Two exhibition fairs and two different vibes. Two days at the CWIEME and Greentech in Berlin (15th-16th of May)

My 3 key takeaways:

• European manufacturers need to observe their competitiveness outside Europe since Asian manufacturers are less constraint by sustainable legislation.
• Human and societies need to reduce not only physical, plastic and energy waste but also digital waste due to the sheer amount of data, AI and quantum computing ahead.
• There are already river heat exchange pumps in place as an alternative energy source and heat storage in 400m depth will be the next big thing for regional utilities.

The CWIEME the global coil winding and electrical engineering event was full of vibrant business discussions. One could feel the energy of manufacturer and client discussions in each corner of the fair. The European companies utilized the chances to meet many of their predominantly Asian suppliers. The exhibits were all about advancement in engineering and how to create better and lighter products for electrical motor design, leaner manufacturing, and more efficient and reliable power networks. The displays ranged from fully automated assembly stations to showing of little magnets used to produce electric motors. My conversations at some of the international stands indicated double digit growth rates for the Asian companies. According to their statements many infrastructure projects in countries like India and China are striving their business. However, the European market is still very attractive to them due to the large manufacturers with global reach. One the other hand there were statements the regulations around CO2 reduction and sustainability are a cost advantage for companies outside of Europe. Many of the Asian companies have a cost advantage in the Middle East and South America and are therefore seeing a lot of opportunities for their business. A major risk is local legislation and the geopolitical situation that have an impact on supply chains and market access. It will be interesting to see, how the European companies will compete on a global scale while the emphasis on sustainability and CO2 reduction impacts their bottom lines.

At CWIEME I had the pleasure to connect with my longterm friend Pathik Shah Owner and Managing Director of Vardham Stampings, India. The company also enjoys double digit growth rates, and its transformers and coils are striving through demand increase for power networks due to solar and wind energy.

The vibe of the Greentech festival next door was a bit different. It was all about being hip and presenting ideas, how to make the world a better place. All the stands discussed innovation and its impact on the environment. It was fascinating to visit some of the start-ups present. The multipurpose drone at UrbanRay, a German startup out of Cologne, will successfully speed up the delivery process within the medical industry. Their drones fly between stations and can quickly transport e.g. blood supply and samples between operating rooms and labs of hospitals. The pilots are currently tested in Essen and Cologne with more coming. I also found the hydrogen powered bicycles and bike of Heflow out of Korea fascinating. These environmental transportation solutions are commercially available as an alternative to fast transport in cars and electrical powered bikes. Personally I was very interested in the activities ewia. The Munich start-up is investing in commercial solar projects in Ghana and has already expanded into Nigeria. Since I have closed ties to Uganda and additional country might be of interest once the company has capacity to support further.

Following the panel discussion about the impact on AI there are still a lot of pros and cons for the technology. The demand for data centers is increasing to handle the massive amounts of data and AI models for quantum computing. There is surely a major benefit to increase processes in R&D, to improve process efficiency and to reduce manufacturing costs. On the other hand, these data centers, AI and quantum computing require huge amounts of energy with an impact on the carbon footprint of the companies. The Lufthansa group uses the data available to optimize customer service, routing and fuel consumption. Additionally, one of their major projects is to reduce waste messages in their Microsoft teams using enormous data space and resources. There was a clear message that not only physical and plastic but also digital waste management is requirement.

Finally the presentation about the construction of the Union Berlin NLZ revealed how energy conscious construction works in commercial projects nowadays. I learned that the Spree is an environmental friendly energy source through river heat exchange pumps and that heat storage during the summer months 300 to 400m within the earth will be the next big thing for regional utilities.