Lightweight construction technologies continuing to gain ground. NEW: Theme Park Adhesive Technology. Focus on the efficient use of materials and resources. Presentation of the "Best Professional Supplier Award"

Boeing's new Dreamliner is a potent symbol of the present worldwide trend towards the adoption of lightweight construction technologies. The use of carbon fibre composites in aircraft construction can cut fuel costs by up to 20 per cent compared with current aircraft of this size. The principal benefit of these materials is obvious: they are much lighter than steel.

But the appeal of lightweight construction technologies is by no means confined to the aviation industry. From 23 to 27 April 2012 intelligent materials and sustainable technologies will become a focus of attention for the whole of manufacturing industry at Industrial Supply, the Leading Trade Fair for Industrial Subcontracting and Lightweight Construction. Here at Hannover Messe leading players in the subcontracting business will be presenting their latest product developments in industrial materials to a vast audience swelled by the parallel staging of seven other leading trade fairs.

  For many years now new materials have formed the basis for innovative products at Industrial Supply.
“Carbon fibre composites are an excellent example of this. In the subcontracting market they have long been seen as a key driver of innovation. Subcontractors are specialists who set the pace of industrial progress - and Industrial Supply affords the perfect platform for this by bringing together all the right elements in one place: an international audience, expert know-how and the right mix of different branches of industry", says Arno Reich, Project Manager for Industrial Supply at Deutsche Messe AG.

  New: Theme Park Adhesive Technology
Spread over Halls 3 to 6 and featuring a series of theme parks as well as lecture/discussion forums, Industrial Supply is an ideal showcase for the subcontracting industry and a platform for discussing and exploring the entire industrial supply chain. "With a total of nine theme parks Industrial Supply is broadening its scope next year. This reflects the diversity and range of the subcontracting industry, and its inexhaustible capacity for innovation", says Reich.

  A new theme to be highlighted at Industrial Supply 2012 is adhesive technology.
The "Theme Park Adhesive Technology" is being staged for the first time with the support of several high-profile backers: Dechema / VDI, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, Industrieverband Klebstoffe e. V, RWTH Aachen University - Institute for Welding and Fastening Technology, and trade publishers Vieweg+Teubner Verlag / Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH. Adhesive bonding systems are among the most sophisticated fastening technologies available to modern industry.

In mechanical and transport engineering as well as energy engineering, fastening technologies are required to perform to ever more demanding standards. Adhesive bonding systems are particularly suitable for energy-efficient lightweight construction solutions because they can exploit the full capabilities of the materials used in terms of their strength and stability. At the Materials Forum "Intelligent Lightweight Construction" hosted by Industrial Supply there will be a whole day devoted to coverage of fastening technologies. The aim of this themed day is to present industrial bonding systems as an innovative alternative to conventional fastening technologies.

  More focus on the efficient use of materials and resources
For the coming year Industrial Supply will be expanding its coverage of a key focus topic - the more efficient and eco-friendly use of materials and resources. This reflects the fact that subcontractors across the world, who supply product innovations to manufacturing industry worldwide, are now thinking and acting in terms of ecological imperatives as well as economic aspects. Materials and Technology Know-how - Development, Design & Processes - Parts, Components & Systems: these three display categories contain most of the exhibits at Industrial Supply. "There are massively talented businesses working in all three areas. Last year's show demonstrated once again how remarkably broad is the range of expertise we find in today's subcontracting industry", says Reich.

  "greentelligence" at Industrial Supply 2012
The development of intelligent green technologies and the manufacture of efficient products have become vital benchmarks for businesses that want to remain sustainable and successful. The overarching theme of Hannover Messe 2012 - "greentelligence" - puts the development of eco-friendly products and processes, and hence green technologies, increasingly centre stage, and picks up on the trend that is shaping the future of modern industry.

The exhibitors at next year's Hannover Messe will be demonstrating that only the intelligent combination of efficient processes, eco-friendly materials and sustainable products coming off the industrial production line can keep businesses competitive in today's fast-evolving international markets. "greentelligence" will be a visible presence at all eight trade fairs in the Hannover Messe line-up.

With the expansion of its existing coverage of the more efficient use of materials and resources, Industrial Supply is investing heavily in the promotion of "greentelligence". After all, the firms that supply the world's manufacturing industry signed up to the idea of sustainability many years ago now. The end result of the work that goes on in the R&D departments of industrial subcontractors is a product that is both highly innovative in design and conception, and more efficient in use.

  The Best Professional Supplier Award

A new joint initiative by business consultants and accountants PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), the trade journal ZulieferMarkt (Carl Hanser Verlag) and Hannover Messe has established a new award for industrial suppliers who are either based in Germany, or have production facilities there. The "Best Professional Supplier Award" is offered in three categories: Materials and Semi-finished Products, Components and Custom-made Parts, and Assemblies and Systems. The Awards have been presented on 22 November 2011 at a formal prize-giving ceremony staged at the Frankfurt headquarters of PwC. Hannover Messe 2012 will be showcasing the winners from 23 to 27 April next year at Industrial Supply.

  About Hannover Messe (the Hannover Fair)
The world¿s leading showcase for industrial technology is staged annually in Hannover, Germany. The next Hannover Messe will be held from 23 to 27 April 2012, with China to be featured as its official Partner Country. Eight flagship fairs are taking place under the umbrella of Hannover Messe 2012: Industrial Automation - Energy - MobiliTec - Digital Factory - Industrial Supply - CoilTechnica - IndustrialGreenTec - Research & Technology. In 2012 the spotlight will be on industrial automation and IT, energy and environmental technologies, industrial subcontracting, manufacturing technologies, services and R&D.