Destination: Augsburg

interlift 2022 promises to be the most important since its inception 31 years ago.

photos courtesy of VFA-Interlift

After more than a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, interlift 2022, the international trade fair for the lift industry in Augsburg, Germany, is set to return on April 26-29. Organizer AFAG Messen und Ausstellungen GmbH said this year’s event promises strong participation — particularly from European countries — and it is supporting the show with perks, such as providing complete stands on short notice (for a fee) to exhibitors with smaller budgets, and offering free guest cards. “In this way, any number of customers can be invited without further burdening the trade fair budget,” VFA-Interlift e.V. observed.

Approximately 350 vertical-transportation (VT) component and systems manufacturers from 27 countries plan to present their solutions at Messe Augsburg (Augsburg Trade Fair Centre). As restrictions related to COVID-19 continue to ease, organizers are confident in-person trade fairs can take place successfully. They expect attendance at this year’s interlift to be roughly 60% of what it’s been in years past. Achim Hütter, chairman of VFA-Interlift, said:

“Many governments of European countries are signaling the end of coronavirus-related restrictions in the course of February-March. Under the conditions that will then apply, holding interlift in April is assured. It can and will be a new start for the industry and, seen in this light, perhaps the most important event since its premiere 31 years ago.”

This year’s participants will be 32% European (versus 29% in 2019). Sixty-four percent of those are German (versus 54% in 2019), with the remainder from other European countries. Exhibitors from Asia and the Americas fell from 17% in 2019 to 4% this year. Even so, far more nations will be represented at interlift than at any other VT trade show, according to VFA-Interlift. “So, interlift 2022 will, once again, be the big family meeting place for the industry,” VFA-Interflift said.

Those planning to exhibit emphasized that visiting face-to-face with partners, customers and potential customers is more important than ever. “Not participating was out of the question for us,” NEW LIFT Steuerungsbau GmbH CEO/Managing Director Peter Zeitler said. “We have assessed the situation soberly and, based on facts, decided clearly in favor of attending interlift.”

It can and will be a new start for the industry.

— Achim Hütter, chairman of VFA-Interlift, on interlift 2022

VFA Forum interlift ’22, which accompanies the trade fair, will be full of information about topics such as international codes and standards, digitalization, safety, market trends and building information modeling (BIM), to name a few. More than 40 expert presenters from Germany and elsewhere will “provide a multifaceted picture of the current situation on the international lift market.” Forum highlights include:

On Wednesday, April 27:

• International Standardization for Lifts: Current Status and Trends

• Development of EN ISO 8100-1/2 Standards

• Standards and Directives With Influence on the Elevator Industry in Germany

• New Machinery Product Regulation: Its Influence on the Elevator Industry

• Increasing the Safety of Existing Elevators

• BIM Process (VDI 2552 Sheet 11.5) in Today’s Business Model and in the Future

On Thursday, April 28:

• Global Elevator and Escalator Market: Key Trends and Issues

• Technologies and Trends in the Elevator Industry

VFA Forum expert speakers include KONE Vice President Esfandiar Gharibaan, Schindler Vice President René Hermann, European Lift Association (ELA) Secretary General Luca Pezzini, ELA Codes & Standards Committee Chairman and Schindler Code Officer Carsten Henriksen, Willem Kasteleijn of Liftinstituut, Andreas Pilot of AF-Architekten, Schindler Process Manager for Digital Planning and Construction Anna Merkler, DigiPara CEO Andreas Fleischmann and engineer Anton Hulm of Schmitt + Sohn Aufzuge.

The Forum presentation on BIM promises to be a particular highlight, organizers said. Pilot plans to go over the new standards on BIM in elevator design in detail, and Merkler is set to provide information on the BIM process from a VT manufacturer’s perspective. Fleischmann, an active member of the Association of German Engineers (VDA) BIM committee, plans to speak about optimizing workflow in elevator planning with BIM. Incidentally, DigiPara recently enabled BIM planning for TK Elevator’s (TKE) vertical-and-horizontal MULTI ropeless VT system, about which TKE is highly optimistic.

Describing the BIM presentations, VFA-Interlift stated:

“With the information provided by this high-caliber team of speakers, it is possible to create standardized elevator models and exchange information about them via data platforms. The preparation of the elevator model will be based on data and information flow in a three-level, structured representation of a construction project.”