General25 April 2023

Maintenance NEXT 2023: all layers of the maintenance world came together at Rotterdam Ahoy

ROTTERDAM, 20 April 2023 - Rotterdam Ahoy was the meeting place for 8,554 (inter)national maintenance professionals this week. From 18 till 20 April, Maintenance NEXT, the Benelux's leading technology and maintenance expo, opened its doors with more than 250 exhibitors showing the latest techniques, innovations, technical solutions and high-tech products. At the same time, EuroMaintenance, the largest European Asset Management congress, was held at the Rotterdam Ahoy Convention Centre from 17 till19 April.

 

"We are extremely proud to have brought the maintenance world together again in Rotterdam after four years," says Pieter Bas Dujardin, Exhibition Manager. "When the opportunity arose to link EuroMaintenance to Maintenance NEXT, it was an opportunity we didn't want to miss. All layers of the industry came together in Rotterdam as a result. It was great to see that visitors to the congress also visited the exhibition and that exhibitors spoke to many international guests on their stands. The conceived synergy was really visible in practice," Dujardin said.

 

Facing the challenges together
That the maintenance world was ready for another edition of Maintenance NEXT is evident from the 10% growth in exhibition space compared to the previous edition in 2019. And that is a good sign, as the industry faces several major challenges in the future. A recurring theme in many knowledge sessions was that cooperation is crucial in this. During her presentation 'Maintenance in transition', Karen de Lathouder, CEO bp Netherlands, discussed the challenge for the industry of having to become completely climate neutral in the next 30 years. "The energy transition is one of the biggest transitions we have to undergo together in the world. That challenge is huge." said de Lathouder. In this, collaboration and innovation go hand in hand, which is why a platform like Maintenance NEXT is very important: "At this exhibition, you can learn from each other and discuss things with each other, but there is also a lot to see that you might not have thought of yet."

 

De Lathouder was joined in this by Dimphy Wilms, Engineering Manager at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam: "It is good to be at Maintenance NEXT again after four years and to tell the story from Shell. Most importantly, we need to remember that we can only make the future together and there are still big things to come in the industry."

 

Basis for further growth
Pieter Bas Dujardin looks back on a successful edition of Maintenance NEXT: "I hear an enormous amount of positive feedback from both visitors and exhibitors. It is not self-evident to organise such a maintenance week after four years of absence. That's why it feels extra good to experience the enthusiasm on the exhibition floor and the congress. This gives us energy and confidence to grow again and take an even bigger approach to the next edition."

 

The next edition of Maintenance NEXT will take place from 8 till 10 April 2025.