CIE Components in Electronics
Now in its 16th year, embedded world has once again impressively demonstrated that there is a good reason why it is known as the leading exhibition for the international embedded community. It was larger again in 2018, with more trade visitors, more space and more exhibitors. 1,021 (+1 per cent) companies from around the world, occupying six exhibition halls, showed more than 32,217 (+7.3 per cent) embedded experts from 78 countries where the journey in the Internet of Things and the increasingly digitalised world is leading. But the latest developments encompassed more than just the exhibition halls: the embedded world Conference and electronic displays Conference also enjoyed record participation, with 2,176 participants and speakers from 52 countries, and impressed the experts with their first-class, high-quality professional programmes. This was also the 14th time that the embedded award has been presented for innovative and visionary products.
“We are very pleased to have broken the 1,000-exhibitor barrier again this year, with 1,021 companies from 38 countries exhibiting at embedded world,” says Richard Krowoza from the NürnbergMesse management team. “That is our best participation figure to date. And we can still see huge potential. embedded world has been experiencing massive development, which cannot be taken for granted in the trade fair sector.
For its 16th edition, it has shown continued growth in the key parameters of visitor and exhibitor numbers and exhibition space. The power of innovation shown by the engineers; digitalisation, which, like the Internet of Things, would be impossible without embedded technologies; the two conferences; and the continued demand from a global market are the motors driving the industry.”
Happy exhibitors and trade visitors
This year, too, embedded world succeeded in impressing its community. Before the event was even over, 97 per cent of the trade visitors said they would take part again in 2019. 96 per cent were happy with embedded world. The exhibiting companies take an equally positive view: 95 per cent say they will exhibit again in 2019, just as many reached their target groups, and 9 of 10 expect post-show business.
embedded world Conference: “Embedded Goes Autonomous”
This year, once again, the embedded world Conference ended with record participation numbers and impressed the trade world with an excellent programme. The theme for 2018 was “Embedded Goes Autonomous”. The programme was divided into seven conference clusters this year: Internet of Things, Embedded Vision, Autonomous Systems, Security & Safety, Embedded OS, Hardware Engineering, and Software & Systems Engineering. In turn the individual clusters consisted of sessions and classes.
High points included the two keynote speeches at the embedded world Conference. Mark Papermaster, CTO of AMD, spoke on 27 February about “Evolving Embedded Systems in a Self-Directed World”, and Andrea Martin, IBM DACH CTO & IBM Global Markets Technical Executive, spoke on the second day of the event on “Industry Solutions with the Internet of Things”.
In total, 36 sessions and 13 classes were available to the international experts to access a comprehensive range of top-quality know-how.
Professional knowledge about electronic displays
On 28 February and 1 March 2018, developers, scientists and users of electronic displays discussed the latest technologies, including LCD, OLED or ePaper, flexible displays, 3D displays, graphic user interfaces and touchscreens. The conference impressed the experts with a first-class programme, and also closed at the end of the second day with a clear increase in attendance.
Highlights in 2018 were the keynote speeches on display trends and OLED. The conference also proved a winner with three sessions on automotive displays and further top-level sessions on touch, measurement technology, AR/VR, and applications and optimisation. The author interviews after each session provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the presentation in a small group. All the information about the 2018 electronic displays Conference programme is available at www.electronic-displays.de.
Panel discussion: protection of networked embedded systems in the Internet of Things “Safe for the Future” entered its third round in 2018. A key theme of this year’s event was the protection of networked embedded systems in the Internet of Things. Discussion focused on the measures that can be taken to protect critical infrastructure; what actually constitutes critical infrastructure and applications; and what steps can be taken to protect applications that are considered “non-critical”. Participants in the discussion round were Thomas Rosteck, Division President Chip Card & Security, Infineon; Prof. Michael Waidner, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology (SIT) in Darmstadt and Birlinghoven; and Dr Andre Braunmandl, Head of Section D 33 – Cyber Security for Digitalisation in Transport and Industrie 4.0, Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Prof. Axel Sikora, member of the Steering Board of the embedded world Conference, ensured the close thematic connection with the embedded systems industry.
