The heart of mechanical processing technology

Powtech and Partec 2016 in Nuremberg

The heart of mechanical processing technology

After three very eventful days, Powtech 2016, the leading fair for the processing, analysis and handling of powder and bulk solids, drew to a close on 21 April 2016. After a quiet start on Tuesday however, the fair organisation recorded roughly 7 % more visitors than at the previous event. Powtech again reinforced the role as the key gathering place for the global process and bulk solids community.

Around 16,000 trade visitors got informed about the showcased innovations for entirely new and more efficient production processes of the 891 exhibitors from 31 countries. An extensive supporting programme explored the challenges faced by these sectors and presented pioneering solutions. The concurrent scientific congress Partec also ended on a high note, having welcomed around 500 congress delegates to discuss fundamental issues and topics of future relevance to particle research.

Powtech covered all areas that use mechanical processes in manufacturing, including the food and feed industry, as well as the chemicals, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, ceramics/glass, construction/stone/ earth and recycling sectors. The exhibition opened its doors with a slight growth in area, a change in hall layout, and demonstrated that it is the No. 1 trade fair for mechanical processing technology.

Beate Fischer, Exhibition Director for Powtech at Nürnbergmesse GmbH: “There were satisfied faces throughout the six exhibition halls and there was also a lot of interest in the extensive supporting programme.” The exhibitors covered a total area of 27,711 m2 and featured an international contingent of 36 %. The large number of international participants underlines the significance as the leading fair for the sector. Most of the international exhibitors came from Italy, followed by Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands. The next Powtech will open its doors in Nuremberg from 26 to 28 September 2017.

The TechnoPharm fair, which had previously been hosted in parallel, was incorporated completely into Powtech in 2016. The newly created forum “Pharma.Manufacturing.Excellence” in Hall 3A proved to be new home for the pharmaceutical community at the trade fair. Visitors from the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors found products and solutions for their segment at more than half of all stands.

The international particle technology congress Partec took place at the same time as Powtech at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. Around 500 scientists, R&D directors and particle experts came together to discuss new trends in the processing of small and ultra-small particles at the highest professional level. In tune with the congress theme “Industry meets Science”, they endeavoured to bring together academic knowledge and practical challenges with a view to collaborating on developing new solutions. The more than 240 presentations and discussions as well as a poster exhibition in the foyer offered plenty of opportunities for knowledge-sharing.

During the opening ceremony, the VDI Association of Process and Chemical Engineering (VDI-GVC) awarded the Friedrich-Löffler Prize for Young Scientists to Dr.-Ing. Doris Segets. The scientist at the Department of Particle Technology at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg received the award inter alia for her work on nanoscale particles. The Excellence Award in Mechanics of Particulate Solids from the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) went to Christopher Ness from the University of Edinburgh.

Partec 2016 had been chaired by Professor Hermann Nirschl, Director of the Institute for Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He handed over the Partec baton to Professor Stefan Heinrich, Director of the Institute of Solids Process Engineering and Particle Technology at the Technical University of Hamburg. Heinrich will chair the next Partec congress in 2019. Partec takes place every three years in the spring parallel to the Powtech trade fair.

Powtrech World is a global network of exhibitions and conferences related to mechanical processing technology. The events are the ideal platform for global knowledge sharing and new worldwide business relationships. Besides the exhibition in Nuremberg, the following Powtech World Events will take place in 2016: