How quickly another edition of "the world's largest industrial fair" rolls around. And this year it's no illusion because the fair comes a month earlier than usual—part of rescheduling several shows to accommodate Expo 2000, the World's Fair, starting its five-month run on June 1, in Hannover, Germany.

Visitors will be able to preview some of the infrastructure built for Expo 2000 at and around the fairgrounds.

However, basics of the show remain unchanged. Factory Automation, introduced in 1999, continues as the fair's growing central theme. While this is the largest single sector—with 2,500 exhibitors expected to use over 1.1 million ft² of display area—Hannover Fair 2000 incorporates five other show sectors:

• Materials Handling & Logistics(Halls 19-26 and open-air site; 1,000 exhibitors, 872,000 ft²) will highlight technologies ranging from material handling control systems to storage, planning, and information technology (IT) solutions within the logistic chain;
• Surface Treatment(Halls 5-6; 500 exhibitors, 215,000 ft²) covers material processes for energy conservation and environmental protection of manufacturing plants and products. Coating or treatment methods, such as surface finishes, plating, thin films, and plasma, will be included;
• SubconTechnology(Halls 2-4; 1,900 exhibitors, 328,000 ft²) is a forum that encompasses design, construction, and production development for the world of subcontracting;
• Energy(Halls 6-8 and 11; 500 exhibitors, 323,000 ft²) focuses on all aspects of this vital resource, including traditional, sustainable, renewable, and future energy sources; and
• Research & Technology(Hall 18; 650 exhibitors, 108,000 ft²) will be the platform for academic and research institutes to show how to commercialize innovations and transfer them to business and industry.

The fair's international flavor likewise remains unchanged. This year 3,300 exhibitors (46% of the total) are expected from outside Germany. As for visitors, 25% of them were in the international category at last year's fair.

Successful debut of Factory Automation as an annual show sector in 1999 has already led to a nearly 20% expansion of display area, along with a wider scope of exhibits. One in two visitors among the 300,000 expected will attend this sector, according to show organizer Deutsche Messe AG (DMAG).

Factory Automation offers an attractive venue to display its numerous associated technologies, including advanced computer-aided methods and information technology. This show sector was developed in close cooperation with two well-known German engineering associations: the Central Association for Electrical Engineering and Electronics (ZVEI, Frankfurt, Germany) and the German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers' Association (VDMA, also Frankfurt).

"The automated factory is not just a collection of anonymous production [areas populated] by robots instead of human workers. On the contrary, the factory of the future will be a flexible, communicative place closely networked with suppliers, subcontractors and customers," states Deutsche Messe AG.

• Technologies within Factory Automation will be displayed under the following layout:
• Robotics; systems and components for automated assembly and handling (Halls 15-17 and 23);
• Software, computer-aided technologies, and industrial PCs will be grouped together for the first time (Hall14);
• Networks and industrial communication; sensor/actuator systems; measuring, testing, control and regulator technologies; and industrial PCs (Halls 9-12);
• Industrial image processing, laser technology, and identification systems (Hall 16); and
• Switching equipment, energy management, and production equipment for electrical engineering and electronics (Hall 13).

Software's growing importance is reflected in a showcase of industrial solutions by some 300 software companies in Hall 14, including Microsoft(Redmond, Wa.) and SAP AG (Walldorf, Germany). Software for industrial communication also will be shown as an integrated total system. A 42,800 ft² special exhibit will further highlight software's role in automation. Entitled "Software drives my business," this stand-alone venue will focus on machine-specific and integrated industrial software solutions.

Industrial communication, to be spotlighted in Hall 9, ranges from sensor-level to fieldbus systems that link all aspects of the enterprise. "They represent the sensory organs and nervous systems of intelligent production systems," says DMAG.

Hannover Fair 2000 is also about business and its underlying issues of markets and economics. In an era of higher production costs and profit constraints, cost-effective solutions become driving forces. Today's technologies must offer quicker returns on investment and quality improvements in the form of simpler systems, more responsive and flexible to changing market needs.

Robotic systems, for one, play into this need. While their performance has increased, prices for robots have come down as much 40% in recent years, states DMAG. Industrial image processing, that combines robots and cameras for machine vision, adds substantially to the capability and usefulness of these systems.

Another facet of factory automation is the continual spread of intelligence and knowledge into system elements. Fieldbus technology also has a role here, along with the rapid development of industrial Ethernet connections.

"With over 7,000 exhibitors, 300,000 visitors, and official delegations from some 60 countries, Hannover Fair 2000 promises once again to be a summit for business and political leaders from around the globe," Kurt Marttila, executive vp of Hannover Fairs USA, told Control Engineering. "Besides annual focus on the growing Factory Automation segment, this year's event will spotlight Material Handling & Logistics and Energy—both world-class forums for their respective industries," he says.

Control Engineering continues its coverage of Hannover Fair. Come and see us in Hall 12 (Stand E58).

For more information, contact Hannover Fairs USA, Princeton, N.J. (see logo box), , or visit www.controleng.com/freeinfo.