Dr. Andreas Gruchow, member of the managing board at Deutsche Messe, announces the lead theme for CeMAT 2016: “Smart Supply Chain Solutions”

The lead theme for CeMAT 2016 is Smart Supply Chain Solutions. In other words, the show, which runs from May 31 to June 3, 2016 in Hannover, Germany, will highlight the pivotal role of logistics in today's increasingly digitized and integrated industrial value chains.

Dr. Andreas Gruchow, a member of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe, explains: "Logistics is growing in importance because accuracy and flexibility of supply are fundamental to the growing Industry 4.0 trend.

Soon, all parts containers, racks, materials handling and transport systems and even the materials themselves will need to be intelligent so that they can communicate with their surroundings and with machines and robots in downstream and upstream production and assembly processes.

And this, precisely, is the focus of the upcoming CeMAT with its lead theme of Smart Supply Chain Solutions. The show will present automation and integrated control solutions for tomorrow's intelligent, digital logistics processes.

The scope will extend far beyond mere logistics optimization solutions because the digitization trend is revolutionizing entire value chains and creating completely new business models. CeMAT has a vitally important role to play in this revolution because it is the only trade fair that provides a global perspective on the technology trends involved."

This view is echoed by Dr. Christoph Beumer, Chairman of the CeMAT Executive Committee and Managing Director of BEUMER Group GmbH & Co. KG. "CeMAT is unique. No other intralogistics trade show has such an immense international following. It is simply unmatched in terms of the large numbers of exhibitors and visitors it attracts from outside Germany," he said.

"The lead theme of Smart Supply Chain Solutions perfectly reflects the latest developments in our industry. With supply chains growing more complex, companies need to streamline their processes in order to cut costs and become more agile.

They need to foster better communication and collaboration with their trading partners. And they need to be able to respond with ever-greater speed and flexibility to changing conditions. In short: they need smart solutions," said Beumer.

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