We are starting the decade of Industry 5.0

– The idea of industry 4.0, which we started talking about a decade ago, is now everyday life and is strongly visible at ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE in the offer of products and technologies presented at the fair. We can confidently say that we are starting the decade of Industry 5.0. The biggest challenge will be to combine robotisation and automation with the human factor. During this edition you can visit the exhibition of over seven hundred exhibitors – said Filip Bittner, Vice-President of Grupa MTP, during the opening ceremony of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE, MODERNLOG and SUBCONTRACTING fairs.

This key event for the industrial and logistics industry was held traditionally at the Poznań International Fair and lasted from June 4 to 7.

In the glow of awards

A product that receives the MTP Gold Medal must be modern and unique. These are the solutions awarded at this year's fair. The Competition Jury decided to award twenty-two Gold Medals to the products submitted by the exhibitors of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair. Additionally, five of these prestigious awards were given to companies presenting their offers at the MODERNLOG fair.

The competition jury was headed by prof. Ph.D. engineer Michał Wieczorowski, Vice-Rector for development and cooperation with the economy of the Poznań University of Technology. As the chairman emphasized, selecting the winners was very difficult due to their high level of innovation and unique attributes related to sustainable development. A new feature of this year's edition of the MTP Gold Medal competition at the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE and MODERNLOG fairs was the awarding of a special Grand Prix award for a unique solution that moved experts and showed interesting possibilities. This solution turned out to be ProtoPlastMaker 4.0 – an additive and cutting center for plastics processing submitted by the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, manufactured by PPHU POLIGRAF WIESŁAW KASPROWIAK. This year, for the first time, the jury awarded the MTP Group Eco Prize – for the most ecological product among the awarded products. This award went to Altergrinding E produced by Lubrinnova and submitted by SYNTACO Sp. z o. o

>>List of all winners of the 2024 Gold Medal Award

The opening ceremony was also a moment of triumph for the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE exhibitors, who arranged their stands in the most interesting way, winning the jury's recognition and, as a result, the prestigious Acanthus Aureus award.

Hot debates, spectacular shows and a treat for gamers

How to convince companies to implement automation, how to calculate the carbon footprint in enterprises, how to build a digital twin? – these are just some of the questions answered by experts during the discussions held at ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE. There were also spectacular shows at exhibitors' stands and special zones, as well as workshops ending with a certificate.

Participants of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair could also gain knowledge about the technology of tomorrow in the Factory of the Future organised by DBR77. From the early morning hours, the conversations on the Tech Stage were vibrant and continuous. The listeners learned, among other things: how a Digital Twin is created and how the market place can revolutionize resource management. The topic of AI and the impact of artificial intelligence on factory operations was also discussed.

– A visible trend is the use of robotic processes where special precision is required that exceeds human capabilities.  – said Tomasz Haiduk, president of the Polish Automation and Robotics Forum, during the fair.

The nuances of cooperation between a robot and a human were explained in more details in the Zone of Collaborative Robots (cobots), which was a novelty at this year's edition of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair. The offer of almost all key cobot manufacturers was presented in one place and time. Spectacular shows also accompanied the Security Zone, where five leading companies operating in the industrial security industry joined forces to create an innovative spectacle in the form of impact tests.

At the same time, in other rooms within the exhibition space, various debates took place. Their topics included machine safety and their impact on competitiveness, as well as debunking myths about AI and analytics in industry. TIDK experts discussed whether the industry is ready for AI and whether now is a good time to develop team competences in this area.

At the stand of the "Lakiernictwo Przemysłowe" editorial office (Industrial Coating magazine) visitors could see an interactive exhibition of painting equipment and products. Participants tested the devices in practice, including: guns and pumps, and they also painted the details themselves with powder or wet paint. In addition, the editorial office prepared special industry lectures.

A real treat was prepared for visitors in Pneumat.Game Zone, where the Maintenance Services Tournament took place and where everyone could play unique pneumatic table football, go through a maze constructed by the Krakow University of Technology or play pinball games.

