March 5, 2024
Knowledge, innovations and contacts: The conference program of the world-leading trade fair ceramitec from 9 to 12 April 2024 will be as diverse as always. Leading organizations and companies is setting up a total of 30 slots in two forums, including a career day for the next generation. The dominant theme is the efficient use of resources, with brand new materials, technologies, and processes taking to the stage.
ceramitec will open its turnstiles punctually at 9 a.m. The official opening will take place at 10 a.m. in the forum in Hall A4, immediately before the start of the first ceramitec talks sessions. The lectures and panel discussions will focus on this year’s key topics. The program primarily includes decarbonization, the circular economy, digitalization and energy efficiency in all its facets – from generation and storage to the use of alternative energies. All forum events will be in English; participation is free of charge.
The focus of the forum in Hall A4 in a series of 13 sessions will be on heavy clay ceramics and the refractory industry. The trade journal ZI Ziegelindustrie International from Bauverlag, for example, is organizing lectures and discussion panels with the latest information on new potential in the circular economy, or how companies can minimize their carbon footprint and maximize energy efficiency through, among other things, alternative energies. The German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) is devoting two lectures to the topic of sustainability. Users and the industry will learn about the consequences of the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) regulations and the opportunities offered by the use of alternative energies. In addition, Deutsche Feuerfest-Industrie e.V. (DFFI) is focusing in one of the sessions on refractory materials as the invisible heroes of sustainable industrial processes.
In the broad field of technical ceramics, Ceramic Applications, RWTH Aachen e. V. (IAPK), Pôle Européen, and Ceramic Injection Moulding (CIM) e. V. will be appearing at the forum in Hall A6.
The focus here will be on innovative technologies, processes, and products, for example, in current applications such as battery or hydrogen production. On Tuesday, Karin Schaller, outgoing editor-in-chief of Göller Verlag, will host the sessions “Material + Energy Efficiency” and “Innovative Processing Routes”. She will also be hosting the high-profile “Decarbonization – Smart Production of Ceramics” panel. The new editor-in-chief Ulrich Werr will take over on Thursday. Three consecutive lectures will look at ceramic components and new materials as game changers in the fields of digitalization, environmental technology, analytics, environmental protection, and medical technology. On Wednesday, the Institute of Applied Powder Metallurgy and Ceramics at RWTH Aachen University (IAPK) will present innovations in powder metallurgy and 3D printing, and how digitized processes boost sustainability and efficiency. In the afternoon, the Pôle Européen cluster will present two panels with innovations that reduce the ceramics industry’s carbon footprint and support other industries in their transformation. Last but not least, Fraunhofer IKTS, Kläger, Arburg, and Inmatec will discuss innovations for injection molding and additive manufacturing in the “CIM plus AM – a perfect couple” session.
In light of the current situation, the VDMA is using ceramitec 2024 as a platform in cooperation with Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) and the Agency for Business and Development. In the forum in Hall A4, the partners will bring together international companies on the topic of “Rebuild Ukraine”. The two-and-a-half-hour event comprises lectures and a panel discussion on rebuilding the country’s industrial production, and offers a platform for finding out about demand in Ukraine and possible points of contact for business and funding opportunities. Looking to the Far East, Messe München’s international companies will provide insights into new markets, especially the emerging Indian economy and the growth market of Asia, in a “Worldwide Special”.
Koblenz University of Applied Sciences is represented twice this year. With the “Finding and retaining employees” training course, it provides trade fair visitors with a tool to combat the shortage of skilled workers. In addition, it is once again involved as the WesterWaldCampus in cooperation with the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology and the German Ceramic Society (DKG) at the CareerDay on the Friday of the fair from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Three panels on the topics of entry, career and expectations as well as one-on-one contacts between graduates, employers and universities will transform the forum in Hall A4 into an informative networking platform.
From the forums in Hall A4 and Hall A6, it’s just a short distance to the exhibitors in the halls. For a complete overview, the ECTS working group (A4.426) will be organizing guided tours of the heavy clay ceramics area through Hall A4 from Tuesday through Thursday. The counterpart in Halls A5 and A6 leads to exhibitors of materials, processes and products for technical ceramics; the meeting point is at Göller Verlag (A6.323A), on every day of the fair. Registration is required. The tours are free of charge.