The Swedish Maintenance Fair’s new initiative: test sustainable production hands-on!

Visitors to the 2024 edition of Underhållsmässan will experience a completely new concept. The Sustainability Circle think tank, one of the fair’s partners, is organising a live programme on sustainable production and invites visitors to try out activities at its interactive stand.

– We want to make it as real as possible, says Henric Widén, CEO.

The Sustainability Circle has around 50 members from business, academia and government. These include ABB, AstraZeneca, Ovako, SCA, SKF, Volvo Powertrain, Chalmers, E.ON, Fortum, Svenska Kraftnät and the Swedish Transport Administration.

– Since 2010, we have been working to achieve sustainable development through smart maintenance, Henric Widén says.

– But exactly what that entails, and what you need to do, is constantly evolving. We’re acquiring new knowledge and new technologies. At the same time, many companies have made major investments. So nowadays we’re talking more and more about sustainable production.

Get inspired and do a test drive

This is also where the Sustainability Circle is focusing its attention at the Maintenance Fair: First, in a seminar series where business leaders, together with researchers and experts, share their experiences.

And second, at its stand, where it is collaborating with six innovative companies. This is going under the name TankeSMEDJAN Hållbar Produktion during the fair.

The aim is for visitors to be inspired by what is said on stage and then go to the stand to try out and test drive different technologies and solutions themselves.

AI, robots and drones

For example, the stand will demonstrate what can be done with AI, robots and automation, and with VR technology, which is used to train new staff more quickly. You can also try flying drones, which can be used for inspection and information gathering, among other things.

– But we’ll also be showing more practical things, like how to mount a motor or align a shaft, Henric Widén says.

– Interactivity is important. Don’t just watch. Try it out yourself. Try VR glasses and programme the robot. There’s knowledge that can only be gained by being part of the experience.

Exciting list of speakers

The seminar series has the same objective:

– I’ve curated a number of presentations, which are designed to showcase what you need for sustainable production. The idea is to provide new knowledge and new energy.

One of the speakers is Melanie Despeisse, professor at Chalmers University of Technology, who will discuss how sustainable production can be important for everyone in the company. Other speakers include Magnus Fors, Regional Manager at SKF, Bengt Hergart, Construction Director at Öresundsbron, Anders Bjurström, CEO of AI company Tenfifty and Kim Berge Hedkvist, Logistics Engineer at Quant.

Broadening the discussion

The aim of the Sustainability Circle initiative is to show the way to sustainable production. It is about maintenance, but not maintenance alone.

– If you want to succeed with sustainable development in an industrial context, it soon becomes very clear that several groups must work together, Henric says.

– We often say that reliability creates sustainability. By this we mean that it is not only a task for the maintenance department, but equally for production and other departments.

This is why the Sustainability Circle is also organising the free two-day training course, “Economics for Industrialists” and the networking event, “Smart Maintenance Energy” in conjunction with the Swedish Maintenance Fair 2024.