Environmental Protection and Offshore Drive Innovation
"Green" technologies, offshore engineering and ship financing were the keynote areas at this year's SMM that closed on 10th September, a trio of subjects which will be vital for the future. These subjects were also prominent in the supporting programme, which comprised a large number of conferences and workshops. SMM 2010 gave a stimulus to the industry, with 2,003 exhibitors from 58 countries, and 50,000 trade visitors from all parts of the world.
The largest group of visitors was from the shipowners and shipping companies, followed by machinery and plant manufacturers, and the shipbuilding and shipyard industry. 69% of the trade visitors at SMM 2010 had a decision making role in their companies (versus 67% at SMM 2008). More than a third of trade visitors came from abroad. Nearly two thirds of the international trade visitors gave a positive assessment of the economic situation, and are expecting further improvement.
The exhibiting companies, two thirds of which were from abroad, were certainly optimistic, even though some of them still expressed their optimism with a degree of caution. The enthusiasm of SMM trade visitors was evidently fired by the economic recovery and the wide range of environment friendly and efficiency enhancing innovations.
SMM 2010 was a successful business event for European marine equipment suppliers; to stand up to competition, it is vital to achieve concentration and networking with shipyards and shipping companies - and SMM gave an outstanding opportunity for that.
Hauke Schlegel, Managing Director of the Shipbuilding and Offshore Equipment Supply Industry Group in the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) said "The intensive discussions which the equipment suppliers had on all four days of the fair were the best evidence of SMM's key role in the exchange of ideas on technical trends in the maritime industry. The equipment supply industry is very strong, and has demonstrated impressively at SMM that it has adapted its products successfully to meet stricter environmental requirements, and also to serve new markets such as the dynamic offshore segment."
The extensive supporting programme at SMM included the first SMM Offshore Dialogue, which had a successful premiere. There were some 400 industry experts for the two days of this workshop, discussing existing and future potentials and challenges for offshore oil and gas production, deep sea mining, and offshore wind energy. "The SMM Offshore Dialogue gave the maritime industry and others, such as the wind industry, a unique opportunity for exchange on developments and requirements of the offshore market," said Peter Bergleiter, Project Director at SMM. "We are delighted with the lively participation, and plan to continue work on this subject in future at SMM."
Many companies have already registered for SMM 2012, and there was also a great deal of interest in the overseas offshoots of SMM Hamburg, that is SMM Istanbul and SMM India. SMM 2012, 25th shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology, international trade fair hamburg, will be held at the Hamburg Fair site from 4 to 7 September 2012.
