There are quite a few people who tend to switch off when thinking about an industrial trade fair or simply do not know what is happening there. I admit, a few weeks ago I was one of them. Four things beginners like me should know.
In the end, it affects everyone
The Hannover Messe is not just an industrial trade show, it is the world's leading trade show. What is shown and discussed here moves the working world of tomorrow and today. Nobody should be distracted by technical terms such as Industry 4.0, Digital Twin or Internet of Things. This is not just about machines. It's about how we will work and will live in the future.
The industry is in a period of incredible flux. We are familar with that.
We stand out as Telekom. Not only because shades of blue and grey dominate at the Hannover Messe while our booth stands out in popping magenta. Here in Hall 6 we do not simply sell a new product, as you could expect. Instead, we develop ideas with the "old hands" of industry. Why? It's simple: companies hear and read that digitization is somehow important. But what does that mean? Do everything new, although the expensive machines run well? Of course not. It's about connecting the existing smartly. Or as one coworker said: "Companies do not need solutions for technologies, but for their businesses".
Connections are important. We are familar with that as well.
The biggest challenge is the intelligent connection. (Or most companies say "smart"). That's where we come in. We have the experience to combine different modules from different partners. This is anything but easy. As if a whole bucket of Lego bricks is available and a great castle is to be built from it, but without instructions and with blindfold! This requires many different skills. We at Telekom already have a lot to offer, for example the networks, the use of a lot of computing power and everything around security.
Not in the future. Today!
Companies at trade shows, of course, talk a lot about the future. However, this should not obscure what is already possible. I was amazed after the first tour at our booth. One example immediately caught my attention as a passionate T-shirt wearer who often receives packages from abroad. Mostly they arrive late and with a lot of sticky paper and different languages. And one solution presented is the paperless freight documents, which, by the way, can handle any language. This is already possible because many things already exist - from e-readers to display the letter, to radio parts that track the location, to software that can detect and show all movements.
