IEX – Insulation Expo Europe

International Trade Fair for Industrial Insulation Materials and Technologies

16 – 17 May 2018, Exhibition Centre Cologne

18 January 2018

IEX – Insulation Expo Europe 2018 in Cologne:
Trade fair to showcase energy efficiency potential in industry

  • Exhibition presents full range of technical insulation
  • Focus on energy conservation, climate and environmental protection

Industry is – after the transport sector – the second-largest consumer of energy in Germany, and its international competitiveness has long been dependent on the efficient use of energy. Technical insulation, including thermal insulation, of industrial plants is a major contributor to lower operating costs. On 16 and 17 May, IEX – Insulation Expo Europe in Cologne will put on display the potential and technical solutions in this area.

IEX – Insulation Expo Europe is the No. 1 industry gathering for insulation companies, building services engineering planners, plant engineering and construction experts, architects, and energy and facility managers.

The trade fair presents the complete range of materials and processing options for thermal, cold, acoustic and fire protection. The exhibition spectrum covers everything from insulation materials and systems for technical thermal and cold insulation to products for acoustic insulation and preventive fire protection to tools, equipment, measuring instruments and software solutions. In total, more than 150 exhibitors are expected at the Exhibition Centre in Cologne.

IEX receives generous support from the Federation of the German Construction Industry (HDB), the Central Association of the German Construction Trade (ZDB), the European industry association FESI and EiiF – European Industrial Insulation Foundation.

Savings potential highly attractive from an economic perspective

“Technical insulation has tremendous market potential worldwide because enhanced energy efficiency makes many industries more competitive internationally”, says Olaf Freier, the event director of IEX for organiser Reed Exhibitions. The independent energy consulting company Ecofys calculated as early as 2012 that enormous energy and CO2 savings lay dormant in Europe’s industrial plants, amounting to the equivalent of the yearly energy consumption of 10 million households (172,200,000 MWh/620 PJ).

The EiiF, most recently in 2016, was able to provide concrete real-world evidence of this large savings potential inherent in the efficient insulation of industrial facilities, which for the operators is highly attractive from an economic perspective: the insulation systems of approximately 180 plants were examined in the context of the group’s so-called TIPCHECK programme. In the analysed production areas alone, the TIPCHECK audits determined an annual energy savings potential of 750,000 megawatt hours and possible CO2 emissions reductions of up to 500,000 metric tonnes. “The culprit in almost all cases is easily avoidable heat loss due to insufficient thermal and cold insulation of plant components like fittings, heat exchangers, pipes and storage systems”, says EiiF director Andreas Gürtler. “The fact that three out of four plant operators immediately decided to invest in the proposed insulation measures also shows very clearly how attractive this savings potential is for industry. The average payback time is two years, but often it’s actually just a few months.”

At IEX 2018, the EiiF will present the latest figures and findings from the TIPCHECK energy audits conducted in 2016 and 2017.