This year at Hannover Messe, ABB is streamlined into four entrepreneurial businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation. As our main focus is IIoT, "the factory of the future" is clearly one of the topics we want to know more about. YuMi collaborative robots offer unmatched precision in assembly operations, while the SuperTrak flexible transport system orchestrates the timely movement of parts from one station to another. New partnerships were announced, and first joint solutions are showcased. ABB and Ericsson have strengthened their commitment to accelerate the industrial ecosystem for flexible wireless automation, which will enable enhanced connected services, industrial IoT and artificial intelligence technologies in the future.

After getting a preview of what is on tap for HANNOVER MESSE 2019, it appears that attendees are in for another exciting event. During a January preview for the event, over 120 journalists, including yours truly, gathered for presentations and discussions from the Hannover Messe team, and over 40 exhibitors, expanding on the topics and technologies that so many will experience. Onuora Ogbukagu - the Corporate Spokesman and Director Marketing & Communications Industry, Energy, Logistics, for Deutsche Messe AG in Hannover - opened that Preview Event sharing topics this year which include digitalization, industrial automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and energy solutions. Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO, Deutsche Messe AG, followed up in his overview of HANNOVER MESSE 2019 trends and topics by noting, "The 72nd year of Hannover Messe and it is booming with more than 6, 500 exhibitors from more than 75 countries is truly an international trade fair." Köckler also highlighted 2019 keynote themes for these topics including integrated industry, Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and 5G for Industry.

At this point in history, all businesses need to transform to survive.