Parma: the trade show for the industry of the future

Over 800 exhibitors and almost 35,200 visitors: in May, the eighth edition of SPS Italia strengthened the role of the Parma trade show as an opportunity and updating platform. Its objective? Tackling the challenges of the industry’s future

di Ginevra Leonardi

The eighth edition of SPS Italia confirmed a fact: the Parma trade show is a mandatory date to discover the latest technological innovations, and to discuss the hottest themes of the present and future industry, especially from a 4.0 standpoint. Almost 32,500 visitors (6% more than in 2017) and over 800 exhibitors (a 9.5% increase) spent three days during which automation digitization, robotics and vision took the leading roles. From the 22nd to the 24th of May, centre stage was taken by innovative applications which brought together manufacturers and suppliers, without forgetting the role which competence plays in the transformation of the Italian industry.
The 2018 edition of SPS Italia was characterized by seminars, congresses and the Culture 4.0 area along with the Digital District. From automation, through artificial intelligence, to the cloud, the scenario was presented in all its aspects. The timing is also positive, as Fabrizio Scovenna, President, Anie Automazione, highlighted: “Thanks to an important upswing of investments stemming from the Enterprise 4.0 plan, the automation segment experienced a growth rate of 13.5% in one year, with revenues soaring to 5 billion euros. Our segment is becoming strategic for the transformation of the Italian manufacturing industry towards the future. We are still the second market in Europe after Germany and in the whole world only the United States and China are ahead of us”.

Digital District and Know how 4.0: real case histories and demos
Among the most important initiatives of this eighth edition of SPS Italia was the enlargement of the trade show area with a section dedicated to Digital Transformation through Halls 4, 7 and the Digital District. The latter was dedicated to bringing closer the IT and OT domains, by presenting installations of real cases: demos were created in partnership with digital and automation players focusing on digital technology, cyber security, software, cloud and IIoT. The Know how 4.0 area in Hall 4 was focused on Robot&Co and Advanced Automation and Mechatronics, with demos developed by suppliers of components and solutions for advanced machinery in partnership with final clients and digital partners.

From integration to training
In Hall 7 the new project “4.It from know-how to machine learning”, created in association with AIdAM (Associazione Italiana di Automazione Meccatronica – Italian mechatronic automation association)), has shown the integration between automation, motion control, measurement and vision systems, but also advanced simulation systems, analytics and Big Data. The Culture 4.0 area was dedicated to 4.0 training, involving technical institutes and universities, incubators and start-ups, digital innovation hubs, the Association of Engineers and its competence centre, and the effort of the industrial associations which were partners of this event (ANIE, Assofluid, AIdAM, Assiot and Anima).
The conference program was also particularly rich, with institutional meetings, round tables, scientific congresses, technical seminars and debates. All that is left to be done is fixing the date for the 2019 edition of SPS Italia in Parma, from the 28th to the 30th of May. l