Minister of Industry: Alhamdulillah, We Have Just Witnessed President Jokowi and German Chancellor Merkel, Inaugurating the Opening of the Hannover Messe 2021

INDUSTRY.co.id - President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo and German Chancellor Angela Merkel inaugurated the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition virtually.

The two leaders' inauguration marks the start of the world's largest exhibition for industrial technology, running for more than 72 years.

"Alhamdulillah, we have just witnessed President Joko Widodo and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, inaugurating the opening of the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition. It means that this prestigious international scale event is particularly important and tremendous," said Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in Jakarta, Monday night (12/4).

The Minister of Industry explained, being chosen as the official partner at the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition brought pride and valuable momentum for Indonesia. Moreover, Indonesia is the first in ASEAN to have the opportunity to become a partner country of the event.

"This is an extraordinary trust that is given for us, which we should be proud of. Other countries also want to be the partner countries in Hannover Messe,” he explained.

Agus added, by becoming a partner country, Indonesia has shown a bigger leap than its competitors.

"In addition, Indonesia will also become a special display at the Hannover Messe 2022 event and become a partner country again in 2023, hopefully will be held with a physical exhibition when the pandemic ends," he stated.

This year's Hannover Messe will be held entirely digitally on April 12-16, 2021. The new digital format adapts to current conditions, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"During a pandemic that changes lifestyles, ways of interactions, to economic activities, Indonesia's participation in the Hannover Messe 2021 this time is held digitally so that it can provide flexibility," he explained.

Hannover Messe 2021: Digital Edition followed by 1,800 exhibitors featuring 7,000 products. Besides, there will be 1,700 trade shows and 700 live broadcasts by exhibitors presenting 1,150 speakers.

This year, Indonesia will present 156 exhibitors which are grouped into six topics, including automation, motion, and drives, consisting of 15 exhibitors, 56 exhibitors for digital ecosystems, energy solutions 13 exhibitors, engineered parts & solutions 20 exhibitors, new work of 38 exhibitors, as well as global business & markets consisting of 15 exhibitors.

The most significant contributors came from 65 large companies, 63 startup companies, 14 state-owned companies, eight industrial estates, four ministries / institutions, and two industry associations.

"Among the 156 exhibitors, 93 of them are new registrants and 63 exhibitors have registered themselves to take part in the Hannover Messe 2020. This means that the enthusiasm of our industry players is noticeably big for this event," said Minister Agus.

In the series of agenda for the Hannover Messe 2021 Digital Edition, the government has facilitated several collaborations in the industrial sector, both in the framework of Government to Government (G to G) and Business to Business (B to B).

"The Hannover Messe 2021 is expected to increase investment, industrial cooperation and business agreements," said Minister.

The Minister of Industry is optimistic that the industrial sector will develop more rapidly in the future. As stated by the President, the digital economy and industry 4.0 in Indonesia are the fastest in Southeast Asia.

The country's startup ecosystem is also in the top five of the world. So, the Ministry of Industry continues to encourage startups to continue to be competitive.

“At the Hannover Messe 2021, startup companies have a great opportunity to land business deals. We are sure that the startups we bring will be able to succeed in this event, "he said.

The digital implementation of the Hannover Messe 2021 also provides benefits for Indonesia.

"The presence of Indonesia as the country's official partner digitally will last for a year, so that we can maximize it to promote the capability of industrial technology in the country," he said.