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COMPAMED 2021 Preview: Around 500 exhibitors on the way back to normality in Düsseldorf, Germany

Press releases may be edited for formatting or style | October 19, 2021 Business Affairs
After COMPAMED, the international leading event for suppliers of medical technology, could only be held digitally due to the pandemic last year, it will now be held as an in-person event again at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany from November 15 – 18, 2021 - concurrently with MEDICA, the world leading medical trade fair. About 500 registered exhibitors prove that there is a high level of interest from medical technology suppliers, which is a huge step towards reaching normality again. In accordance with the hybrid event concept, significant program components such as the COMPAMED HIGH-TECH FORUM from the IVAM International Microtechnology Business Network (which specifically focuses on the microtechnology and nanotechnology sectors) and the COMPAMED SUPPLIERS' FORUM from Devicemed (which covers the entire development and production sector in medical technology), will be offered as both online (as a live stream) and in-person events which can be accessed by purchasing the relevant ticket. In contrast to the previous years, COMPAMED will be held in Halls 13 and 14 this year (instead of Halls 8a and 8b). By moving the event to new halls, Messe Düsseldorf is meeting the wishes of the federal state government of North Rhine-Westphalia to ensure that they can continue to use the north area of the fairgrounds for activities in conjunction with the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Both the omnipresent COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences will provide much food for thought: "Due to the impact of the COVID crisis, supply bottlenecks have occurred: air and sea transportation cancellations have led to huge supply bottlenecks, particularly for electronic products. During the crisis, this was exacerbated by unnecessary stockpiling. Companies bought and stored more components than they needed to ensure that they were safe because they were scared of experiencing a shortfall in supply", explains Dr. Thomas R. Dietrich, CEO of the IVAM International Microtechnology Business Network. Raw materials and individual components were also scarce because the industry recovered more quickly than many suppliers expected. However, this will return to normal within a short period of time.

Computer chips were in short supply during the crisis because medical technology suppliers in particular suddenly needed far more of them. Dr. Meinrad Lugan, CEO of BVMed, recently put the situation into perspective: In many sectors, the issue was not shortages in terms of quantity, but instead distribution issues. Lugan notes that there was a "trend to make huge excess orders or multiple orders". The resulting supply bottlenecks should be combated using "smart digital solutions based on existing eStandards". According to IVAM, internationalization of the economy would still be expedient, as the global supply chains could not be maintained, which is not constructive. European manufacturers need the option to produce at a lower cost in other countries in order to remain competitive. These producing countries, in turn, need European customers in order to keep their own economies running. According to IVAM, there should, however, still be local supply chains for critical components – particularly for sensitive products that are important for basic care of the entire population, e.g. in the healthcare sector.

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