EuroBLECH launches Digital Innovation Summit 2020

EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit provides a much anticipated trade and networking event for the global sheet metal working community, presenting a broad programme for trade professionals including virtual product presentations, expert webinars, and plenty of matchmaking. Visitors can participate for free and register online from the beginning of October. 

The organiser of EuroBLECH, Mack Brooks Exhibitions, has announced a new online event for the international sheet metal working community in order to help the industry pave and shape the way back to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit provides a dedicated virtual marketplace for innovative manufacturing solutions, knowledge transfer and worldwide business contacts in a new online format. At the same time, it conveniently bridges the big wait for the physical EuroBLECH event which has been postponed to March 2021.

“When the decision was taken to postpone EuroBLECH, the world's largest sheet metal working technology exhibition amidst the Covid-19 crisis, we were determined to fill the gap and put all our energies into developing a powerful and focused online event that can offer a similarly high level of attraction to buyers”, explains Evelyn Warwick, Exhibition Director of EuroBLECH.

“The previous EuroBLECH 2018 in Hanover attracted 56,307 international trade visitors and a total of 1,507 exhibitors from 40 countries, so our new virtual summit can build upon a very successful real-life event. This includes the huge EuroBLECH community of sheet metal working professionals and technology providers that have attended or exhibited at our shows over the years. As such, the EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit gives industry specialists and buyers worldwide online access to this expert community, enabling them to witness true technological innovation and product launches, hear insider views about the latest market trends and opportunities, and use amazing matchmaking and meeting facilities, all online, to get back into business again”, said Evelyn Warwick further.

DISCOVER, CONNECT and LEARN: Virtual summit offers three-in-one experience

The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit is a four-day online trading, networking and webinar event for professionals from the entire sheet metal working technology chain. Visitors can virtually meet relevant technology suppliers, watch informative product presentations, follow talks and webinars on current industry issues, and ultimately source the best technical solutions for their manufacturing processes.

DISCOVER: Virtual Presentations in the Innovation Theatre, Product Showcases and Exhibitor Directory

The Virtual Presentation Theatre, also known as the Innovation Theatre features 15-minute exhibitor presentations on their latest product innovations and technologies, followed by a live Q&A session. Virtual Product Showcases create a virtual stand experience and allow visitors to explore new products and services in more detail. The Exhibitor Directory offers an easy starting point to browse the full EuroBLECH exhibitor list by name. A simple click leads to further exhibitor information, including product showcases, product videos, contact information, and more.

CONNECT: Networking and Virtual Meetings with Suppliers

A new matchmaking system powered by the latest AI technology helps suppliers and buyers make smart networking decisions by suggesting relevant people to meet. Participants can tailor their networking activities by requesting and pre-scheduling their meetings before the event. Arranging for a meeting is very easy and intuitive, with no third-party software required.

LEARN: Daily Webinars on the latest industry and technology trends

A daily programme of webinars by industry experts provides an opportunity to gain useful insights into the latest market developments as well as technical expertise concerning new industry applications and solutions. A special series with focus on the sheet metal working industry in key geographical areas offers an in-depth analysis on the current challenges and strategies to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic. All webinars feature short presentations, followed by a live Q&A session. Further details on topics and speakers will be published soon.

How the Covid-19 crisis sparks innovation in sheet metal working

The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit comes at a crucial time when sheet metal production has to deal with the massive impact of the global pandemic and its disruption to industrial production in general. The “new normal” requires companies to adapt to new regulations and restrictions, such as social distancing rules, and to master an increasingly volatile market with sudden drops and surges in demand. All this poses a huge challenge for an industry that traditionally operates with rather long lead times and complex supply chains.

“The key for post-crisis growth is agility, and this includes the knowledge and ability to find the right balance between just-in-time, lean inventory, and resilience”, explains Evelyn Warwick. “The industry will recover, but companies who want to survive and ultimately thrive really need to use the coming months to adapt and strengthen for the future. In fact, this crisis is a big moment for innovation, as barriers that once took years to overcome will become irrelevant within a matter of weeks, opening up new opportunities for those willing to adapt and meet shifting customer needs.”

Industry experts agree that the rise of formerly disruptive forces, in particular digitalisation, robotics and automation, has been significantly accelerated by the current crisis. The survival and long-term success of manufacturers will ultimately depend on how quickly they can deploy this new technology to boost their productivity and ensure full scalability of their operations.

“Digitalisation has certainly set the tone at the previous EuroBLECH 2018”, says Evelyn Warwick. “The last couple of years have brought noticeable technological advancement, and many exhibitors have already demonstrated how well the industry is prepared for digitalisation. At the same time, this technology is changing so fast that it is better to get engaged today and businesses start moving forward. The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit is the only virtual market place that offers the scope, range and professional network opportunities of a big trade event where the global sheet metal community can meet online, discuss their current situation and challenges, learn about the latest market developments, and source the new technology it needs to survive and flourish.“