Trade fair grows all of 50%; Underhåll hotter than ever before!

Smart, data-analysed maintenance is a key factor in the ongoing move of Swedish industry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“More and more people have understood how important maintenance is to competitive production. So it’s no wonder that we’ve seen a record level of interest in Underhåll 2018,” says Anna Jarnö, Business Manager of the Underhåll Trade Fair.

The fair will take place 13-16 March at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg. A total of 334 exhibitors have booked for the event; over 22% more than the 273 exhibitors who showed their products and services at the previous fair, Underhåll 2016.
“We’ve had our ear to the ground and managed to create a trade fair in keeping with the times; an event that reflects and responds to the rapid developments in digitised processes and Industry 4.0. As a result, the exhibition space required for the Underhåll fairs has increased by more than 50% since 2010,” says Anna Jarnö.
“This year’s fair mirrors the rapid developments in the maintenance sector, with increasingly advanced digitised and automated maintenance systems being used to do away with unnecessary downtime, which can, of course, be extremely costly.”

Maintenance matters have now reached the highest management levels, as reflected in the Maintenance Summit, a new conference initiative at Underhåll, which brings together senior executives from many of the biggest companies in Sweden. The Maintenance Summit programme includes Reliable Industrial Digitisation, Purchasing Strategies and several case studies. Participating companies include Volvo, SKF, AstraZeneca, BillerudKorsnäs, Fortum, Microsoft and IBM.

A whole-day seminar for safety officers, and a networking get-together for young women in industry are a further two brand new initiatives. There will also be a full seminar programme, split between two separate stages on the exhibition floor.

Competence development, another important subject, will also receive a lot of attention, with a number of diploma courses being offered in association with Tools, Dematek and Ahlsell, and a lubrication school arranged on the Technology Stage by SKF among the special features.
SKF is investing heavily in this year’s fair, with a stand covering 100 m2, and a whole series of activities and seminars. Speakers will include CEO Alrik Danielson. The company will also offer trips to its new, world-class, digitised SRB (Spherical Roller Bearings) manufacturing unit in Gothenburg.

Another new initiative this year will be devoted to information and discussions on personal protection and safety matters for a daily, two-hour period, on the Technology Stage. The programme has been organised together with Arbetsmiljöverket (Swedish Work Environment Authority) and NSA (Nordic Safety Association). Particular attention will be paid to the EU’s new PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Regulations, which are to be implemented this year in all EU countries.

The Digital Solutions Area, yet another new themed feature of this year’s Underhåll, will see a number of exhibitors gathered in the same section as Chalmers University of Technology and our Smart Factory. The latest developments in the growing field of AM (Additive Manufacturing), often referred to as 3-D printing, will also be under the spotlight in the Digital Solutions Area.
“We always try to show the latest innovations and trends. And AM, which has been called a 3-D revolution for industry, is ideal for Underhåll,” says Anna Jarnö.
“AM can be used to create products, using almost any material. And we’ll be showing examples of this right at the fair. Visitors will be able to see the whole process from sketch to finished item.”

Underhåll is the biggest trade fair for manufacturing operations and maintenance in the whole of Scandinavia. The fair is held every other year at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg. This year’s event (13-16 March) is being organised in association with Svenskt Underhåll (Swedish Maintenance Society), NSA (Nordic Safety Association), IF Metall (Swedish trade union), Chalmers University of Technology and several other partners.

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For questions, please contact:
Anna Jarnö, Underhåll Business Manager, Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre, tel +46 (0)31-708 80 85. E-mail: anna.jarno@svenskamassan.se