PaintExpo Interview: Trends and prospects in painting technology

Gerhard Ohmacht: "There are many reasons to visit PaintExpo. After all, our trade fair is the ideal place to find out about innovative products, make contact with new service providers from all over the world, expand your own network and check how current trends can be used in your own sphere of activity. Around 430 exhibitors from 25 countries will be presenting their range of products and services. The largest overview of the industry to be found anywhere in the world will thus be offered on 31,500 square meters in three halls. This year's PaintExpo will once again demonstrate that it's the most important international industry platform for industrial coating technology."

Gerhard Ohmacht: "The industrial painting technology sector is primarily driven by the topics of sustainability and energy efficiency. The ever-increasing focus on sustainable and energy-efficient processes is also reflected by numerous technological developments that can be experienced live at PaintExpo. For example, with energy-saving system concepts, resource-saving applications and modern software, users of the technology consume less energy and can save valuable resources in the painting processes in the long term. Ultimately, investments in state-of-the-art production technology must of course also be reflected in the OEE. There is a lot to discover at the trade fair."

Gerhard Ohmacht: "World premieres, pioneering trends and new technologies for the painting processes of the future will be the focus of the four days of the trade fair. Visitors will therefore be able to discover a wide range of new products at the exhibitors' stands - and gather plenty of inspiration. Personally, I am particularly looking forward to the numerous discussions during the trade fair, the face-to-face exchanges with industry players from a wide variety of countries."

Gerhard Ohmacht: "Leipziger Messe took over PaintExpo in 2020 - during the pandemic. We were therefore very excited about the first edition of the trade fair under our management. We can say that after a four-year break due to the pandemic, PaintExpo has really taken off again in 2022. Highly satisfied exhibitors and visitors have proven this."

Although the general conditions for the industry are currently challenging, the omens for the upcoming PaintExpo are also very good. We're therefore very pleased that we've once again achieved the high exhibitor numbers of the last trade fair edition. In addition, visitors can look forward to an even more comprehensive range of products and services in three well-filled exhibition halls. The trade fair concept is very coherent. However, it's also clear that we're constantly developing PaintExpo further in terms of the breadth and depth of the product portfolio in order to guarantee an optimal trade fair experience. Our goal is for our exhibitors and visitors to be very satisfied with the trade fair.

Gerhard Ohmacht: "PaintExpo has a lot to offer internationally this year as well. It represents the entire spectrum of the industry's international range of products and services along the entire value-added chain. 45 percent of the exhibitors are international, which is in keeping with the standards of a world-leading trade fair. In addition to Germany, most exhibitors come from Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Poland and France. However, our trade fair not only attracts exhibitors from Europe, but also companies from the USA, India and China, for example. Suppliers and users from all over the world meet here."

Gerhard Ohmacht: "Digital offers can be used before, during and after a trade fair to complement the face-to-face meeting. For example, we've introduced special interest topics focusing on sustainability, careers and exhibitor campaigns for the first time at this year's PaintExpo. It enables exhibitors to present their thematically appropriate offers in the digital exhibitor and product directory on the PaintExpo website. Visitors can make targeted discoveries in the exhibition halls. For me, however, one thing is certain: the live experience of products, the establishment of business contacts and the personal, professional exchange at trade fairs are very important and cannot be replaced. Purely digital trade fair formats have not prevailed. On-site trade fairs play a huge role in the marketing mix of companies, as the return on investment is simply right."