Countdown to VISION as expo returns to Stuttgart next month

08 Sep 2021

Organizer says in-person event is “positive signal” to international machine vision market and economy.

With just one month until the VISION Show returns as an in-person conference and exhibition, (5 to 7 October), organizer Messe Stuttgart says it is confident that a “who’s who of the machine vision sector” will be meeting at the expo.

A sample of exhibitors struck an optimistic tone: “The more than 250 companies, who have so far decided to take part, all agree that it is vital to stage VISION in 2021,” said Alexander van der Lof, CEO of the TKH Group.

“After this enforced break, we the exhibitors and Messe Stuttgart can jointly send a positive signal to the international market and the economy, and show that the machine vision industry is looking to the future with optimism,” he said.

Martin Grzymek, Director Sales Europe at Teledyne, added, “Face-to-face meetings at trade shows are and will remain immensely important for interaction and networking. That is why VISION 2021 is an indispensable platform.”

In its latest statement counting down to October’s reopening, Messe Stuttgart confirmed that around one in two exhibitors coming to Stuttgart will be from outside of Germany: “VISION will have a much stronger European character this year,” it said.

Innovations and trends

During the interval since November 2019, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many machine vision companies have used the time to implement new technology trends and develop new products. So visitors to next month’s expo will be able obtain the latest information at first hand.

“I believe that every exhibitor, just like we at Basler, will make greater efforts to present trends and innovations from computer vision technology in the last few years in a manner that is as practical, comprehensible and interesting as possible,” said Dr. Dietmar Ley, CEO of Basler.

The computer vision company will present a large number of product innovations at VISION. For example, the new Ace 2 cameras with more powerful sensors. For complex applications, Basler will also exhibit new models in its boost camera series with a CoaXPress 2.0 interface. The company will also demonstrate new features of its Basler pylon camera software suite, specified to perform complex machine vision tasks.

More emphasis will be placed on personal discussions regarding new products and technology trends. “The exchange of information on complex topics and issues can only be partly clarified and explained during personal discussions according to the motto ‘Just draw a diagram’,” said Tobias Wichmann, CEO of ISW, which will be present in the VISION Integration Area.

New players and groupings

In addition to the latest technology trends, the trade fair will also reflect the dynamism of the market: firstly, visitors will meet new players, including exhibitors from the automation industry, and secondly, they will see new company constellations which have arisen due to M&A activities on the market, e.g. the newly established TKH Vision Group or within Teledyne.

“VISION will be the ideal setting and time to present them to visitors in a live format. It will also be an ideal opportunity for us to present TKH Vision as an umbrella brand for the Vision companies in our Group," said Alexander van der Lof, CEO of TKH Group.

During the first joint appearance of all seven TKH Vision companies, the Group is planning to exhibit a wide range of products for different machine vision technologies, quasi as a one-stop shop for a large number of applications.

Teledyne is planning to present what it describes as “the world's most extensive, vertically integrated portfolio of industrial and scientific imaging technology: embedded vision with AI, high-performance 1D and 2D cameras, uncooled thermal cameras and numerous sensor platforms.”

Grzymek added, “Many machine vision components and systems have become more innovative and cost-effective in recent years. As a result, the number of areas of applications for machine vision has increased significantly and this development is not only taking place in the industrial segment, but also in many non-industrial areas.”

Startup focus

Participants in the newly created VISION Start-up World will experience new approaches and innovative impulses – from the latest camera technologies and software in the field of artificial intelligence or deep learning through to interesting machine vision systems:

“Especially as a young company, we will benefit from the great attention paid to VISION: the trade fair will not only provide us with a platform for our products and solutions, it will also be a valuable channel to understand and examine the needs of our customers in an even better way,” said Dr. Christoph Garbe, Managing Shareholder of the Start-up World exhibitor HD Vision Systems.

The start-up, which won the “VISION Start-up of the Year” competition in 2020, is planning to present its latest generation of 3D picking systems based on a light field in combination with advanced AI algorithms. The possibilities of quality inspection in a light field will also be demonstrated while the presentation will be rounded off by the application of the products on the advanced new ctrlX platform in partnership with Bosch-Rexroth.