On Wednesday, 17th April, representatives from partner associations, advisory board members and the press met to discuss this year’s much-anticipated VISION show in Messe Stuttgart.
This event included an exciting CEO Round Table, featuring representatives from BASLER AG, MVTec Software and Teledyne GmbH, along with the VDMA Machine Vision Division. There, they discussed the challenges and potential opportunities for the machine vision industry.
One of the key topics discussed was the ever-developing potential of Artificial Intelligence, a topic which we have discussed here on MVPro Media. On this topic, Mark Williamson, Chairman of the Board of the VDMA Machine Vision Division, questioned whether Generative AI could open up new opportunities, saying:
“Could Generative AI open up new opportunities for more simple, higher volume factory automation systems where the design of the system can get simplified? You will still need an expert to check it and make sure it’s right, but it will get you there a lot quicker. Is this a pipe dream, or is this something that we could see in the coming years?”
While in attendance, MVPro Media’s CEO Alex Sullivan caught up with several key figures to find out their thoughts on the industry as a whole, and to gauge their excitement for this year’s VISION show, which looks set to be back to pre-COVID levels.
Dr Olaf Munkelt, Managing Director at MVTec Software, said:
“The market environment is tough at the moment. Many end customer markets are unhappy, but the picture is a little different for us. We see there is a slowdown in some industries, but there are also other industries which are running well, such as pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Then, we have the transition in the automobile industry from combustion engine to e-mobility. “
“I’m a strong believer in talking to people directly. People want to socialise. Remote is pretty good if you want to inform yourself, but this is only unidirectional. Shows are important, and VISION is particularly important here in Europe. It’s the marketplace for vision technology.”
Oliver Scheel, Business Development Manager at the EMVA, said:
“I’m optimistic about this year’s VISION. The last show was exciting, but that was the end of COVID. We are now at a new level so I’m looking forward to VISION.”
Raoul Kimmelmann, Managing Director at RAUSCHER, said:
“The machine vision industry needs to learn about the specifics of a certain industry, and some specifics are very well understood. Even if you look at automotive, which is very established, the emergence of electric vehicles leads to changes, so nothing is a given anymore.”
“At RAUSCHER, we are still very strongly convinced that personal contact is very important, because business is done between people and not between companies. To have an event like VISION, where you have three days to get feedback from the market and customers, you get to see the big picture. This is why VISION is so important for us.”
We also caught up with Jacqueline Roth, the Manager of Communications Strategy at Messe Stuttgart. She shared her thoughts on the VISION Press Event and revealed her expectations for VISION 2024, saying:
“The great atmosphere was truly remarkable! It was wonderful to see a lot of familiar faces again. In my opinion, the combination of exciting insights into the industry, the Round Table, organised by our professional and promotional supporter – VDMA Machine Vision, the personal exchange and the event character made it a special day.
“We are on a pleasing development path with VISION despite the challenging conditions that many markets are facing at the moment. In the upcoming months, we will of course continue our sales activities and would love to see VISION developing back towards the numbers that we saw before COVID, both exhibitor and attendee-wise. If developments continue at this rate, we are more than happy.
“And of course, we will work with full power to attract as many attendees and new vision technology users as we can to visit the upcoming show. The whole team is already very much looking forward to October already and to welcoming the vision community here in Stuttgart again.”
