InnoTrans 2014: Tenth in a Series of International Trade Fairs for the Railway Industry

InnoTrans Profile

InnoTrans, the world’s largest trade fair for rail transportation, shines a spotlight on all aspects of the industry. Held once every two years, the first InnoTrans was in 1996, making the 2014 event the tenth so far. Displays include rolling stock, diesel propulsion-related devices, electrical devices, carriage interiors, train operation control systems, signal systems, tracks, and tunnels.

The trade fair is always held at Messe Berlin, originally because a freight siding had been laid to the Messe grounds, making it possible to display actual railcars there.

InnoTrans 2014 was held for four days, from the 23rd to the 26th of September. Then on the 27th and 28th (Saturday and Sunday), the general public was welcomed to the outdoor rolling stock exhibition.

Compared with the first InnoTrans, the latest one had 16 times more corporate exhibitors and 21 times more visitors, making it truly the world’s largest railway-related trade fair, in name and in fact. It had expanded beyond the capacity of all of the Messe Berlin buildings occupied the previous time, so a new building, called City Cube, was constructed near the south entrance. City Cube was used by the important exhibitor Deutsche Bahn (DB), and Germany’s railway industry mounted exhibits around this major anchor. East Japan Railway Company (JR East) also exhibited in City Cube, collaborating with Japan Transport Engineering Company (J-TREC).

The JORSA Pavilion

At InnoTrans 2012, Japan Overseas Rolling Stock Association (JORSA) occupied all of Hall 7.2c, the first time in InnoTrans’ history that the railway industry from a single country used an entire hall. The 2012 JORSA exhibits were very well received, and for InnoTrans 2014 the joint exhibitors wanted to expand their scope. This was answered by the JORSA Pavilion moving to the larger Hall 7.2a, with Japan’s railway industry once again occupying an entire hall. The location provided direct traffic sight lines from the newly constructed City Cube, and the pavilion welcomed even more visitors than in 2012. The joint exhibitors attracted plenty of positive attention, and their exhibits were extremely effective.

In 2014 the JORSA Pavilion had 719 m2 of space available for exhibits. Thirteen JORSA member companies, plus Tokyo Metro and the Railway Technical Research Institute, mounted exhibits, showing the world Japan’s railway technologies and the advanced state of the industry.

Having an entire hall for only Japanese companies created an atmosphere of unity and surely helped attract more visitors.

<See illustration indicating exhibitor layout at Hall 7.2a.>

Events

Japan’s presence at InnoTrans 2014 was enhanced this time by a tea ceremony and Japanese traditional dance featuring kimono-clad attendants, and free servings of sushi prepared by a master sushi chef. This offered opportunities for contact with Japanese culture. The events were very well received and provided a backdrop to the message promoting Japan’s reliable and outstanding rail technology.

In addition, joint exhibitors once again organized on-site seminars, further enhancing the dissemination of information on various aspects of Japan.

The Japan Day Reception

Following a practice started at the previous InnoTrans, JORSA organized a Japan Day reception for exhibitors to invite people involved with their own company, and to expand interaction among Japanese industries. Estimates indicate that more than 1,500 people attended, including visitors from Japan, other Japanese exhibitors, individuals involved in manufacturing outside Japan, and JORSA pavilion staff and others.

During the reception speeches were given by Takeshi Nakane, Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Germany, as well as by representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

JORSA Pavillion(719m²)　Joint exhibitors' Booth

【Information desk at JORSA pavilion】

　

【Movie 1】

【Movie 2】

<Railway Technical Research Institute>

<Tokyo Metro>

<The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd.>

<KINTETSU RAILCAR ENGINEERING CO., LTD.>

<Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.>

<Mitsubishi Electric Corporation>

<Mitsui & Co. Plant Systems, Ltd.>

<Nabtesco Corporation>

<NIPPON SHARYO, LTD.>

<The NIPPON SIGNAL CO., LTD.>

<NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION>

<Sumitomo Corporation>

<Taisei Techino Co., Ltd.>

<TOYO DENKI SEIZO K.K.>

<YASHIMA., LTD.>

Other JORSA Members Exhibitors (participating outside the JORSA Pavilion)

<FUJI ELECTRIC Co., LTD.>

<Hitachi,Ltd.>

<JAPAN TRANSPORT ENGINEERING COMPANY>

<Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.>

<TOSHIBA CORPORATION>

InnoTrans Today and Tomorrow

As mentioned above, InnoTrans keeps on growing, and for 2014 a new hall called City Cube was constructed near the south entrance, to meet demand for more exhibition space. Exhibitors there included DB of Germany and JR East of Japan. The rolling stock on rails exhibition continues to expand each time — 115 railcars were displayed in 2012, whereas that number increased to 145 in 2014. The number of exhibitors increased 10% over 2012, to 2,758 companies from 55 countries. Trade visitors were also up 10%, to 138,872 people from 146 countries.

In the outdoor exhibition space, actual examples of the latest rolling stock, including some from the “Big Three” and other European manufacturers, were on display, and stands under tent cover also welcomed visitors for interactive discussions.

In all, the exhibition was something one could hardly imagine happening in Japan. A large indoor lounge offered food and beverages, serving as a locale for remarkably dynamic business discussions and interchange.

All this shows how InnoTrans continues to grow each time, to the point where it has now taken on a distinctively international flavor. Japan will certainly be present at the next trade fair, two years from now in 2016, and we look forward to meeting you there.