Christophe Lecarpentier: “The main objective of INTERMAT 2024 is to collaborate in finding ways to decarbonise the construction sector.”

LECTURA visited the INTERMAT 2024 ROADSHOW Pre-event dedicated to decarbonsiation in the construction industry. Check out our interview with Christophe Lecarpentier, Head of Comexposium Agro Equipment and Construction division, diving into the topics of INTERMAT 2024 with the main topic of sustainability, what to expect at the trade fair this year and why it is different from previous issues.

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Chris Noel Domagala: First of all, INTERMAT is going to be a little bit different this year, more sustainability-driven, more decarbonisation-driven. Why have you chosen to be different right now and how are you going to tackle that?

Christophe Lecarpentier: I think what is important is that a trade show is about business but we can’t do trade shows like we used to. We have to do and give a theme to the trade show and make sure that the trade show responses to the current trends of the industry we are in and that’s why we work with the main federations of both machinery federations as well as the user federation to understand the market and the market trends.

The word “decarbonisation” came very quickly, because we have the global warming, climate change or the European Green Deal and a lot of manufacturers are working on new technologies for machines and new materials. Construction companies will have to build better differently in the future and go towards decarbonisation. That’s why we’ve wanted the show to be around this theme because it’s a clear message to the exhibitors and also visitors about what the show will be about.

The show is to help that transition through the exhibition, through the different forums, the exchange of people, with short-term and more midterm solutions. It’s making sure that the visitors are enlightened with the different solutions in the industry, moving forward.

CND: We just saw a presentation on this topic with some formative pillars. Could you give me a few highlights of the trade fair where you will incorporate this theme the most?

CL: The first thing is innovation. The show is about innovations, so there will be a lot of innovations around decarbonisation, new machines, new materials, new companies into data and digital transformation, because that’s part of the transformation. Decarbonisation is not changing from today to tomorrow the energy completely. It’s about all the different steps: biofuel, electric, hydrogen in the future. It’s also the first litre you don’t use is a first step to decarbonisation, so digital transformation is helping in that transition.

There will be new exhibitors and businesses that haven’t been there before, we have a new energy and new technology sector at INTERMAT. Because of the industry transforming, it does need to have a new display and formats. That’s the first part. We also wanted to have a TV platform at the centre of the show rather than to have separate conferences done more privately. We wanted to have talks and confrontations of ideas of new technologies so that people can listen to the new things coming as well. Talking about energy is also talking about the infrastructure and moving forward together between the federations, the politicians and the industry.

It is quite important that the show becomes a catalyst of all these innovations but also things that need to move forward to go in the right direction for decarbonisation. That’s why we wanted the show’s format to be different – it is a trade show for business, but it’s also a place where people can talk, exchange ideas and how they can make progress in the industry.

CND: Fantastic, you make sure that the topic gets the proper stage with the TV installation and broadcasting. Is the TV broadcasting going to be translated to some other language and published online later on?

CL: Yes, it will be both in French and English for the people attending and then we will publish the video online. INTERMAT is an international show and we will make sure that you will have both obviously French but also English.

CND: The last question is a bit more critical. The trend of decarbonisation is obvious and everybody in the industry will have to obey to a certain extent. Nevertheless, the pace is pretty strict and that is not particularly of interest to everyone. How do you make sure that you have a nice trade-off between larger companies that attend and use that stage, although it might still be a fierce competition in terms of transmoving and so on?

CL: A show is about showing the innovation and the innovations in terms of machines are a lot into energy but also into safety and digital tools, etc. It’s important that the companies want to show their latest innovations. But as I said, the first step into decarbonisation is not changing energy, it’s about EU Stage V diesel machines, because Europe has already gone very far into reducing the pollution of diesel. There will still be diesel machines respecting the latest strict rules in terms of reducing the CO2. There will be machines that can accept biofuel today and that is another step for decarbonisation and these are machines which you can already find on the sites today, but there will also be these new technologies.

INTERMAT is about showing all the different technologies that are available today and can be built by construction companies. It’s not about showing the new technology that people can buy in 10 years, but it’s really about bringing every single solution and every single step towards decarbonisation going the right way. So, there will be machines that people can buy after or during the show. It is not a show about the next 10 year technologies, it’s about today’s world and how we can help in that transition moving forward.

CND: I agree very much and I think this also depends on where exactly the OEMs are (in which step) and also about representing pulling together towards a higher goal.

CL: I think that manufacturers are in different steps, they may choose different technologies as some of them go further into electrics, some may go further into hydrogen in the future, some will show you fully acceptable biodiesel machines. But it’s also all these thousand exhibitors that are showing different solutions in materials and concrete. Every exhibitor brings its richness to the show.

CND: We are very much looking forward to INTERMAT. Thank you very much for the interview!

⭐ Get your free tickets to INTERMAT 2024 with this code: ALLPARDIG24 (or contact Eva Passmann: epassmann@promosalons.com).