Exhibitors & Products

Hannover. In 2019, Sweden will feature as the official Partner Country of HANNOVER MESSE, the world's leading trade fair for industrial technology. This was announced today at the formal signing of the partnership agreement by Fredrik Fexe, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, at Business Sweden (the Swedish Trade and Invest Council), and Marc Siemering, Deutsche Messe's Senior Vice President for Industry, Energy & Logistics, HANNOVER MESSE & CeMAT.

"It is a great honor to be Partner Country next year. This will mean numerous opportunities for cooperation and exchange between Swedish and international companies, organizations R&D institutes and government officials.. Collaboration, innovation and digital transformation will be at the heart of Sweden's Partner Country showcase in 2019. We want to engage and interact with visitors at the trade show and provide a platform for networking, trade and investments. HANNOVER MESSE is the world's foremost meeting place for stakeholders involved in digital development and Industry 4.0," said Peter Eriksson, Sweden's Minister for Housing and Digital Development, at the signing ceremony.

Every year, a different Partner Country is honored at HANNOVER MESSE. This not only attracts huge attention for the featured nation on the part of visitors and journalists, but also sparks lots of discourse at the highest levels of government. In its Partner Country role, Sweden is taking over from Mexico as the nation featured in 2018.

"Sweden's government and industry are clearly committed to pursuing the digital transformation," observed Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe, adding: "This makes Sweden a perfect match for HANNOVER MESSE. As the world's definitive hotspot for Industry 4.0, Hannover ideally sets the stage for Smart Industry strategies and innovative solutions for the global marketplace, while at the same time offering excellent opportunities for network expansion."

The already close relations between Sweden and Germany were intensified through a bilateral partnership on innovation signed in early 2017. The partnership entails cooperation at government, economic and institutional levels in the areas of mobility, digital advancement of industry, joint research activities and testbed projects for Industry 4.0, as well as the promotion of digitization and automation in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Sweden: big on innovation, doing business and quality of life

The Swedish economy is growing steadily. Sweden ranks highly in international comparisons on everything from business climate to start-ups, innovation and quality of life, making Swedish companies highly relevant partners for innovation, trade and investments. A long tradition of business savvy and high levels of education coupled with supportive government policies have made the country home to a vibrant start-up community and to some of the most reputable, best-known brands in the world, including Volvo, Electrolux, Ericsson, IKEA and H&M.

In 2018, Forbes named Sweden the world's best country for doing business and the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index ranked Sweden as the most competitive economy in the world. Having produced tech giants such as Spotify, Klarna, Skype, King and iZettle, Stockholm is an undeniable tech hotspot. In fact, per capita Sweden's capital is the biggest unicorn factory in the world after Silicon Valley. Sweden also ranks as the most innovative nation in the European Union and tops the list for R&D personnel as a proportion of the labor force. Gender equality, openness and lack of corruption are other dimensions where Sweden is world-leading and which contribute to Sweden having the "best reputation in the world", according to the Country RepTrak Index.

Sweden at HANNOVER MESSE

In recent years, the number of Swedish exhibitors at HANNOVER MESSE has doubled. For the second year in a row, the Swedish Energy Agency is staging a joint pavilion for Swedish companies in the Energy and Industrial Supply segment.

www.swedenhannovermesse.com