Industry 4.0 at Ceramitec 2015

Three years on since the last edition held in 2012, the ceramic and heavy clay industry will be gathering in Munich from 20 to 23 October for the appointment with Ceramitec. The four halls will showcase machinery and equipment for the heavy clay industry (Hall B2), machinery, equipment and devices for fine and refractory ceramics, technical ceramics and powder metallurgy (Hall B1), raw materials and additives (Hall A1), and refractory materials (Hall  A2).

A total of 613 exhibitors will be taking part, 58% of whom are foreign companies from 42 different countries. Alongside the French and Chinese delegations, a South Korean group will also be taking part this year for the first time. But the largest space, an area of 2,700 sq.m, will once again be occupied by Italian companies.

The show is expected to be strongly attended. The organisers are expecting to exceed the results of 2012 when the show attracted 16,773 visitors of 106 different nationalities, largely from Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, the UK, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Switzerland.

Hall B1 will host the packed conference programme, which will serve to transfer sector-specific knowledge and expertise.

The key topics of the exhibition will be Ceramic Industry 4.0 and Green Manufacturing, the latter a theme that has already been explored in depth by all plant manufacturers.

On the first day of the show, Tuesday 20 October, there will be a panel discussion on the most topical issues, namely Industry 4.0, additive manufacturing and digital decoration. Additive manufacturing will also be discussed in the afternoon at a conference entitled "3D Screen-Printing of Ceramics and Metals" organised by the Powder Metallurgy Association as part of the Powder Metallurgy Day.  

Ceramitec will be the perfect opportunity for industry players to showcase their latest technological innovations in the field of energy efficiency and optimisation of production cycles. To further explore this theme, the Heavy Clay Day has been organised for the third time on 21 October, where high-profile speakers will discuss new solutions for the efficient use of raw materials, the use of alternative fuels and energy-saving kilns.

On the afternoon of 21 October there will be a special country event devoted to Iran, where Farad Golestani, Chairman of the Iranian Ceramics Society, will report on the situation in the Iranian ceramic industry.

The Technical Ceramics Day held on Thursday 22 October will again focus on the themes of Industry 4.0 and Integrated Industry, and will present the latest innovations in ceramic components for mechanical engineering.The programme of supporting events will be concluded on Friday 23 October with the Career Day, a day where students, graduates and young ceramics professionals can attend lectures and roundtable discussions on work, career and training opportunities.