- 04/29/2025
- Article
- Insights
Who is POWTECH TECHNOPHARM for?
POWTECH TECHNOPHARM 2025 will open its doors in September. And who is it for? What does a typical visitor look like? What moves them? What do they want to achieve? What can they expect? Let's try a little prognosis.
Written by Dr. Ulla Reutner
First of all, the typical visitor to POWTECH TECHNOPHARM is male. Men will probably still dominate the aisles of the Nuremberg exhibition halls in 2025. Women are still underrepresented at technology fairs. This also applies to technical professions such as engineering. In the EU countries, around 22 per cent work in technical professions.
Still! 38% of STEM graduates in Europe are women. More women in technology means more innovation, say experts. Gender diversity is also increasingly making its way to technology trade fairs. At POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, women now make up a large proportion of the visitors - unlike 20 years ago - and many women are also advising customers at the stands. For this reason, there will also be a networking event for women only: Women4Processing - similar to Women4Packaging at FACHPACK - will give the many qualified women the opportunity to exchange ideas and inspire each other. The aim is to create strong connections beyond the trade fair.
More women thanks to TECHNOPHARM
The fact that NürnbergMesse has revitalised the TECHNOPHARM brand should further increase the proportion of women among visitors. In contrast to most other process technology sectors, almost every third manager in the pharmaceutical industry is female, and women make up 39 per cent of the workforce. The conceptual sponsor of TECHNOPHARM, the APV - Arbeitsgemeinschaft pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik, has also been headed by a woman for a good year now: Prof. Dr. Sandra Klein from the University of Greifswald has not only had a visible influence on the association's public image and work, but also on the reorientation of the trade fair. She welcomes the revival of TECHNOPHARM. This is a logical step, as the trade fair programme has expanded considerably and the range of products and services on offer is now highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.
As well as visitors from the pharmaceutical industry, many exhibitors have also welcomed the increased focus on pharmaceutical technology. This includes a number of exhibitors who would prefer to focus on chemicals, cosmetics, food/feed, environment/recycling or mechanical and plant engineering. Or energy, ceramics/glass, plastics/rubber or construction, stone, and earth. This is because many exhibitors who used to concentrate on just a few sectors are now expanding and bringing their special expertise to other sectors.
Fortunately, the online exhibitor directory makes it possible to assign exhibitors to many of the target sectors in the Industry Guide. This provides orientation when visitors from industry X are looking for exhibitors with a suitable product range. This gives them the opportunity not only to visit the same suppliers again and again, but also to think outside the box. What qualifies supplier Y to position itself in sector Z, which is new to it? Are there perhaps new products that are highly innovative for this sector in particular?
Industry guide clarifies differences and overlaps
If you select a specific industry in the guide, you can go into more detail. For example: 'A highly regulated sector such as the pharmaceutical industry requires GMP-compliant equipment. The range on show at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM meets the highest standards of hygiene and reliability...'. Or: "Process engineering expertise transforms sand, gravel and natural stone into a wide variety of building materials. The expertise of the technology suppliers at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM ensures efficient, robust plants...'. For each of the show's ten target sectors, there is a detailed analysis of the requirements and how these can be met by the exhibitors' offerings. If you are not sure whether you are in the right place at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, you will find valuable information on 'your' sector and a list of specialised exhibitors with their product ranges.
However, the industry guide and the industry sketches behind it also make it clear that there are numerous overlaps. For example, the variety of basic products, the demand for high plant availability and production reliability, customer expectations of high quality... But above all, the processes and technologies used. From raw material preparation and dosing, through the actual production process with mixing, drying, granulation, etc., to transport, filling, and packaging. Analytical methods, measurement, and automation technology and, increasingly, digitalisation are also playing an ever greater role in all production processes in the process industry across all sectors. Although there are industry-specific features and specific standards, flow and level, pressure and temperature, analytical parameters such as pH or particle size are important in all industries.
Numerous exhibitors broaden industry expertise
Numerous exhibitors have now registered in the POWTECH TECHNOPHARM exhibitor database, most of them with a wide range of products and services. But the list of customer industries they focus on is also long for many of them. Only very few exhibitors focus exclusively on one target group. For example, those whose portfolio is aimed at the food industry often also have something to offer the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Containment, for example, is particularly important in the pharmaceutical industry. But it also protects workers in many areas of the chemical industry where toxic or reactive substances are handled. And in the context of allergen control, it can also be essential in food production. Buzzwords such as sustainability, safety, digitalisation, and AI are becoming increasingly important in all industries. POWTECH TECHNOPHARM is therefore able to transfer know-how like no other trade fair.
Expand your horizons at PARTEC and FACHPACK
In 2025, the PARTEC Congress and FACHPACK will provide an additional boost: the scientific congress, which will take place parallel to POWTECH TECHNOPHARM at the NürnbergMesse Congress Centre, will not only bring fresh research findings on particle and powder technology to the exhibition, but also scientists, some of whom may soon be working in industry. And FACHPACK, which occupies the neighbouring exhibition halls of POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, is dedicated to the processes that follow process engineering production. This is where the players in the packaging industry meet, the manufacturers of many products and, finally, the retailers, for whom packaging and content are equally important.
The thematic interface between the two fairs is fluid. Particularly in the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries, there is often no clear dividing line between process production and the filling and packaging process. Pneumatic or mechanical conveyors feed the filling and packaging systems. Quality control takes place here, there, and in between. Dosing and weighing are a must in both production and filling. For many products, such as coffee capsules, the packaging is at least as important as the contents for market success. Digitalisation and sustainability know no company boundaries anyway. And packaging recycling is process engineering par excellence.
FACHPACK and POWTECH TECHNOPHARM will therefore benefit each other again this year, with the reactivation of TECHNOPHARM even more important than at the last double exhibition in 2022. Many production managers among the visitors will take advantage of the opportunity to see innovations in packaging technology live and with little additional time expenditure. On the other hand, packaging specialists and distributors will be able to discuss their specific problems with recognised experts in process technology. There are some exhibitors who deliberately position themselves at the interface of the show - as dual exhibitors. Those with dual expertise in production AND packaging processes can make the most of this in 2025.
Conclusion: If you're looking for new ideas, this is the place to be
What was the first question? Who is POWTECH TECHNOPHARM for? Let's summarise: Anyone who likes to think outside the box, who wants to benefit from other industries, processes, and research, and for whom networking doesn't just mean meeting old acquaintances, but above all getting to know new people and exchanging ideas. This applies not only to visitors, but also to exhibitors. If you're a technology provider who fits this description but are not yet an exhibitor, know that it's not too late. Some good stand space is still available. And joint stands such as the Pharma Pavilion, the Networking Pavilion, the Campus Pavilion, or the Young Innovators Stand still offer space to make a name for yourself in the wider community.
Author
