POWTECH and PARTEC 2016

After three very eventful and successful days, POWTECH 2016, the leading fair for the processing, analysis and handling of powder and bulk solids, drew to a close on 21 April 2016. Around 16 000 trade visitors, roughly 7 % more than at the previous event, flocked to Exhibition Centre Nuremberg and reinforced the role of POWTECH as the key gathering place for the global process and bulk solids community.  
A total of 891 exhibitors from 31 countries showcased innovations for entirely new and more efficient production processes. An extensive supporting programme explored the challenges faced by these sectors and presented pioneering solutions. The concurrent scientific congress PARTEC also ended on a high note, having welcomed around 500 congress delegates to discuss fundamental issues and topics of future relevance to particle research.  
“POWTECH has demonstrated impressively that it is the No. 1 trade fair for mechanical processing technology,” stresses Beate Fischer, Exhibition Director for POWTECH at NürnbergMesse GmbH. “There were satisfied faces throughout the six exhibition halls and there was also a lot of interest in the extensive supporting programme. Exhibitors are reporting that they enjoyed excellent discussions with high-calibre visitors and that the time spent in Nuremberg was very worthwhile.”  
In 2016, POWTECH launched with a new hall layout that was well received by visitors and exhibiting companies alike. The exhibitors covered a total area of 27 711 m² (up from 27 477 m² in 2014) and featured an international contingent of 36 % (32 % in 2014). The large number of international participants underlines the significance of POWTECH as the leading fair for the sector worldwide. Most of the international exhibitors came from Italy, followed by Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands. The next POWTECH will open its doors in Nuremberg from 26 to 28 September 2017.  
Technology Awards at POWTECH: award-winning innovations
The following three companies already had something to celebrate on the very first day of the show: Tedima GmbH, Hecht Technologie GmbH and VEGA Grieshaber KG were all proud recipients of a coveted accolade at the POWTECH Awards. The Technology Award in the category Processing Equipment and Components went to Tedima for its 3D seal. In the Pharma/Food category, Hecht won an award for its CFE-L containment drum discharge station, while VEGA Grieshaber had a winner with its VEGAPULS 64 radar pulse liquid sensor in the category C&I Technology/Particle Characterisation. A jury of experts had previously screened the many submissions before deciding on the winners.  
Mapping the entire pharmaceutical process chain
The TechnoPharm fair, which had previously been hosted in parallel, was incorporated completely into POWTECH in 2016. The newly created forum “Pharma.Manufacturing.Excellence” in Hall 3A proved to be a meeting point and new home for the pharmaceutical community at the trade fair. Visitors from the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors found products and solutions for their segment at more than half of all stands.  
PARTEC: the think tank for particles researchers
The international particle technology congress PARTEC took place at the same time as POWTECH at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. Around 500 scientists, R&D directors and particle experts came together to discuss new trends in the processing of small and ultra-small particles at the highest professional level. In tune with the congress theme “Industry meets Science”, they endeavoured to bring together academic knowledge and practical challenges with a view to collaborating on developing new solutions. The more than 240 presentations and discussions as well as a poster exhibition in the foyer offered plenty of opportunities for knowledge-sharing.  
Accolade for excellence in research
During the PARTEC opening ceremony, the VDI Association of Process and Chemical Engineering (VDI-GVC) awarded the 3000 € Friedrich-Löffler Prize for Young Scientists to Dr.-Ing. Doris Segets. The scientist at the Department of Particle Technology at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg received the award inter alia for her work on nanoscale particles. The Excellence Award in Mechanics of Particulate Solids from the European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE) went to Christopher Ness from the University of Edinburgh.
 
New chairman appointed
PARTEC 2016 had been chaired by Professor Hermann Nirschl, Director of the Institute for Mechanical Process Engineering and Mechanics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). He handed over the PARTEC baton to Professor Stefan Heinrich, Director of the Institute of Solids Process Engineering and Particle Technology at the Technical University of Hamburg. Heinrich will chair the next PARTEC congress in 2019. PARTEC takes place every three years in the spring parallel to the POWTECH trade fair.
 
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