“900 companies have outfitted their showcases with all the latest!”

Nordbygg 2018 is up and running. The construction and property sector is welcomed to a fair full of innovation, contacts and knowledge in all showcases and on different stages. During the introductory press briefing, highlights and some clear themes of the week were presented: recruitment, digitalisation, equality and the role of the client.

Peter Söderberg, Project Manager at Nordbygg, on Tuesday morning greeted more than 900 exhibiting companies and wished them welcome to Nordbygg.

– There are market leading companies from all areas and with an extremely wide range. I would like to say that this is the by far most effective way to get an overview of the market, and meet experts for direct exchange of knowledge, said Peter Söderberg.

All companies have outfitted their showcases with all the latest and many plan their launches for Nordbygg.

– At Nordbygg 2018 we have 25 per cent new exhibitors and more than 200 foreign exhibitors. That sum was doubled last time, and this year there are even more. In addition, there are five nation showcases, gathering international actors who would like to enter the Swedish market, Peter Söderberg said.

Energy and recruitment

The organising group behind Nordbygg gave their hottest tips on what not to miss this week.

Jaana Petherbielke, Marketing Director, Energi- och Miljötekniska föreningen (Energy and Environmental Technology Association), stressed the development of the role of the client. The better knowledge the client has, the better the supplier can fulfil demands and wishes, making it possible to achieve the government’s energy goal.

Anders Mårtensson, VVS-fabrikanternas Råd (HVAC manufacturers’ council), stressed that it has to become the norm to choose energy-smart products and hinted that the halls are full of just such possibilities. He also lifted the recruitment issue, which is a concern for the entire industry, and pointed to the SACO day and other opportunities that open up at Nordbygg.

Equality

Urban Månsson, Svensk Byggtjänst (Swedish Building Services), talked about Jämnt på jobbet (Equality at work) –the construction sector’s broad initiative in the wake of #metoo. Today, 8 per cent of all employees are women, which is the lowest of all industries in Sweden. There are great opportunities to solve the recruitment issue, but the we also have to get better at equality.

–There is no quick fix for an equal working place. What is needed is a method and a structured way of working. Such examples will be highlighted during Nordbygg, said Urban Månsson.

Digitalisation

Britta Permats, Svensk Ventilation (Swedish Ventilation) communicated her highlights of the fair in four items.

– Digital processes, such as BIM focusing on installation is huge, as well as IoT solutions, among other things for controlling indoor climates. There are several lectures during the week at the Indoor climate stage, Britta hinted.

To visit stands and really meet the people working with news within everything from measurement to intelligent toilet seats. Finally, Britta lifted Nordbygg’s different competitions, such as Stora inneklimatpriset (the Great Indoor climate prize), where both prize winners and the other nominees have a lot to offer.

Materials – trends and sustainability

Erik Haara, Glasbranschföreningen (Glass Industry Association) and Louise Röström, Saint Gobain/Byggmaterialindustrierna (Building Materials Companies) talked about new materials from their different aspects.

– Seize the opportunity to talk about energy and see how quickly the technology is moving forward in glass. The development is nowhere near over. It is moving towards more and more energy effective glass, smaller but with higher performance. Hopefully, the glass will be introducing energy into the building eventually, through the integrated solar panel, Erik Haara said in his trend scouting.

– In Sweden, we are at the forefront when it comes to environmental information. The demand is increasing, environmental certification is popular, so the showcases will be a lot about that, said Louise Röström, Sustainability Manager at Saint Gobain.

She pointed to fire safety as an important aspect and hinted about a seminar that starts with the catastrophic fire in London and tells more of how we are working with fire safety in Sweden.

The construction sector and Tech-world meet

Lastly, Lars Albinsson, Bygg 4.0, explained about the platform Nordic ConTech, an initiative taken by Bygg 4.0 and Svensk Byggtjänst with Nordbygg as partner.

– We want to accelerate the meeting between the tech-world and the construction sector. Stockholm is the second leading city in the world when it comes to unicorns, i.e. successful start-ups. That is why Stockholm and Nordbygg is the perfect setting for such a meeting, Lars Albinsson said.

For more information, visit www.nordbygg.se or contact:

Peter Söderberg, Project Managerpeter.soderberg@stockholmsmassan.se, +46 8-749 43 93

Pär Jonasson, Press Officer par.jonasson@stockholmsmassan.se, +46 8-749 44 17

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