie 4.0 stage are already part of this fast-growing international community, and part of Plattform Industrie 4.0.

Plattform Industrie 4.0 is therefore once again a most welcome partner of the Industrie 4.0 stage, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is gladly acting as patron. I wish all the participants of the Industrie 4.0 stage open and vigorous discussions, and a wealth of new insights and perspectives for your businesses and organisations during the forthcoming HANNOVER MESSE week.