This year’s Alihankinta Subcontracting Fair adopted a bold and timely theme of competitive sustainability – the idea that future-conscious manufacturing can shift from being a puzzle to becoming a market advantage. Did the event live up to this? And what other key themes stood out at Finland’s most anticipated manufacturing fair? Here are our takeaways as exhibitors at the event.

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Sustainability’s future in manufacturing

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The event programming clearly reflected the theme, featuring numerous talks and mini-seminars on sustainable manufacturing, with a strong focus on supply chains. Transparent and traceable supply chains are at the heart of sustainable production. This is true, especially now, as the chains have grown increasingly more complex. At Innokas, we’ve been actively evaluating our long-term suppliers for a while now, so it was encouraging to see this topic take center stage in the event’s content.
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However, the sustainability theme was not as exhibitly reflected on the exhibition floor. Only a few exhibitors incorporated sustainability into the visual design of their stands – something that could be worth considering for future events. Signaling to attendees that you have compelling sustainability initiatives to share could help spark more meaningful conversations around the topic. For instance, some exhibitors prominently displayed their Ecovadis rankings, offering a positive visual cue. This served as a great example and inspired us to start showcasing our own Bronze rating at future exhibitions.

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Still, for now, sustainability seems to take a back seat in the conversations in the event hall while expertise and emerging technologies remain at the forefront.

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Versatile expertise breaks ground

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What captured attention, however, was the impressive display of versatility. The value of multi-talented manufacturing was widely recognized, particularly as dual-use products gain traction in the market. As always, Innokas showcased a variety of customer products at our booth, but this year, a mockup of a drone that is being manufactured by Innokas drew special interest. Visitors were visibly impressed to see intricate medical devices displayed alongside the mockup, noting it as a clear demonstration of our broad manufacturing capabilities and deep expertise in complex electromechanics regardless of industry.

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