African companies wishing to meet U.S. suppliers and business partners in the industrial technology sector without traveling to the United States can do so at the 2016 Hannover Messe trade fair taking place in Hannover, Germany, from April 25 to 29. More than 250 U.S. companies, including small and medium-size businesses, are expected to attend the show, deemed the premier trade event to learn about the latest trends and most innovative solutions in industrial technology.
“The size and scope of the U.S. delegation means attendees and exhibitors from foreign markets can connect with a diverse group representing the American industrial technology sector,” says Stefan M. Selig, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.
Hannover Messe regularly attracts more than 200,000 buyers, distributors, resellers, and investors from the world of industrial technology, defined as the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler and more efficient.
Africa is a huge market for this type of technology as countries embark on industrial development centered on manufacturing. The continent currently accounts for an abysmally low share of global manufacturing value-added and global manufacturing exports, and will continue to do so as long as its productivity remains low through a lack of manufacturing development. The Obama administration wants U.S. technology to play a key role in helping Africa to leapfrog old technologies into new prosperity.
The United States has been positioning itself as a leader in technology innovation—notably in advanced manufacturing, energy efficiency and production, cutting-edge production engineering, and smart tech—and is keen to expand its overseas sales of goods and services in these sectors. ExportTech, a national export technical assistance program offered jointly by the country’s National Institutes of Standards and Technology and Export Assistance Centers is in the vanguard of boosting those sales. The program assists U.S. manufacturers, start-ups, and entrepreneurs in securing capital, information on intellectual property protections, commercial research, and partners in foreign markets.
For the first time since the Hannover Messe was established in 1947, the United States will be the official partner country, a move Commerce officials say will ensure maximum exposure for U.S. companies and their goods and services. To mark the occasion, President Barack Obama will open the fair with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and will join the chancellor in the traditional opening tour. He will be the first sitting U.S. president to participate in the fair.
U.S. exhibitors will be housed in sector-specific U.S. pavilions (energy, industrial automation, digital factory, industrial supply, and research technology), where trade and investment specialists will be on hand at the pavilions to facilitate relationships with foreign businesses. Representatives of African enterprises can take advantage of the presence of these specialists to find creative ways to engage with the U.S. companies.
