Control 2024: Review of the meeting of the expert community

Quality assurance measures are essential for companies and determine the future - this was proven once again at Control 2024. For four days, quality assurance experts exchanged ideas intensively and at the highest professional level." We experienced a highly lively and exciting Control 2024," summarized project manager Fabian Krüger from the trade fair company P. E. Schall. "On over 25,000 m² in Halls 8 and 10, 475 exhibitors showed what modern quality assurance looks like and how manufacturing companies can design their production processes in an optimal and future-oriented way." 38 percent of exhibitors traveled to Stuttgart from abroad - most of them from China, Switzerland, Italy and the USA. Many interested trade visitors took advantage of the intensive technical exchange with their specific concerns from everyday operations and helped shape the trade fair. "The atmosphere at Control 2024 was very positive. The aisles were already full on the morning of the first day of the trade fair, and the mood on the following days was truly outstanding. We welcomed a total of 13,149 trade visitors to Stuttgart," summarizes Krüger.

Good atmosphere and great visitor interest

Werth Messtechnik is traditionally represented at Control. Managing Director Dr. Ralf Christoph emphasized the lively visitor interest this year as well: "The high number of visitors despite the difficult economic conditions shows the unbroken interest in modern solutions for quality assurance. Control is still the most important event in our industry. There is no comparable event internationally either."

David Skuratowicz, Managing Director at a3Ds, and his team presented a robotic measuring cell for large components with a ten-ton rotary table. Here, too, there was a high level of interest: "For us, this is the most important trade fair we attend as an exhibitor. This year we are exhibiting exclusively at Control, because this is where we get qualified contacts. The people we meet here have in-depth specialist knowledge of measurement technology. You don't have to explain measurement technology here, you can get straight down to specific technical discussions. For us, the success rate in terms of business is higher at Control than at other trade fairs."

Emma Hars, Marketing Manager at Metrologic Group, stated succinctly: "For us, Control is the most important trade fair event of the year." Jens Düffert, Managing Partner of Witte, also summed up the trade fair positively: "We were very surprised by the good response at Control 2024. Despite the fact that some major players were not taking part, many visitors came to our stand and took the opportunity to take a closer look at the products of smaller companies. From this perspective, the trade fair was indispensable for us!"

Always important and without alternative: personal contact

Dr. Volkmar Prill, Managing Director of Struers from Willich, was also delighted with the high level of visitor interest, which had exceeded his expectations. He also emphasized the indispensable importance of personal contact at the trade fair: "Control is always an excellent opportunity to meet our customers in person, which we greatly appreciate."

"At Control 2024, we were once again able to see that personal interaction at the exhibits and direct discussions with specific contact persons are extremely important," says Fabian Krüger. "Despite the usefulness of virtualization in many areas, there is simply no substitute for concrete illustration and direct explanation on the object. This was also reflected in the very well-attended lecture forum, which was almost fully booked on all days. Here, too, the participants appreciated the opportunity to make personal contact."

Building bridges from research to industry

The Fraunhofer special show "Non-contact measurement technology", which took place for the 18th time this year as part of Control, showcased the latest developments and pioneering technologies from various institutes in the field of non-contact measurement and testing technology - including, for example, test specimen analysis methods with thermography, optical precision measurement systems and 3D inline measurement in battery cell production. "This special show was billed as a marketplace for innovations, and that's exactly what it was," confirms Fabian Krüger. Dr. Christopher Taudt, Group Manager for Surface Metrology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS, was very satisfied with the professional exchange at the trade fair: "Here at Control, we meet pre-informed trade visitors who immerse themselves in concrete technical discussions with us."

The trade visitors appreciated the efficient trade fair visit: short distances, direct discussions, future-oriented solution perspectives. "It is becoming increasingly clear how important QA is for all industries and that it is not an isolated topic, but rather is inextricably linked to production," summarizes Bettina Schall, Managing Director of trade fair organizer Schall. "It's about safety, resource conservation, efficiency and, ultimately, profitability, competitiveness and future viability. These are existential challenges for all companies," says Bettina Schall, outlining the importance of QA. It is an integral part of all processes and extends from planning and design to production, service provision and customer service.

The trend in quality assurance is clear: testing processes are becoming faster and more efficient, they are carried out inline and integrated into a wide variety of processes. Artificial intelligence systems can provide support, particularly when it comes to accelerating measurement processes, evaluating measurement data and further automation. This is an important aspect for production companies on their way to zero-defect production. The journey is moving towards full automation with closed-loop processes. "Control has sharpened the holistic view of quality measures and their importance for a more sustainable future," concludes Bettina Schall. "We would like to thank all exhibitors and trade visitors for their respective contributions and look forward to seeing the expert community again next year!"

Source: www.control-messe.de