Hannover. "We are very satisfied with how the event went and this is also reflected in the feedback from our exhibitors. Over the three days, it once again became clear that the mutual exchange of ideas is indispensable and makes for a successful trade fair”, says a delighted Christoph Nowak, Project Director of SurfaceTechnology GERMANY at Deutsche Messe AG.

As expected, the proportion of trade visitors was high at 96%, which is also reflected in the quality of the discussions. After Germany, the strongest visitor countries were Italy, Switzerland, Türkiye, India, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal. Dr Martin Riester, Surface Technology Officer at VDMA, confirms: "SurfaceTechnology GERMANY 2024 has gained a pleasingly international flavour. The participation of national associations from Türkiye, Japan and Italy demonstrates the international appeal of the trade fair. Deutsche Messe AG has organised an attractive and international event in times of a challenging economy and thus created an important highlight for the industry." Christoph Nowak adds: "The proportion of international visitors in particular was a workload that we were asked to fulfil by the exhibitors, and we did it perfectly. At the 2018 event, the proportion of visitors from abroad was 24%, then 27% in 2022 and now 34%". At 34%, top management was also very well represented and around 79% came to the event with investment plans.

High quality of contacts and discussions

An important area of SurfaceTechnology GERMANY is traditionally the joint stand of the German Surface Technology Association (ZVO). With its 60 companies, the joint stand once again provided an impressive presentation of electroplating technology. "Our high expectations for this year's SurfaceTechnology GERMANY have been fulfilled in terms of the quality of discussions and visitors and concrete investment plans. Our co-exhibitors also drew a positive initial conclusion and reported good contacts and intensive, productive discussions with both existing and potential customers. Many visitors came to the trade fair with specific requirements, enquiries and projects. Networking and dialogue with industry peers also traditionally played a major role”, summarises Christoph Matheis, Managing Director of the German Surface Technology Association (ZVO).

"The participants at the joint stand Process Chain Surface Technology presented innovations from the field of surface treatment and coating as well as processes for measuring and testing surfaces. The high level of expertise of the dialogue partners and the high proportion of international visitors were praised. ELB Zerrer was represented for the first time, presenting its promising plasma anodising technology with its special modifications and extensions, which met with great interest. The conclusion of the participants at the joint stand was almost unanimous: ‘Once again, it was worth taking part in the trade fair’ ", reports Herbert Käszmann, organiser of the WOTech joint stand.

"We have been exhibiting at Surface Technology GERMANY in Stuttgart for more than 15 years, as we mainly supply our drum pumps to the chemical and electroplating industries. Over the years, we have gained many new customers and close co-operation partners here. In addition to the high level of expertise, we particularly appreciate the down-to-earth and international nature of the visitors. We were very satisfied again this year”, says Tobias Jessberger, Managing Director of JESSBERGER GmbH.

Litsy Hüschelrath, Co-Founder and CEO of the start-up nanoshape GmbH, adds: "We are very pleased with how well our new technology was received by the many visitors and exhibitors who have been in the industry for some time. We were able to have great conversations and make valuable contacts. It was a very enriching trade fair for us, and we will certainly be back again next time!"

Great demand for information at the Expert Forum

The Expert Forum has always been a magnet for visitors and therefore an important part of the event. With 52 expert presentations - mainly from exhibitors at the trade fair - this year's forum set a new record. Visitor interest was also pleasingly high on all three days of the fair. This was mainly due to the interesting content of the presentations and the skilful presentation style of most of the speakers, who were able to explain even complex issues in a way that was easy to understand. There was particular interest in the topics that are of particular concern to surface technology companies, such as new approaches to reducing emissions, saving energy or introducing new processes for modifying surfaces.

Another highlight of the Expert Forum was the presentation of the Stuttgart Innovation Award "DIE OBERFLÄCHE" by the Fraunhofer IPA. The 2024 winner is the company Holzapfel Metallveredelung. Second place went to J. Wagner and third place was awarded to TE Connectivity.

The next SurfaceTechnology GERMANY will be held in Stuttgart from 9 to 11 June 2026.