Workshops with a certificate, i.e. how to calculate the carbon footprint

In manufacturing companies, the carbon footprint is created directly in the company's manufacturing activities, but also in the processes preceding the production and introduction products to the market. How to calculate and manage carbon footprint to meet regulatory requirements and increase competitiveness? This question was answered during workshops organised during the fair. As argued during the workshops, the new binding regulations require entrepreneurs to report the level of their carbon footprint. Workshops on calculating, reporting and reducing the carbon footprint, completed with a certificate for participants, were organized by the Industry 4.0 Centre of the Silesian University of Technology in cooperation with the MTP Group.

Industry powered by science

The ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair is a place where cooperation between science and industry is particularly strong. – Modern machines are highly digitized and robotic. Therefore, the scientific element is very important here. Polish technical universities are perfectly prepared to support the industry – emphasized Mirosław Pajor, professor. associate, dean, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin.

Seeing the potential of cooperation between business and science, the MTP Group decided to initiate a new concept: the Science and Startup Zones. The idea is to gather the most interesting innovations from Polish universities in one place and to provide exhibitors and fair guests with a convenient opportunity to talk with people responsible for the cooperation of Polish scientific units with their surroundings. The Agreement of Special Purpose Vehicles and the Agreement of Academic Technology Transfer Centres are responsible for preparing and running the Zone, bringing together over 120 units dealing with knowledge transfer. During the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair, the Science and Startups Zone was created by 15 universities that presented as many as 32 innovative solutions under the common slogan "Science for industry in the digital era". An important point of the zone program was a meeting of university special purpose vehicles and technology transfer centres with Mr. Michał Doligalski, Director of the Department of Innovation and Development at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, devoted to the development of the science-business interface. - I consider the meeting as extremely successful! Together, we have developed 6 specific recommendations for future system solutions in which the technology transfer environment can actively help. They concern, among others: developing funds specialized in investing in academic spin-off companies and inter-ministerial cooperation to create the so-called beta market in which Polish enterprises jointly order technologies in Polish science – summed up the meeting by Dr. Eng. Jakub Jasiczak, Chairman of the Agreement of Special Purpose Vehicles, who coordinated creation of the Zone.

A new version of MM Speakers' Corner

During the ITM Industry Europe fair, expert debates, discussions and presentations took place on a specially built stage as part of the MM Speakers' Corner event organized by the editorial office of MM Magazyn Przemysłowy. –Implementing innovations and following new trends is crucial to achieve market success. Directions and methods of reaching that were presented in the MM Speakers' Corner. – emphasized Paweł Kruk, editor-in-chief and publisher of the media brand MM Magazyn Przemysłowy. Managers of industrial companies presented their new products and discussed the topics most troubling the global and Polish industry. "The latest trends in Industry" was the motto of the first day of the event. In their presentations and debates, the invited companies discussed implementations and solutions in industry including the growing use of artificial intelligence and automation, sustainable production practices, and the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Innovation leaders shared their knowledge on promoting automation among Polish companies during the second day of Speakers' Corner - We reduce the risk to a minimum. We calculate the return on investment and show that it simply pays off. We also focus on win-win situations.– said Wojciech Trojniar from ASTOR, sharing the company's strategy.– We believe in word-of-mouth marketing. One satisfied customer drives-in others, said Mariusz Banachowicz from Remmert. In turn, Adam Szlendak, Managing Director at Dalmec Polska, argued that a good marketing strategy and communication with the customer are crucial. – We focus on customer education regarding our solutions. We help in obtaining subsidies or leasing. In addition, we are gradually increasing the safety of use of our products– he emphasized.

All interlocutors agreed with the final thesis that automation and robotisation of Polish industry encounter barriers such as high implementation costs, lack of qualified specialists and resistance to changes in traditional organizational structures. At the same time, they constitute a huge opportunity to increase competitiveness, improve production efficiency and reduce operating costs through the use of modern technologies.

