MSV 2023: Exhibition centre full of attractive exhibits and industrial technology enthusiasts

The exhibitors surveyed agreed that this year's MSV took place in a positive atmosphere given the high turnout and especially the quality of the meetings. "Many visitors came here not only to sort a specific business, but also to find new business partners, which fulfilled the basic purpose of the expo. The possibility to view the exhibits physically, or even in operation, is still crucial when choosing technologies for industrial production and irreplaceable by other forms of presentation," said Jan Kubata, CEO of Trade Fairs Brno.

The specialised TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS and ENVITECH fairs were also held within as part of the MSV, and as an exception, the WOODTEC International Fair for Wood Processing and Furniture Industry was also held concurrently.

International gathering of industry leaders

MSV is a place where representatives of top industrial companies from different countries have met for seven decades now. At MSV 2023, half of the exhibitors came from abroad. China, France, India, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Taiwan, and Uzbekistan opened official expositions sponsored by their governments or pro-export institutions. At the same time, a delegation from Uzbekistan led by the prime minister visited the fair, and additional important trade delegations came from India, Colombia, the Netherlands, Saxony, the US, and Ukraine.

Foreign trade and export or investment opportunities of Czech companies were presented at the expo; an example was the three-day Contact Ukraine project, which actively addressed the possibilities of Czech companies' involvement in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Digitisation to ensure higher productivity

At a time of soaring prices of all inputs and a permanent workforce shortage, Czech industry has no choice but to increase productivity through innovation and digitisation. The MSV again addressed this issue extensively and presented inspiring successful solutions. The Digital Factory 2.0 exhibition focused on 5G networks, energy management, industrial sustainability and the use of artificial intelligence opened in Hall F. Companies appreciated the possibility to consult not only technological solutions for their production, but also financing or digital strategy in one place. An ordinary visitor could take a better view of today's world of unlimited possibilities thanks to augmented and virtual reality, demonstrations of 3D printing or robotic applications. The golden partner of the project this year was the National Centre for Industry 4.0.

The state presented its services and the government openly discussed with entrepreneurs

For the fourth time, the Czech National Exposition was opened at the MSV, which brought together the services of the state to entrepreneurs in one place. A total of twelve state organizations providing support to companies in any phase of their business were presented. Several events focused on export promotion, specifically, for example, the Select USA programme with the participation of representatives of the US states and the Federal Ministry of Trade, or the traditional Meeting Point CzechTrade, where Czech companies were provided with consultations by directors of foreign offices from 25 countries. This year's novelty was the presentation of top exhibits of Czech companies, the development of which was supported by public funds. The chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Miloš Vystrčil, and the Minister of Industry and Trade, Jozef Síkela, also took part in the ceremonial opening of the stand.

Additional leading politicians were also among the VIP visitors. The opening speech of the expo was delivered by PM Petr Fiala, who was also a prominent guest of the traditional Assembly of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, where six ministers discussed with entrepreneurs, and the president of the Confederation of Industry, Jan Rafaj, handed the government a list of tasks that it should tackle as a priority in the second half of its term in order to ensure our competitiveness.

Autonomy: the future of transport live on the exhibition grounds

Autonomous transport is no longer just a futurist vision, but has materialised directly at the MSV, even in several forms. Visitors sometimes stood in line to be driven around the expo grounds by an autonomous bus from the Aurrigo company. BringAuto's Last Mile Delivery autonomous delivery robot does not even need a driver. It also attracted well-deserved attention during its movement around the expo grounds, including its emission-free operation. The centre of autonomy was Hall Y, and everything was under the umbrella of the LivingLAPT project, which aims to provide sustainable autonomous transport in various European cities. And according to experts, this goal is fast approaching.

Four days packed with extra programme

Dozens of events – conferences, workshops, seminars, and panel discussions – took place as part of the specialist extra programme. The Additive Manufacturing Forum was traditionally well attended, this year focusing on advanced methods of professional 3D printing. The French-Czech forum focused on nuclear energy. The traditional matchmaking Contact-Contract project mediated negotiations between business partners throughout the fair. Two sample packaging lines – automatic and semi-automatic – were presented as part of the Kaletech Packaging Live project. Visitors took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the MSV TOUR – guided tours of the fair with practical demonstrations focused on smart manufacturing and robotics. There was also interest in the Cyber Security in Industry seminar, the logistics conference The Best of Czech and Slovak Logistics, the Business Day of Ukraine conference or the IndusTRY project aimed at popularising modern industry among young people.

MSV 2023 gold medals for the most innovative exhibits

Exhibits once again competed for the prestigious MSV Gold Medal award. The expert evaluation jury awarded six Gold Medals and one special prize for innovative exhibits. Professor František Hezoučký, who devoted his entire professional life to the development of Czech and Slovak nuclear energy, received a Gold Medal for lifelong creative technical work and innovative achievements.

In the Innovation Demonstrably Created in Contractual Cooperation between Companies and Research Organisations category, the TL-5000 Sparker aircraft won, produced by TL-ULTRALIGHT, s.r.o. and exhibited by the Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The Gold Medal in the Innovation of a Production Machine category was won by the Freddy Ecovac CHU coolant medical unit, manufactured by Freddy Products Ltd. and exhibited by BIKO s.r.o. In the Innovation in Processing Technology category, the jury awarded the exhibit GW KOMPAKT 10-30-50-100 1F of the manufacturer and exhibitor Goldman water s.r.o. The Gold Medal for Innovation in Automation Technology and Industry 4.0. was received by SANEZOO UNITY – a camera system for smart visual inspection by the manufacturer and exhibitor SANEZOO EUROPE s.r.o. In the Innovative Components in Engineering category, the exhibit Micro Screw – a miniature ball screw by the manufacturer and exhibitor KSK Precise Motion, a.s. was the winner. The best innovation in transport and logistics was the Super Piezo Inkjet exhibit by the manufacturer MARKEM-IMAJE and the exhibitor ONDRÁŠEK INK-JET SYSTEM spol. s.r.o. The jury's special prize went to TAJMAC-ZPS, a.s. for the prototype of a control unit for compensating temperature distortion of a machine using artificial intelligence algorithms.

The next MSV International Engineering Fair will take place from 8 to 11 October 2024, alongside the IMT, PLASTEX, WELDING, FOND-EX and PROFINTECH technology fairs.