Slovenia lies in a strategically advantageous position in Europe.
A long-term EU member, it could be considered western Europe’s gateway to the Balkans and beyond. A small country, its influences are, naturally, its Balkan neighbours, as well as the Germanic cultures to the north due to a long border with Austria, and to the west, where the border with Italy clearly has an influence.
Recently, the Slovenian capital Ljubljana was the host of the annual IFAM event, which is a B2B trade fair for automation, mechatronics, sensor technology, measurement technologies, robotics and more. With more than 70 exhibitors from around the region, the 2023 version attracted more than 3,000 visitors from a dozen countries.
Located at the 7,000 sqm Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Center, the growing event took place from February 13 to 15. Present were suppliers, universities, researchers, and technology companies. Many of the suppliers, while regional, were representing large multinational companies, making this truly an important international forum for technology.
Exhibitors included ABB, Fibernet, TME, Fanuc, Yaskawa, Mihajlo Pupin Institut Belgrade, Rittal, Finder, Schneider Electric, University of Ljubljana, EIT Manufacturing, Sick AG, and more.
The show also has an eye on the future, as many students were in attendance to not only learn about current technology and its applications, but also to plot their own potential future career paths.
At the event, which also included many presentations (mostly in Slovenian), we had the opportunity to find out more from Toni Laznik, CEO of the organisers ICM.
Jim Cornall is editor of Deeptech Digest and publisher at Ayr Coastal Media. He is an award-winning writer, editor, photographer, broadcaster, designer and author. Contact Jim here.
