The 60th jubilee of the International Engineering Trade Fair which takes place this year includes a unique exhibition entitled 100RIES (100 in Czech is sto, hence stoRIES). This will present visitors with a hundred stories of Czechoslovakian industrial legends of the past century. One of the greatest of these stories is that of the statue of T.G. Masaryk which adorned the rotunda of today’s Pavilion A in 1928, during the Exhibition Centre’s opening ceremony. During the engineering fair visitors will see a robot create a replica of this statue right before their very eyes.

The International Engineering Trade Fair (IETF) from 1^st to 5^th October 2018 offers visitors an exhibition entitled 100RIES which maps the evolution of famous Czech and Slovak industrial products from 1918 to the present day. “Symbolically, this year’s partner country is the Slovak Republic. For us, this is the best opportunity to celebrate our joint industrial history and its successes, on the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia” according to the Director General of Brno Trade Fairs, Jiří Kuliš

More than 80 Slovak companies are to participate in the trade fair, including traditional engineering and industrial brands. An official presentation of Slovakia will be located in the central area of Pavilion A1 and the 100RIES exhibition will be connected to with this. ”Here visitors will see, for example, a Škoda 743 Garde coupé from 1982 with the product number 00001. This was the historic, first serial-produced car in Slovakia”, explains Dominika Zalubelová of the Slovak Agency for Investment and Business Development (SARIO). This automobile is returning to the Brno Exhibition Centre 35 years after it was first presented here. Another famous Slovak product on display is the original Favorit bicycle from 1955 and the legendary Babetta moped. From modern production there is the world’s first superquad produced under the brand name Engler. A unique supersport vehicle, a combination of car and four-wheeled cycle, will set out on its debut run direct from the Exhibition Centre to a showroom in Paris. 

Masaryk returns to Brno after 90 years, thanks to a robot and 3D technology

The aim of the exhibition is to create an imaginary arch spanning a whole century of Czech and Slovak industry. The TGM90 project, which will be the main attraction of the exhibition, perfectly completes this symbolism. From Monday afternoon to Friday, live in front of spectators, a robot over 3 metres high will machine a replica of the statue of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk by sculptor Otakar Španiel, which was exhibited in Brno in 1928. Both the original and the bronze casts have been lost but now, thanks to 3D technology, a replica can be made. “The basis for producing this statue is data from a 3D scan of a model of the statue kept in the depositary of the National museum. This computer model is then fed into special software which creates a machining strategy for the robot. The industrial robot, Kuka, then machines the object“, explains Miloslav Drápela, director of MCAE Systems. It will be completed in full view of spectators by Sculptor Ladislav Jezbera of the Secondary Technical School of Stone Masonry and Sculpture in Hořice. His creation is characterised as experimenting with modern technology.

100 stories, 40 exhibits and augmented reality

Of the 100 stories narrated through the 100RIES exhibition, approximately 40 are represented by physical exhibits.“ We’ve chosen stories from across the industrial sphere. Transport is, of course, part of this and there will be exhibits from cars through to lorries and buses, trains and even planes. We will also be presenting famous Czechoslovakian machining tools, electro technical items and a jet loom” says Jiří Smetana, Marketing and Communications Director for Brno Trade Fairs.

From the aviation industry visitors can see the iconic L-13 Blaník glider which was exhibited in Pavilion Z during the first International Engineering Trade Fair in 1959. This will hang above visitors’ heads, just as it did 59 years ago. Arriving at the Exhibition Centre by rail will be the legendary ”laminátka” locomotive by the famous designer, Otakar Diblík who, amongst other things, also designed the cabin of the Zetor Crystal tractor and the joystick of the legendary L‑200 Morava aero taxi.

Also pulling up at Pavilion A for a five-day stop, will be the unique inter-wars diesel locomotive Stříbrný šíp (Silver Arrow) and the iconic trams T2, T3 and K2 and the exhibition would not be complete without exhibits from the most important Czech automobile brands, Škoda Auto and Tatra.

The exhibition organisers have also managed to get hold of two unique inter-wars vehicles with aerodynamic bodies – the Aero 50 Dynamik and the Aero 750 Sport Coupé. These cars, which underwent complete renovation a few years ago, are the only examples of their kind and a link with their creators - body makers Josef Sodomka and Odřich Uhlík, whose workshop was confiscated from them during the communist takeover.

A similar story is linked to the name of another personality of Czech industry, Vladimír Svatý, inventor of the jet loom. This will be on view to visitors of the 100RIES exhibition along with milling and shaping machines by Šmeral Brno, Žďas, Kovosvit and Tajmac-ZPS.

The 100RIES exhibition leads visitors into the world of augmented reality. For the first time in the Czech Republic a new presentation of Czech Centres entitled Czech Innovation Expo, will be opened in Pavilion A1. ”The project makes use of the latest technology to give an overview of the hundred-year history of our country in the fields of science, research and innovation. At first glance the exhibition offers abstract shape play on the walls and wooden crates. The content of the presentation is revealed in the second plane – through the use of tablets and smart phones equipped with applications for augmented reality. The project maps the existing innovation ecosystem in the Czech Republic and, as a bonus, enables a virtual meeting with scientists, innovators and industrialists no longer alive”, reveals Jan Špunda, head of the project Czech Innovation Expo. This ‘virtual exhibition’ will be transferred from Brno to Prague before heading to Madrid and Tokyo.

The 100RIES exhibition is organised by Brno Trade Fairs in collaboration with the Industry and Transport Union, the Engineering Technology Union, the Electro-technical Association, the Slovak agency for investment and business development – SARIO, and Czech Centres. The exhibition’s partners are the companies SIEMENS and Czechoslovak Group. The exhibition will only last for the duration of the IETF 2018, from 1st to 5th October.

The most successful International Engineering Trade Fair in the last ten years

The 60th International Engineering trade fair is now accepting the last applications and looks set to be the most successful in the last ten years. The number of exhibiters has again exceeded 1600, the exhibition space has crossed the 45 square metre mark. ”The state of the engineering trade fair reflects the state of the whole of Czech industry. Besides an increase in floor space it can be seen in the quality of the displays and that companies want to invest in their presentations and are aware of the importance of participating in such a prestigious trade fair”, says Jiří Kuliš. The symbolic link between the Czech and Slovak republics will also be expressed through a meeting of the Industry and Transport Union. For the first time this will be Czech-Slovak. Besides the finance ministers of both governments, both prime ministers also plan to visit.