Although not quite back to the heyday of B.C. (before COVID-19), Hannover Messe 2023 was a vibrant, refreshing experience. The market development, pace of innovation, implementation velocity, and race to digitization was a marked and significant upshift compared to previous years. Several themes and trends stood out as both game changing and transformational.
The pace of cloudification in manufacturing continues to quicken, and although early technology shows that this technology has a long way to go, we will see aggressive expansions of ecosystems and solution capabilities.
Sustainability permeated every discussion, presentation, and most booths. Pending European Union (EU) and U.S. legislation, reporting on sustainability overhead reporting is could become an unmanageable issue for SME (small- and medium- enterprisers) manufacturers and suppliers. Consequently, System Integrators (SIs), builders, and Value Added Resellers (VARs) have a potential opportunity to step in and help lighten this burden.
5G and private cellular were also widely discussed at the event. It's worth noting that some in the 5G technology community are still speaking a different language to their customers, overblowing their position in the wider landscape, and taking a very unproductive position pitting cellular against Wi-Fi for all applications.
The most refreshing aspect of the conference was the shift in discussion to solving customers’ problems. This mindset shift is much needed and hopefully will spill into adjacencies.
Download the whitepaper to find out more about what our team learned at this year's conference.
