Drives & Controls October 2022

SPS pulls 1,100 exhibitors after a three-year gap T he SPS (smart production solutions) automation megashow will return to its Nuremberg venue next month for the first physical show since 2019, with the organisers hoping to attract around 1,100 exhibitors, compared to the 1,585 who attended in 2019. Last year, the exhibition had to be cancelled at the last minute – just five days before the doors were due to open – as Covid rates soared in Bavaria. Despite the reduced number of stands, the show will still occupy 13 halls – only two fewer than in 2019. All of the main exhibitors are said to be returning and some have opted for larger stands in 2022 than they had in previous years. But the show – talking place from 8-10 November – will be missing more than 100 exhibitors that it previously attracted from China because of continuing travel restrictions from that country. The show has moved from its previous dates at the end of the November to earlier in the month – and will keep a mid-month slot in future years. The organisers believe that if the 2021 show had been scheduled for two weeks earlier, it would have gone ahead. They want to minimise the risk of coinciding with a winter surge in Covid (or other) infections in future. About 340 exhibitors are expected from outside Germany, representing 31% of the total. In the first live SPS show since Brexit, the number of British-based exhibitors has fallen from 17 to 7 – and most of those attending are not UK-owned. But the organisers point out that some UK companies will be present on the stands of their parent or partner companies based in other countries. On a joint stand called “Automation meets IT” around 16 exhibitors will offer insights into topics such as cloud-based and data- centric services, predictive maintenance, OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) and asset management. A free app called SPS Navigator can be downloaded from the App Store (for Apple Devices) or Google Play (for Android) showing all of the exhibitors and products relevant to you. It includes an event calendar and allows you to create favourites. There is a range of filtering and sorting options. The online “SPS on Air” event which was established during the pandemic will return in 2022, giving visitors anywhere in the world access before, during and after the physical event. A digital “pre-heat” event with technical presentations and product previews will take place during the week before the exhibition and will be available to SPS ticket-holders. At the show, the SPS Live Studio will offer presentations and panel discussions on topics including drives, digital transformation, safety and security, robot integration, smart sensors and artificial intelligence. Participants can also use the digital platform to initiate contacts and arrange appointments both on-site and digitally, network with each other, and find contacts for specific automation queries. SPS on air will remain online after the show ends. An on-demand media library and much of the recorded lecture program will be available until November 15, 2022. This will give those who visit the show in person the opportunity to view presentations afterwards or to establish contacts with digital participants worldwide. SPS vice-president Sylke Schulz-Metzner says that the experience of the past few years has shown that “digital events cannot replace physical fairs. Visitors want to talk to people in person, and they want to be able to touch, feel and see. We are very happy that we can run this year’s event again physically”, she says, while continuing to offer an online option. n The SPS automation megashow returns to its Nuremberg home next month for the first time since 2019. Last year the exhibition had to be cancelled at the last minute due to Covid. This year, the organisers hope, things will be back to normal. SHOW FACTS Where: Nuremberg, Germany When: Tuesday, 8 November 2022 - 9am–6pm Wednesday, 9 November 2022 - 9am–6pm Thursday, 10 November 2022 - 9am–5pm Entry: Tickets from€49 available via the show’s Web site cover both the live and online events Web site: https://sps.mesago.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/spsmesse LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12020854 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spsmesse Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ spsmesse/?hl=en n SPS PREVIEW 46 October 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com Siemens will occupy an entire hall at the 2022 SPS show as it has done in previous years