MEDICA AND COMPAMED 2019 CONFIRM LEADING POSITION IN CHALLENGING AND DEMANDING MARKET ENVIRONMENT

   The recent staging of MEDICA, the world’s largest medical trade fair, and COMPAMED, the leading trade fair for the medical technology manufacturing supplier market, in Düsseldorf, Germany, clearly reflected that the market for medical technology and medical products is becoming increasingly challenging and demanding worldwide. With some 5,500 exhibitors at MEDICA and nearly 800 companies at COMPAMED, a new record participation was recorded. With 121,000 trade visitors, the events also posted a slight increase in attendance. Two-thirds of the visitors came from abroad, representing some 170 countries. Exhibitors particularly praised the fact that more than 90% of the attendees had decision-making authority.

 

   “MEDICA and COMPAMED are the No. 1 market platforms for international business. With their exhibitor and visitor numbers, they have confirmed their role as growth drivers for exports. This is in the interests of suppliers, who are currently being called upon to make great efforts in this market environment. This includes increasing trade restrictions, Brexit uncertainty, increased pressure on margins and other challenges, including increasingly complex approval procedures for medical products,” commented Wolfram Diener, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf.

   Numerous delegations with top decision-makers from regions such as Asia (including Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Jurin Laksanawisit), North Africa and South America, contributed to this high internationality at the trade fairs - right in line with the export interests of many suppliers.

   Special features at MEDICA 2019 were again the two successful U.S. Pavilions, organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America, with 196 companies presenting their technologies within these group exhibits. Overall, 436 U.S. exhibitors participated in MEDICA 2019.

 

   MEDICA is not only the most important event of the year for many of our members from the medical technology sector. With its many visitors and exhibitors, it is also the world’s leading trade fair for the industry”, stated Jörg Mayer, Executive Director of the German industry association SPECTARIS. Together with Germany’s Association for Electromedical Technology (ZVEI), SPECTARIS organized the MEDICA TECH FORUM in Hall 12, dealing with topics such as international market access and regulatory requirements for medical technology, with  particular focus on the national markets of China and Russia.

 

   The new hall allocation according to topics was well received. The large national and international joint exhibition areas were given more space in Halls 15 to 17. The manufacturers of surgical instruments moved from Hall 13 to Halls 10 and 11 to be closer to the suppliers of complete OR solutions and imaging processes. The exhibits and specialist forums in the information and communication technology segment were located in Hall 13 (previously in Hall 15) for the first time, linking them directly with the halls dedicated to medical technology and electro-medicine.

 

   “The new concept is confirmed by the consistently high number of visitors in the halls. The MEDICA HEALTH IT FORUM and the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM were real hotspots, with high attendance on all days and more than 10,000 visitors total”, reported Horst Giesen, Global Portfolio Director for Health & Medical Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.

 

   Medical robotics applications were a focus at MEDICA 2019 and will become even more important in future. For example, KUKA, one of the leading suppliers of robotic and automation solutions, used MEDICA to demonstrate various possible applications for its medical lightweight robot `LBR Med' in the final round of the “Innovation Award”. The spectrum of award topics ranged from a robot platform with magnetic capsules for early detection of colon cancer to an application providing robot-supported laser treatment for varicose veins and robot-assisted, personalized back massages. Another innovation was ‘temi’, a home care robot manufactured by Medisana. As a digital everyday aid it helps people into old age to remain in their homes.

 

   Robert Geiger, Managing Director of Aktormed, explains that use of robots is not intended to replace doctors but to provide optimal support for the “human factor”: “Our robot-assisted assistance systems enable the surgeon to perform minimally invasive operations with high precision and maximum personnel relief.” The company  considers itself as a market leader in the area of robotic camera control and has been a MEDICA exhibitor since 2013. “We are interested in B2B relationships. The success of our MEDICA contacts can therefore only be assessed in an interval of one to two years. Looking back on our initial years at the trade fair, we are very satisfied,” said Robert Geiger. 

 

   The exhibit category “medical robotics” is now included in the MEDICA exhibitor applications so that visitors can quickly identified the companies.    

 

   Compact solutions for better networking of all participants in the healthcare sector, such as for data transfer between doctors and for communication between doctor and patient, are also on the advance. Numerous MEDICA exhibitors demonstrated what these “‘mHealth” (mobile health) applications are already accomplishing today. Many young companies participated in the MEDICA START-UP PARK, the “Disrupt” sessions at the MEDICA CONNECTED HEALTHCARE FORUM and the MEDICA App COMPETITION. The range of topics included medically certified wearables for monitoring various body parameters as well as virtual reality applications for use in rehabilitation.

 

   The “SynPhNe” team (Singapore) won the 8th MEDICA App COMPETITION for  the world’s best health app solution. They developed the first networked, portable solution that trains both the brain and the muscles in mobilization therapy. This will help increase the functional independence of people with disabilities, such as those who have suffered a stroke or multiple injuries.

 

   Whether robotics or mobile health, these areas of technological application will not be able to advance without improvements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Therefore AI, deep learning and big data were also important topics at the expert forums, such as at the MEDICA LABMED FORUM. The practical use of AI in digital pathology, which promises particular benefits in the diagnosis of cancer, was a special focus.  

 

   The dominant topics of the healthcare industry and individual medical specialist areas were also reflected in lectures and discussions at the accompanying congresses and conferences, including the 42nd German Hospital Day, the MEDICA PHYSIO CONFERENCE and the MEDICA MEDICINE & SPORTS CONFERENCE.

 

  At the concurrently held COMPAMED trade fair, almost 800 exhibitors from 41 nations set a new record for the leading international industry platform for suppliers to the medical technology industry. This area is currently benefiting above all from the demand for increasingly powerful components and digitalized solutions for mobile devices for diagnostics, therapy and laboratory equipment.

 

   “Without miniaturized components and processes that enable ultra-precise manufacturing, portable and networked devices that transmit and evaluate vital parameters or medication would not be possible,” explains Dr. Thomas Dietrich, Executive Director of the IVAM Professional Association for Microtechnology.  

 

   The strong demand for miniaturized components was evident by the range of innovations of the 55 exhibitors participating in IVAM’s joint exhibition stand. Current trends on the supplier market were also addressed in the two specialist forums integrated into COMPAMED, offering a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the development, manufacture and approval of medical products.

 

   From the U.S., 64 companies displayed their innovations at COMPAMED 2019, in addition to  22 exhibitors participating within the U.S. Pavilion organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America.

 

   Overall, U.S. exhibitors at MEDICA and COMPAMED 2019 reserved more than 80,000 square feet of net exhibit space – equivalent to 1.4 football fields.

 

   The next staging of MEDICA and COMPAMED will take place from November 16 – 19, 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at MEDICA or COMPAMED 2020, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit at www.medica-tradefair.com, www.compamed-tradefaor.com and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

 

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