Interview with Daniel Ryfisch, Project Director wire and Tube
After a hiatus due to the pandemic, wire & Tube return to Düsseldorf’s exhibition halls from 20 to 25 June. The two leading trade fairs for the wire, cable and tube industries will be presenting numerous innovations such as ecoMetals trails and end products for fastening elements and technical springs. Hot topics such as green transformation and hydrogen are coming into focus. In an interview with Steel Market International, Daniel Ryfisch, Project Director for both wire and Tube, explains why the two trade shows are indispensable when it comes to getting things going again.
It has been four years since wire and Tube last took place. Has the return of the wire, cable and tube industries’ flagship trade show been hotly anticipated?
Four years ago, in April 2018, we held the last international metal summit here at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre with both wire and Tube. We were able to announce record figures: with 2,683 companies from all over the world, 117,000 square metres of space being rented and 71,500 trade visitors from 134 countries on five days of the trade fair – figures that seem truly sensational from today’s perspective.
Four years have passed since then. The pandemic, strict national and worldwide travel restrictions, the rising rate of infections and the lack of predictability in recent years have made it necessary to postpone wire and Tube several times.
We are now glad to be going ahead with the June date having a significantly relaxed pandemic situation. A large part of our exhibitors will be following us into the summer and presenting many technological innovations in the exhibition halls. For us, this is further confirmation of just how important organising in-person trade fairs is. After four years of exclusively digital conferences and meetings, industry players crave real-life encounters and hands-on products, machines and equipment.
The elimination of entry requirements again ensures a smooth and hassle-free journey to Düsseldorf. Since April, trade fairs in Germany have again been allowed to take place without coronavirus restrictions. However, some visitors from outside Europe will still have to overcome pandemic-related hurdles. We hope that these will be largely resolved by June.
As far as occupancy of the exhibition halls is concerned, we are very satisfied against the background of the current global economic situation and the last pandemic-filled years. A total of more than 1,900 exhibitors from 53 countries will represent the wire, cable and tube industries during the five days of the show here in Düsseldorf. At the same time, METAV will also be held in Hall 16, bringing valuable synergies to all exhibiting industries.
What innovations will be seen at the two leading world trade shows?
We have a lot of premières in the exhibition halls alongside heavy machinery to be seen in action, fascinating digital simulations and really great products. For the first time since its Düsseldorf launch in 1986, wire will showcase end products in fastening elements and technical springs. This adds these end products to the wire machinery and wire plant sector.
With its ecoMetals campaign, Messe Düsseldorf is also sending out a clear signal for sustainability and energy efficiency for the first time at wire and Tube. Two different guided tours, the so-called ecoMetal trails, are on offer leading to exhibitors who produce in a sustainable, resource-saving, energy-efficient and emission-reduced manner. Exhibiting companies that feel particularly committed to this idea were able to apply in the run up to the event. From Tuesday to Friday, i.e. on four days at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be different guided ecoMetal trails available through the exhibition halls.
The wire trail leads to exhibitors such as netzwerkDraht, Rosendahl Nextrom, swiss steel holding, GMH, Aurubis and ArcelorMittal, while the tube trail takes visitors to the companies SMS, Ampco and Klöckner.The meeting point for both trails is always at the North Entrance. Visitors have been able to register online, but can also still come to the North Entrance at the specified times and join in without booking in advance.
On the first two days of the trade show – 21. and 22 June – we will be inviting visitors to the ExpertenTreff expert meeting in Hall 3 D 38 starting at 2 p.m. The agency Stahl-Kommunikation has put together a great programme here. Top speakers from twelve companies will report on how they are addressing the issue of green transformation on their factory floors and in their laboratories.
Key industry players such as Salzgitter AG, thyssenkrupp Steel, thyssenkrupp Material Services Processing, ArcelorMittal, the Heine + Beisswenger Group, Klöckner + Co SE, the Swiss Steel Group, the SMS Group GmbH, Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahlrohre e.V., Voß Edelstahlhandel GmbH + Co. KG, as well as Bundesverband Energiespeicher Systeme and Stahlmarkt Consult will send experts to the meeting to provide information on these highly topical issues from their respective company’s perspective. The presentations are not only intended to be topical, critical and informative, but also to lead to stimulating discussions among the audience during the subsequent coffee break.
For the first time, Vulkan-Verlag is organising a hydrogen conference, a two-day, paid-for forum on the topic that is currently on everyone’s lips, as part of wire and Tube 2022.
The Convention for the Hydrogen Economy will take place on 20 and 21 June at the congress area of the new exhibition hall 1. It is well known that the energy industry is facing major challenges. It is therefore a declared goal to decarbonise all production and heat generation processes as part of the energy transition. Technical expertise and engineering knowledge are required here. Therefore, the focus of this renowned convention is on conveying application knowledge that can be implemented in real terms.
What signals should wire and Tube send out?
Things are looking up again – despite adverse global political circumstances, economic challenges and a post-pandemic situation. A strong signal is set to go out from Düsseldorf to global industry: We are trading again, and the trade world is meeting for its leading trade fairs in Düsseldorf!
How do wire and Tube shape up under pandemic conditions?
There are no more 2G or 3G mask regulations throughout the exhibition centre. Nevertheless, a fully automated system with 60,000 measuring points as well as 3,000 high-performance particulate filters (HEPA air filters) will be installed in the exhibition halls just in time for the start of wire and Tube. These high-performance particulate filters introduce clinically clean air into the halls while reducing heating and cooling energy consumption. In addition, the trade fairs are voluntarily putting hygiene and infection control measures in place.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection has taken on 80 percent of the total investment of 1.4 million euros in the framework of a funding program.
As the most effective air treatment technology, HEPA filters remove 99.9 percent of viruses, bacteria and other particles from the air and return the purified air to the room. These high-performance particulate filters are used in operating rooms, intensive care units, and now also in our exhibition halls and Congress Center.
