Milan, June 2022 – The 2022 edition of The Innovation Alliance, which from May 3 to 6, at Fiera Milano, provided an overall technological overview of a strategic sector such as the instrumental mechanics industry, has come to an end. Four intense days not only in terms of promotional offering, but also in terms of reflection and discussion: spotlights on innovation and opportunities related to the evolution of production paradigms from a circular perspective.

A great response by stakeholders for a format that was widely appreciated by more than 1,600 exhibitors: The Innovation Alliance was attended by more than 90,000 professionals from 125 countries and five continents, creating a significant opportunity to meet with highly profiled international buyers. An important signal in an historical period in which international mobility is picking up once again, and a concrete testimony to the importance of innovation and direct comparison for the operators of an industry whose technological solutions innovate and propel the main sectors of the manufacturing and distribution industries.

The formula, already tested with success in 2018, brought together four synergistic events (Ipack-Ima, Print4All, GreenPlast and Intralogistica Italia) to represent within a single exhibition the entire production chain, not only responding to precise needs of the contemporary industrial world, but also allowing exhibitors and visitors to get in touch with complementary production ecosystems made up of large and small industries.

A unique exhibition proposal at European level, in which Made in Italy proved its creative and innovative strength: this market is worth 25.6 billion euros in turnover and employs more than 107,000 people.

What emerged was the image of an industry that is performing well, even though is suffering from the long-term effects of the pandemic, which impacted the efficiency of the supply chain, and from the global political situation, that is not slowing down the orders, but most of all the delivery times of machinery. Rising prices of raw materials, supplies and energy are in fact changing the supply chain, an issue on which all the players were engaged in fruitful discussions during the four days of the exhibition.

A scenario that amplified the need for dialogue and the desire to meet in person once again to discover the latest news from the industry, with the understanding that only innovation can bring new life to the market.

On display, solutions and proposals from the entire supply chain of instrumental mechanics, from green solutions developed by the rubber and plastics world, to food processing technologies, packaging for the food and non-food sectors, converting and industrial and graphic printing, up to storing and handling the finished product.

Everything tied together, as in an ideal common thread, by the major themes that are revolutionizing the market at all levels. Great attention is given to materials, increasingly sustainable and eco friendly, but also to digitalization, which allows energy savings through the reorganization of processes and also paves the way, through the construction of processing islands, for the design of increasingly efficient machinery, fostering energy savings and a reduction in emissions. 

Eco design has a central role, because the entire product life cycle needs to be taken into account, from conception to disposal, starting from the design phase, but, above all, the main focus for companies should be the challenges to be faced in order to evolve towards a model of circular economy, which nowadays has become essential not only to preserve the planet, but also to be competitive on the market. 

Investing in research and development is undoubtedly an enabling factor for sustainability, as the current offering involves intelligent, autonomous and increasingly interconnected production systems able to provide a more flexible, safe and efficient management of the entire production line, thus opening the way to new business models that see service and maintenance as a very part of the product sold.

From research on new materials to robots handling the packaging line, from artificial intelligence applications to monitoring solutions that allow processes to be verified, accelerated and improved, up to AMRs - autonomous mobile robots - able to contribute to the production line and storage of goods, the watchword has always been innovation, with a vision in which production efficiency and protection of the environment and future generations are indissolubly combined.

Therefore, this systemic proposal, that in four days allowed to evaluate innovation by reconstructing a sort of ideal industrial line at the exhibition, has confirmed its validity, convincing the organizers to renew their partnership right away: The Innovation Alliance will in fact return with the same contemporaneity format in 2025 at Fiera Milano, from May 27 to 30.