Migration from PC to Embedded & from Embedded to Vision
Arndt Bake, Chief Marketing Officer, Basler; Jeff Bier, Founder, Embedded Vision Alliance and President, BDTI; Olaf Munkelt, Managing Director, MVTec Software; Amir Sherman, Director of Engineering Solutions & Embedded Technology EMEA, Arrow Central Europe; and Leon Farasati, Director, Product Management Snapdragon Embedded, Qualcomm Technologies, provided a high-quality, professional discussion on the subject of migration from PC-based to embedded systems, the potentials this technology offers, application opportunities and challenges.
Actual practice: impressive special presentations
The theoretical knowledge communicated during the conferences was not only presented to the 1,000 exhibitors in the exhibition halls but also expanded on in the special display areas devoted to M2M, electronic displays and Safety & Security, and among the young and innovative companies present. The special display areas have enjoyed excellent growth over the years, and this time there were 13 exhibitors in the “Safety
& Security Area” in Hall 4A, while the electronic displays Area attracted more than 81 exhibitors. The M2M Area impressed the trade world with 75 exhibiting companies, and 14 “innovative new companies from Germany” introduced themselves at the pavilion sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
Passing on the baton
Towards the end of this year’s embedded world, Prof. Matthias Sturm, driver and visionary behind the embedded events, stepped down from his position as Chair of the Exhibition Advisory Board and Conference Chair after 16 years. Prof. Axel Sikora will take over his exhibition and conference duties.
“The Embedded Systems sector and embedded world itself have experienced outstanding progress in recent years,” said Sturm. “For 22 years I have been responsible for the content of events in the fields of Hardware, Software and Tools, and I have been totally committed to embedded world since 2003. For the good of the event, which I have constantly worked to drive forward with passion and the support of committed fellow campaigners, I have now decided to step down from these positions of responsibility. I am pleased that Prof. Axel Sikora, an absolute expert in the industry, has declared himself willing to take on this highly responsible task. We have worked together well and in an atmosphere of friendship for many years. I am grateful to have been able to take part in the growth and development of embedded world, and I am proud of what we have achieved. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me for all this time, particularly the teams from WEKA Fachmedien and NürnbergMesse, and the many fellow campaigners in the various companies and facilities.”
Prof. Sikora is by no means an unknown figure in the industry. For many years he has been active in the Steering Board of the embedded world Conference, and is a globally recognised expert and well positioned networker, as well as being an innovative and visionary spirit who will actively drive the further development of embedded world.
Prof. Sikora is Scientific Director of the Institute for Reliable Embedded Systems and Communication Electronics at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences and deputy Institute Director at the Hahn-Schickard Association of Applied Research in Villingen-Schwenningen, a member of the Baden- Württemberg Innovation Alliance (innBW).
“I am looking forward to my new responsibilities, while being fully aware that I have large shoes to fill,” Sikora commented. “I am also aware that in the phase of upheaval we are currently experiencing, we need a balance between sound traditions and new topics relating to machine learning, embedded vision, and comprehensive cyber-physical systems. I would like to acknowledge Prof. Sturm for his extraordinary personal and professional commitment to the embedded system sector and the embedded world Exhibition&Conference.”
NürnbergMesse CEOs Dr Roland Fleck and Peter Ottmann commented on Prof. Sturm’s decision: “He understood better than any other how to get the embedded community behind embedded world. With his energy, drive, extensive know-how, dedicated professional knowledge, extensive network and human warmth, he has put his stamp on this community and made embedded world what it is today: THE leading exhibition in the international embedded system sector. His special personality helped greatly in ensuring that the community would have its home here in Nuremberg. Not only was he the face of embedded world for many years, but he also understood how to position the event strategically with many committed fellow campaigners by his side, to lead it to success and give it a secure future. We thank Prof. Sturm for his extraordinary commitment to the interests of the embedded system sector and the embedded world Exhibition&Conference.”
Student Day: “The joys and perils of being an engineer”
The 9th Student Day at embedded world attracted more than 1,000 students from throughout Europe in 2018. This year Dr Christoph Kucklick, editor-in-chief of GEO magazine, gave an inspiring and entertaining lecture on the joys and perils of being an engineer.
