ZVO Surface Days 2023 - Report

The ZVO Surface Days 2023 attracted over 540 visitors and 70 exhibitors to Berlin. The event featured many informative specialist presentations on electroplating and surface technology, an industry exhibition and an opening evening with speeches and award ceremonies.

Jörg Püttbach, the new Chairman of the German Surface Technology Association (ZVO), kicked off this year's ZVO Surface Technology Days, which took place from September 13-15 at the new event location MOA Berlin, with an opening speech on the state of surface technology. Püttbach, who as Managing Director of BIA Kunststoff- und Galvanotechnik is also an active entrepreneur in the industry, expressly acknowledged the climate protection targets, but also urged that the situation of surface technology, which is operating in a difficult economic environment, should not be lost sight of. He expressly called on politicians to reduce bureaucratic regulations, which represent a major obstacle for small and medium-sized companies in particular. According to Püttbach, the ZVO will also play an active role in protecting the interests of its member companies by representing the interests of the industry.

Regina Halmich, former world boxing champion and pioneer of women's boxing, also gave a keynote speech. Under the motto "Don't hang on the ropes - what success in the ring and in business have in common", she drew a line from the general economic climate to her own career, which was accompanied by defeats as well as successes. She encouraged the participants not to be discouraged even in difficult times and to literally fight their way through.

The keynote speech was followed by various awards to deserving personalities from the industry, including the DGO Young Talent Award, the Heinz-Leuze Prize and the Jacobi Prize. Dr. Klaus Wojczykowski presented the DGO Young Talent Award 2023 to Dr. Maria del Carmen Stich. The Jacobi Prize 2023 in turn went to Dr. Andreas Zielonka, presented by Dr. Martin Metzner. The 2023 Heinz-Leuze Prize went to Prof. Bertram Reinhold from Audi for an article on mixed construction in automotive engineering.

One of the highlights of the congress was the varied and top-class lecture program. Participants had plenty to choose from in the five parallel sessions. The programme for 2023 focused on the topics of climate neutrality and energy/resource efficiency, cost and resource-efficient wastewater treatment, surface processes for sustainable, climate-neutral and energy-saving coating, technologies for surface functionalization outside of electroplating and the challenge of industrial component cleaning. There was also a selection of presentations from the recurring areas of research results - young colleagues report, wear protection & tribology and new requirements as well as supplementary technologies in electroplating and surface technology. The lecture series were supplemented by a company forum "Management meets surface". For the first time, a consultation hour on regulatory developments in European and national environmental and chemical policy was offered, where users could put their questions to experts.

Sustainability, resource efficiency and climate neutrality are topics that are currently of great concern not only to the surface industry. Many presentations revolved around these topics, for example on potential savings in wastewater treatment or the recycling of raw materials from wastewater. One presentation raised the question of what climate-neutral electroplating could look like. Technologies such as laser treatment or energy-efficient drying also found their way into the lecture program - or the constantly improving measurement technology, which can also contribute to resource efficiency in coating. Pre-treatment methods for component cleaning are also becoming increasingly important, and the new FiT guideline "Controlling filmic contamination" was presented.

The increasingly important industry exhibition accompanying the ZVO Surface Technology Days also took up a lot of space. More than 70 exhibitors from industry and science presented a broad cross-section of the sector and gave participants the opportunity to exchange solutions and specialist information directly with suppliers. Many manufacturers and suppliers from all areas of electroplating and surface technology, measurement technology, chemical producers and plant engineering were represented, as well as service providers such as contract coaters and consulting companies.

Last but not least, the breaks and the opening evening with buffet also offered plenty of opportunities for networking and technical discussions in a relaxed atmosphere. The ZVO Surface Technology Days in Berlin were therefore one of the highlights for the industry in 2023 and the 540 participants who attended were able to gather valuable impressions and information. In 2024, the Surface Days will take place again in Leipzig from September 11 - 13. (OM-11/23)