CeMAT, the trade fair for intralogistics and supply chain management, is to be co-located with Hannover Messe every two years, starting in 2018. Featuring about 1,000 exhibitors from around the world, CeMAT is the international market flagship of a fast-growing industry which in 2015 produced 20.1 billion euros worth of equipment in Germany alone. The main drivers of this growth are eCommerce and integrated production – two trends that are placing enormous pressure on intralogistics systems, forcing them to become more intelligent, networked, flexible, transparent, fast and efficient. In eCommerce, product orders tend to be small and highly individualized. In manufacturing, this is matched by growing demand for individualization in the form of one-off production. In both cases, customers want rapid turnaround and lower prices. Meeting these expectations calls for new Industry 4.0-style solutions and the close, intelligent integration of production and logistics. “Intelligent intralogistics is the backbone and enabler of Industry 4.0. It therefore ties in very closely with the industrial automation and digital factory themes covered by Hannover Messe. And that is why we will be running CeMAT alongside Hannover Messe, starting in 2018. This will create a truly unique platform for Industry 4.0. The synergies are obvious. Staged conveniently at the same time and place, the two shows will cover Industry 4.0 themes in greater depth and with greater breadth than any other event worldwide,” remarked Dr. Andreas Gruchow as the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of CeMAT.