The countdown to Tecna 2024 in Rimini has started

The most important international exhibition for technologies and supplies for the ceramic and surface industry will be held from 24 to 27 September in Rimini.

Tecna 2024, the international exhibition of surface technologies and supplies, will begin in just a few days’ time on 24 September in the Rimini Expo Centre. Spanning twelve exhibition halls with a total floor space of 67,000 square metres, the event will showcase cutting-edge ceramic technology from 330 exhibitors. Alongside all the Italian technology manufacturers, 44% of the exhibitors taking part are international companies from 21 different countries, most prominently Spain, China, Turkey, India and Germany.

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This year Tecna features a comprehensive and thought-provoking conference programme addressing the most topical themes for the industry, all of which will be held in the Innovation Arena in Hall D3.

The inaugural conference

The ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the energy crisis and the need to keep up with the process of digitalisation in a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence are the three main topics of the inaugural conference entitled “Wars, energy and the digital revolution: the challenges for manufacturing” to be held on Tuesday 24 September at 2.30 p.m. The debate will focus on the current complex geopolitical situation and its inevitable impact on businesses, particularly those operating in the ceramic and heavy clay industries. Expert speakers will explore the ways in which the current conflicts may evolve and the possible global scenarios that are likely to emerge once these conflicts end, a topic of the utmost importance for companies with substantial export activities. The opening remarks will be given by Paolo Magri, CEO and chair of the scientific committee of ISPI, Institute for International Policy Studies. Next, Marco Taisch, professor at Milan Polytechnic and chairman of MADE, the largest of the Italian National Industry 4.0 Plan’s eight competence centres, will discuss the difficulties facing the manufacturing industry and the importance of digitalisation in addressing these challenges. The conference will be moderated by journalist and writer Gigi Riva, an expert on foreign policy.

At the end of the inaugural conference, ACIMAC will present the “We Are Acimac” project, the new brand designed to promote the excellence of Italian ceramic technology and design worldwide.

The technical conferences and TecnAwards 2024

The programme will begin on Wednesday 25 September at 10.30 a.m. with a highly topical conference organised by Acimac and entitled “Transition 5.0 Plan: operational rules for companies in the ceramic sector”. This session will cover the procedures for submitting projects, emphasising critical issues, the necessary checks and the rules for obtaining benefits. Practical advice for companies looking to navigate these processes will also be provided.

At 4.15 p.m. in the afternoon, the top players in the global ceramic industry will converge on the Innovation Arena for the second edition of the TecnAwards, the accolades presented to the best technological investments made by the international customers of Tecna exhibitors. Following the highly successful debut in 2022, this year’s awards will be presented to ceramic companies that have built the best new production facilities, to those that have excelled in innovation and sustainability, and to outstanding brick and sanitaryware manufacturers. The event is organised by Acimac and IEG in collaboration with Ceramic World Review.

The event will also see the presentation of the Lorenzo Cagnoni Innovative Start-up Award, devoted to the memory of the Italian Exhibition Group chairman who passed away in 2023.

Thursday 26 September is devoted to technical seminars. The proceedings will begin at 10.10 a.m. with the Icers-Italian Ceramic Society conference on raw materials, with a special focus on sustainability.

This will be followed at 12.30 p.m. by the Acimac conference on cybersecurity, an essential issue for today’s highly connected factories. The conference will be entitled “New obligations for manufacturers under the New Machinery Regulation, the NIS 2 Directive and the Cyber Resilience Act”.

The third session of the day, devoted to green production processes, will be held at 2.30 p.m. and is organised by the University of Bologna, the Centre for Advanced Mechanics and Materials Research (CIRI-MAM) and the Rimini Technopole. The final conference at 4.00 p.m., organised by Acimac with the participation of ASAP and Digital Industries World, will focus on the evolution of after-sales services in the machinery sector.

Friday 26 September, the final day of the show, is devoted to skills, orientation and training. For the hundreds of students who are expected to visit the show, it will be an invaluable opportunity to make contact with the business world and find out more about this strategic Italian industry.

The Decortech Conference, a special event focusing on key topics in the non-ceramic surfaces industry, will again this year run for the entire duration of the show and will host a panel of industry experts who will present their latest technological solutions.

The other permanent event is the Innovation District, an area devoted to the latest innovations and ideas in the field of Industry 4.0 with a focus on digitalisation, green solutions, sustainability and logistics. The Innovation District will also feature the Start-Up area, which proved a big success in 2022.