The last day of MM Speakers' Corner was devoted to Green transformation in industry, which (as emphasized during the debate) would be an opportunity for sustainable development, increasing energy efficiency and improving the reputation of enterprises thanks to the implementation of ecological technologies and practices. The threats to implementing these solutions may include high investment costs, the need to change existing production processes and the risk of losing competitiveness in the short term.

ITM fair ambassadors

A new project of this year's edition was awarding of the title of Ambassador of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair. This title went to two companies: EAGLE and GF Machining Solutions - industry leaders that promote the idea of the fair in order to increase its recognition and popularity. –  The ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair is one of the most important events in our calendar. It is an opportunity to meet and exchange experiences, but also to present our new products. We talk with our clients and get to know their needs. Automation is becoming more and more popular. This is forced by the market and operator shortages, so we will continue to develop dynamically in this direction. Our strength is the offer for a wide range of our clients, both those involved in mass production and tool shops producing individual products -  said Sławomir Gołębiewski from GF Machining Solutions.

Jacek Baran from EAGLE Sp. z o.o also spoke about the important role of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair: - Participation in the fair helps to gain new business contacts and meet our clients. This year we are especially happy because we are the Ambassador of this event. We have been here for many years and we appreciate the fact that each time it is an opportunity to show what's new in our offer. We show how the machine works live. Here you can touch elements cut at the fair. Fair guests will be the first to learn the details of our solutions so they can gain a competitive advantage and reduce production costs. We have noticed that our customers place more and more emphasis on the automation of laser cutting processes.

Subcontracting Meetings - the power of face to face meetings

One hundred and twelve live meetings for over one hundred participants from thirteen countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Spain, Ukraine. These are the numbers that sum up this year's cooperation meetings at the SUBCONTRACTING fair held during the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE fair.

This form of establishing business contacts allows both exhibitors and visitors to meet specific partners who offer the product and service they are looking for. - You can get a lot of valuable information during a half-hour conversation with a partner. As in life – communication is the basis. If you rely only on digital communication, you simply won't know anything. Face to face means the best meetings - this is how the effectiveness of participation in SUBCONTRACTING MEETINGS fairs and meetings is summarized by one of the participants, Stanislav Klimek from Třinecké Železárny-Moravia Steel.

Innovative solutions for logistics

The MODERNLOG exhibition provided the latest logistics technologies offered by over 100 exhibitors. The event also included live machine demonstrations in the In4Log zone, created in cooperation with MEDIALOG Publishing House and technological partners. Modern improvements for a 21st century warehouse were demonstrated in a staged logistics facility. The event partners presented warehouse processes using numerous new products. The second day of the fair was the beginning of "Smart Warehouse", the most important warehouse conference in Poland. It consisted of 5 discussion panels and case study analyses. During 2 days, the event participants acquired a considerable amount of knowledge in the field of Logistics 4.0 and modern solutions for the warehouses of the future. This year, the opening ceremony was attended by Ignacy Niemczycki - Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Development and Technology, who appreciated the role of the fair in the development of Polish industry and logistics. - Our economy must move from the imitation phase to the innovation phase and this will have to happen over the next decade. Of course, digitization is key, especially from the industry perspective; and successful digitization requires a comprehensive approach, but also cooperation with the government administration. Companies need extended, tailor-made support. Therefore, at the Ministry of Development and Technology, we are working on a strategy for the digitization of Polish enterprises. – added the minister, encouraging representatives of the industrial and logistics industries present at the fair to join the consultation process.

Visitors could also take part in the 2nd Edition of the Rack Conference of the Polish Association of Warehouse Technology. During the event, participants had the opportunity to learn about new developments in the area of computerization in internal logistics.

The next edition of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE, MODERNLOG and SUBCONTRACTING fairs is scheduled for June 3-6, 2025.