Trade fair duo Intec and Z is the annual kick-off event for the metal working and subcontracting industries

"Intec and Z present the capabilities of the metal working and subcontracting indus-tries and are the 2019 start to the international industry trade fair year. For four days, the 'who's who' of the industry meet together in Leipzig to make investment decisions, drive advance projects and boost the industry," says Markus Geisen-berger, Chief Executive Officer of Leipziger Messe. He adds, "More than 70,000 square metres of exhibition space will further increase the range of products and services available at our trade fair combination. This highlights the importance of Intec and Z among the European industrial trade fairs." More than 1,300 exhibitors will transform the Leipzig exhibition halls into an innovative workshop.

Comprehensive Array of Innovative Technologies

This year at Intec, 980 companies from Germany and abroad will present their ser-vices. Among them are technology leaders from the machine tool industry, re-nowned precision tool suppliers, automation specialists and innovative medium-sized companies. Over the course of the exhibition, representatives from the machine tool sector will present a number of innovations and optimisations. Production automation and digitisation will also be well represented at Intec.

This year, 344 companies are participating in Z, which takes place at the same time as Intec. Z specialises in innovative and flexible supplier services for the industry and primarily offers suppliers in intermediate production stages a tailor-made platform for market positioning. There will be a considerable number of exhibitors at the Z who will address the demand for metal and plastic parts and components, as well as innovative materials.

Sturdy Base in Core Region, Charisma Beyond National Borders

All the major German mechanical engineering centres will be represented in Leipzig again this year. Most of the Intec exhibitors are from Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria. Not only are the German and European catchment areas important for the trade fair, but the industry in Central Germany and Saxony is also vital. From Saxony alone, 344 companies are registered. "At no other German trade fair can visitors cross paths with so many Saxony-based me-chanical engineers and suppliers. The exhibitors from this region use their 'home game advantage' and are the cornerstones of Intec and Z," explains Project Director Kersten Bunke.

The trade fair duo will once again do its international reputation justice this year. Intec will feature companies from a total of 23 countries, with 11 per cent of exhibitors from abroad. The largest international companies participating at Intec are located in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Russia. Ever since its inception, Z has been very international: Every fourth exhibitor at the supplier fair is from abroad – mainly from Western and Eastern European countries. The majority of foreign exhibitors at Z come from Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic. The collective stands – from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, to name a few – also highlight the international appeal of Z. For the first time, the Polish Byd-goszcz industrial cluster will also feature suppliers that have made a name for them-selves in the tool and plastics processing industries.

Added Value Thanks to International Cooperation

International economic cooperation is a hallmark of the trade fair duo and an im-portant instrument aimed at ensuring competitiveness, particularly for small and me-dium-sized enterprises. "At Intec and Z 2019, there will be numerous high-ranking business delegations from abroad. Russian and Turkish delegations will be present despite tense economic situations. This shows that our trade fair duo has enormous appeal in these countries," says Chief Executive Officer Markus Geisenberger. Groups from the Russian economic regions of Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Altai and Ulyanovsk, for example, will visit Leipzig.

To promote international collaboration, cooperation forums and country-specific meetings are on the trade fair duo's agenda. The Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen (Saxony Economic Development Corporation) is organising the "International Coop-eration Forum Russia/GUS" on 5 February to mark the occasion. As part of the event, Georgij Samodurov, President of the Stankoinstrument Machine Tool Associ-ation, will present development prospects in Russian machine tool manufacturing. Furthermore, the Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen is organising the "XIII Polish-Saxon Economic Forum 2019" and the "3rd Turkish-Saxon Cooperation Forum" on 6 Feb-ruary and the "State Meeting 4.0 - Saxony-Poland-Czech Republic-Romania" on 7 February at Leipziger Messe.

The "CONTACT Business Meetings" by the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) on 6 February at the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) also promote cross-border cooperation during Intec and Z. The aim of the meetings is to establish initial contact between companies looking for national and international suppliers and cooperation partners. Some 140 participants from 21 countries, including Italy, Japan, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, have registered for this year's Meetings.

Conference Program Addresses Trendsetting Topics

The trade fair duo's conference programme is a great source of information for up-coming topics and an inspiration for solutions to the challenges ahead.

An example of this is the special exhibition "Additive + Hybrid – New Production Technologies in Use" in Hall 5. At the event, 19 companies will present innovative applications and trends for intelligent process combinations and show how traditional manufacturing processes can be combined with innovative technologies to over-come the conventional limits. Well-known speakers – from DMG MORI, TRUMPF and Rapidobject, among others – offer insights into the latest technology and provide practical examples of solutions.

The demand for intelligent sensors is boosted by the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0. The trade fair duo will offer a forum to outline strategies to help users benefit from this development. The new special exhibition "Sensor Technology – En Route to an Intelligent Product" featuring some 10 exhibitors in Hall 4 illustrates the appli-cation benefits of this important technology. Not only will theoretical solutions, trends and possibilities be presented, but also the best practice examples and new business models. The focus of the accompanying expert forum is on the potentials of sensor technology, system integration and handling the data flood.

On 7 February, the Leipziger Messe is also organising the specialist forum "new mobility" in cooperation with the Automotive Cluster Ostdeutschland (ACOD) for the first time during the trade fairs Intec and Z. The specialist forum serves as a platform for reflection and discussion about the challenges and opportunities that new vehicle drives present for manufacturing technology and the supply industry. This forum will also include lectures by renowned experts, as well as a panel discussion. Among others, the companies VW Sachsen, Profiroll Technologies, Deutsche Bahn and Paul Horn are participating in the event.

On 5 February, the Saxon State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport is organising the International Conference "Industry's Hidden Champions – Tracks to Market Leadership" intended to provide a deeper insight into the success factors of hidden champions. There, innovative and international market leaders from the industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups can exchange ideas and learn from the hidden champions' success stories and development patterns.

This will be the sixth time that the Congress "Resource-efficient Production" will be held as part of the Leipzig trade fair combination – this time on 6 February under the motto "Smart Production. Scenarios. Solutions. Benefit". The conference highlights how new developments in digitisation are helping to save resources and increase production efficiency. Speakers will present the latest methods and application ex-amples from everyday production.

Young Professionals Meet Industry

In 2019, attracting young talent will continue to be part of the focus at Intec and Z. On 8 February, the "Specialists' Day – Young Professionals Meet Industry" organ-ised by the Innovationsverbund Maschinenbau Sachsen VEMASinnovativ, Indus-trieverein Sachsen and Leipziger Messe is being held. At the Specialists' Day, stu-dents and vocational school students with engineering or other technical back-grounds will have the unique chance to learn more about the industry's latest inno-vations. The concomitant job and information fair gives participants the opportunity to gather information about current job and internship positions, dissertation topics and potential employers. Around 20 companies and research institutions from Saxony and Central Germany – including N+P Informationssysteme and Starrag – are participating.

About the Intec and Z

The Intec and Z exhibition combo will be held in 2019 from 5 to 8 February at the Leipzig Trade Fair. In odd years, the Intec is the first important industry meeting for the metalworking industry in Europe. The main fields at Intec are machine tools, systems for automated production and precision tools. Z is one of the leading international supplier fairs in Europe. Its exhibition profile revolves around parts, components, modules, technologies and industrial services. Together, Intec and Z cover the entire process and customer chain in production, and their programme is aimed in particular at customers from the machine, factory and tool construction and the automotive industry.