The lead theme signals the fair's key focus on the growing integration of all areas of industry.

Hannover, Germany and Princeton, NJ - September 6, 2012 - It's official: the upcoming HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will be staged under the banner of "Integrated Industry." The lead theme signals the fair's key focus on the growing integration of all areas of industry. "Machines, industrial equipment, work pieces and system components will soon be capable of exchanging data in real-time. This will significantly boost efficiency, safety and resource sustainability in production and logistics," said Dr. Jochen Köckler, a member of the Deutsche Messe Board of Management. "The experts have dubbed this technological development the fourth industrial revolution, coming, as it does, after the steam engine, mass production and automation."

At the same time, new forms of cooperation and collaboration are opening up fresh opportunities for productivity-based economic growth. "Enabling people in production facilities and beyond to collaborate with each other is the first step along the way to integration. Increasingly, companies from very different industries will enter into partnerships with one another, thereby opening up previously undreamt-of horizons," Dr. Köckler said. In this sense, "Integrated Industry" could, he said, be defined in terms of technical and electronic integration, but also in terms of the challenge faced by all areas of industry as they seek to cooperate across corporate and sector boundaries. Integration would shorten communication channels and make collaboration more efficient.

"HANNOVER MESSE 2012 is the premiere international showcase for technological solutions for tomorrow's industry. The trade fair format, which features 11 fully fledged tradeshows at one location, gives trade visitors an unbeatable level of detail on specific issues facing individual industry areas plus an unrivalled overview of the steadily growing integration between those areas. Given these profound changes in the industrial landscape, a visit to HANNOVER MESSE 2013 is an absolute must for investors and decision makers in industrial production," Dr. Köckler added. The growing level of integration in industry is also the focus of a core part of the German government's high-tech strategy known as the "Industry 4.0" project. Leading economists are now saying that the success of individual companies and entire countries in the international marketplace will increasingly depend on their level of industrial integration.

The goal of rapidly integrating all systems necessitates a fundamental restructuring of production processes. In the future, intelligent materials will tell machines how they want to be processed and formed. Parts and assemblies will have autonomous digital product memories that will facilitate continuous documentation throughout their entire lifecycles. Components will initiate their own maintenance and repair requests. And intelligent components in complex equipment will independently report faults to monitoring systems, thereby instantly triggering the remedial measures necessary to prevent further damage and initiate repair work.

Among the tools that will make this all possible is the Internet, which already has 340 sextillion (that's 340 followed by 36 zeros!) unique IP addresses available for identifying networked machines, work pieces and parts. Industrial experts are predicting that less than ten years from now there will be more than 50 billion devices networked with each other via the Internet. "The integration trend that is already starting to take shape in some product areas - such as car-to-car communication - will soon be a major focus of industry. The term 'Integrated Industry' also encompasses the challenge that industry faces in fully realizing the new forms of cooperation made possible by new technological innovations. What we're seeing is a groundswell of innovation, particularly at the interfaces between the various disciplines that make up the industrial sector," Dr. Köckler commented.

HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will have a strong emphasis on industrial automation and IT, energy and environmental technologies, power transmission and control, industrial subcontracting, manufacturing technologies, services and R&D. All of these themes and all areas of HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will be underpinned by the HANNOVER MESSE 2013 lead theme of "Integrated Industry."

The Industrial Automation tradeshow will put the spotlight on integrated automation processes with themes like Embedded Systems and Smart Production. The message here is that intelligent production systems and processes and the realization and coordination of networked, geographically distributed production sites are vital to making "Integrated Industry" a living reality.

The lead theme will also be manifested in many aspects of the Motion Drive & Automation tradeshow, including the Condition Monitoring Systems displays. Industrial automation and power transmission and control technologies are steadily converging as the industrial world goes digital. This trend is reflected in the fact that that more and more suppliers of power transmission, linear motion and industrial gear systems are offering turnkey automation solutions. "Integrated Industry" is at the forefront of this trend.

Germany's commitment to a more renewables-based energy supply necessitates a fundamental transformation of its energy supply infrastructure. Smart grids, in particular, are coming to the fore as the country makes increasing use of distributed forms of generation. This trend is reflected at the Energy tradeshow, which provides an integrated perspective on current energy-sector issues and challenges. HANNOVER MESSE's energy focus is complemented by the Wind show with its array of displays and exhibits showing how integrated wind turbine maintenance and control systems can help master the challenges of Germany's energy system transformation.

Similarly, the innovative ideas on display at the MobiliTec tradeshow are all about industrial integration. Translating the highly promising electric mobility technologies on show at MobiliTec into mainstream reality requires several disparate sectors of industry to work together and forge new alliances.

The enormous potential of "Integrated Industry" is also abundantly clear at the Digital Factory show, where the spotlight is on process integration and interdisciplinary product development. The show likewise has a strong focus on systems engineering for more effective coordination of different disciplines within the engineering sector.

The ComVac show outlines ways of making production processes more energy efficient. Compressed air technology is one of the few technologies that is used by almost every industrial sector. Failure to integrate it properly into industrial production at the process design stage can therefore have far-reaching consequences in terms of lost efficiencies.

Many of the exhibitors at the Industrial Supply show are subcontractors who are directly integrated into their customers' production and planning processes. Production chains that span multiple providers rely for their success and effectiveness on integrated subcontracting solutions and services. The subcontracting sector is "Integrated Industry" at its best.

The SurfaceTechnology show is where exhibitors present integrated surface systems and the latest innovations in a range of fields, including nanotechnology. In keeping with the "Integrated Industry" theme, the show explores ways in which industrial companies can use surface technology to enhance the energy and resource-efficiency of their plants and processes.

The exhibitors at IndustrialGreenTec will highlight ways of integrating environmental management systems into existing business models, identifying opportunities for developing new, eco-friendly products and streamlining complex systems and processes. At IndustrialGreenTec, "Integrated Industry" is all about being greener and smarter than the competition.

Of course, "Integrated Industry" begins with R&D - with early-stage interaction between science and business. The Research & Technology show is the epitome of R&D: a force for integration that brings people and innovative ideas together. It is where scientists, developers, engineers and managers learn about the latest innovations, make new contacts and form interdisciplinary and cross-sector networks.

About HANNOVER MESSE (the Hannover Fair)

The world's leading showcase for industrial technology is staged annually in Hannover, Germany. The next HANNOVER MESSE will be held from 8 to 12 April 2013 and feature Russia as its official Partner Country. HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will comprise 11 flagship fairs: Industrial Automation • Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) • Energy • Wind • MobiliTec • Digital Factory • ComVac • Industrial Supply • IndustrialGreenTec • Surface Technology • Research & Technology. The upcoming event will place a strong emphasis on industrial automation and IT, energy and environmental technologies, power transmission and control, industrial subcontracting, manufacturing technologies, services and R&D. For more information, please contact: Ulli Hammer at (609) 987-1202 x 205 or uhammer@hfusa.com.

About Hannover Fairs USA

Hannover Fairs USA (HFUSA) provides global fair exhibitors lead generation and product launch support across target buyers and distribution networks worldwide. HFUSA works closely with exhibitors to help them maintain their competitive position on and off the show floor and to connect with a broad range of new market audiences. For more information, go to www.hfusa.com.