Hannover, Germany. Innovation is the core business of suppliers. How else can they stay ahead of the competition? The 1,700 exhibitors at Industrial Supply at HANNOVER MESSE are perfect examples. But which are the best? To provide added orientation for tradeshow visitors in halls 4, 5 and 6, Highlights@Industrial Supply is being offered for the first time this year. An independent panel of experts has declared 10 solutions and projects on show by Industrial Supply exhibitors as highlights based on technological innovation, cost effectiveness and environmental friendliness.

Visitors can use the online guide to find the Highlights@Industrial Supply. They are also marked on the hall maps and signs, as well as with a beach flag at the stands of selected companies.

Evaluations were conducted by an independent panel of experts comprising:

And these are the 10 Highlights@Industrial Supply:

AGTOS with the AGTOS Drum Blast Machine (H6/D18)
Technological innovation:
With the AGTOS Drum Blast Machine, AGTOS is addressing the growing demand for abrasive blasting of delicate components while complying with a wide range of requirements, including robustness, process monitoring and low machine wear.
Cost effectiveness:
The system stands out for reduced parts wear and high availability. It can be integrated into fully automated manufacturing lines and supports extremely cost-effective operation with suitable parts.
Environment and society:
Modern drive and filter technology ensures energy-saving operation.

ContiTech with the CONTI MultiProtect (H6/F18)
Technological innovation:
With the CONTI MultiProtect from ContiTech, modern and robust processes for non-destructive material testing have been migrated to a demanding application environment. The system combines high reliability with an intuitive user interface.
Cost effectiveness:
The system enables early detection of damage to conveyor belts to increase availability and reduce the risk of accidents. Predictive maintenance reduces time, personnel and monetary investment, giving the operator substantial economic benefits.
Environment and society:
The system replaces X-ray methods of damage detection by evaluating magnetic signals, which is very beneficial from an occupational safety perspective. Continuous monitoring capabilities also eliminate risks to staff and the environment from torn belts.

Esterer Giesserei with the FUEGO seating solution (H5/B18)
Technological innovation:
Very different materials are deliberately combined for FUEGO from Esterer Giesserei. The key emphasis of this puristic design object, besides its actual functionality, is on materials and material processing. With respect to casting technology, the thin-walled, large-volume structures are particularly high-tech challenges.
Cost effectiveness:
Cost effectiveness is not the key focus. FUEGO is rather a niche product for a very special market.
Environment and society:
With FUEGO, the manufacturer has deliberately focused on long product life. This approach rates a positive assessment with respect to the rising importance of resource efficiency.

FEINGUSS BLANK with Digital Twin (H5/B35)
Technological innovation:
Digital Twin by FEINGUSS BLANK combines pre-simulation and replication of individual manufacturing steps using 3D printing techniques. Overall this enables significantly higher efficiency in developing precision casting components.
Cost effectiveness:
The comprehensive representation of manufacturing processes helps save materials and above all development costs. Also very positive for the customer is the ability to evaluate the cost effectiveness of the subsequent series process.
Environment and society:
Comprehensive pre-simulation enables low-resource development of new precision casting components, by eliminating the need for large-scale models.

Festa Solutions with the “First time right from the virtual to the real world” project (H4/C28)
Technological innovation:
With their product the manufacturers combine various software solutions to offer their customers an end-to-end platform for manufacturing. A key emphasis is on intensive embedding of graphic models.
Cost effectiveness:
The simulation environment makes it possible to reduce planning costs. The model is also scalable and can therefore be used effectively for manufacturing set-ups of various sizes.
Environment and society:
The simulation-based approach creates a resource-aware planning environment for manufacturing.

GESIS with HelmetGlass - Horizontal worker integration (H6/F04)
Technological innovation:
The HelmetGlass system from GESIS brings the data glasses concept into a very technically sophisticated setting. Combining gesture control and image capture makes it possible to offer workers IT support in work areas where this was previously unthinkable due to particularly harsh environmental conditions.
Cost effectiveness:
The system already demonstrates significant advantages for applications in the steel industry, for example for process documentation. Because the hardware and software can be flexibly adapted to whatever tasks are at hand, the concept can be applied to other very challenging work environments.
Environment and society:
The developers of the HelmetGlass system utilized a modular structure so that individual components can be replaced in a targeted manner as needed.

Jäger Gummi und Kunststoff with the quick-connect pipe coupler (H6/C16)
Technological innovation:
The pipe coupling system developed by Jäger Gummi und Kunststoff supports simpler and very secure assembly of glass pipes. Higher operating pressures than previously customary can also be achieved, without the need for heavy-duty assembly tools.
Cost effectiveness:
Significant economic benefits arise from reduced assembly times. The system is also reusable, so it offers rapid amortization along with its technical advantages.
Environment and society:
The Jäger pipe coupler is reusable and made of materials chosen for their recyclability. When producing biomass (among other things for energy production) it also makes a significant contribution to increased efficiency of the entire piping system.

Pöppelmann with an individualized “smart” luggage tag (H6/B18)
Technological innovation:
With their smart luggage tag, Arburg and Pöppelmann demonstrate how the increasingly important individualization of products can be combined with mass production imperatives. In particular, the combination of injection molding and additive manufacturing processes offers many interesting possibilities for developing innovative products.
Cost effectiveness:
The system offers a promising approach for current challenges arising from the trend towards product individualization, and showcases possibilities for cost effective one-off manufacturing.
Environment and society:
This Industry 4.0 example also applies end-to-end networking to support more efficient and resource-aware manufacturing.

Schunk Carbon Technology with carbon-based diamond electrodes (H6/A46)
Technological innovation:
The Schunk Carbon Technology procedure combines highly innovative technology with business potential in an area involving significant environmental aspects. With the development of carbon-based substrates, they have succeeded in resolving very demanding requirements with respect to oxidation resistance, process efficiency and cost for producing diamond electrodes.
Cost effectiveness:
The system offers major economic advantages by replacing the expensive substrate used until now with a much less costly carbon-based variant. This means that an expensive niche technology has now made the leap to a large-scale industrial process.
Environment and society:
Wastewater processing is becoming an increasingly important issue. Using carbon-based diamond electrodes, very efficient wastewater purification can be achieved without environmentally harmful chemicals.

ZITTA Kunststoffwerke with the I-Kal System (H6/D18)
Technological innovation:
The I-Kal System by ZITTA plastics moves well beyond previously existing technology. For the first time it is possible to also size the interior of extruded thermoplastic hollow section profiles. This opens up new possibilities for builders. Because extruded profiles are already used in a wide range of sectors today, a high market penetration is to be expected.
Cost effectiveness:
The procedure has the potential to open up many new application areas. New possibilities in manufacturing are also likely to generate significant economic advantages.
Environment and society:
The I-Kal System can primarily be regarded as a new manufacturing method. The process results in less degradation of the thermoplastic material than with conventional production methods, so good recyclability is maintained.