Page 61 - ITATUBE Journal 1 2020

Preview: Tube 2020
alongside the wire 2020 trade fair, will now be held—in com- pliance with “strict new hygiene and social distancing rules”—at a well-prepared trade fair grounds in Düsseldorf in December 2020.
As the world-leading international trade events in these industries, wire and Tube routinely attract tens of thousands of visitors from across Europe and the rest of the world. And the organizers report that initial figures indicate a COV- ID-related reduction in numbers of barely 6%. Clearly, we at the ITA are not the only ones who have taken the decision to fully commit to our international meetings.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pan- demic is rekindling the debate about technology’s impact on the future of work. The inevita- ble coronavirus-related recession, however deeply it may bite—and precisely how bad any such reces- sion may be is currently pure con- jecture—is likely to cause a spike in automation.
Why? Because research has shown that automation happens in bursts, and particularly in difficult times such as in the wake of eco- nomic shocks, when human labor becomes more expensive relative to companies’ available revenue. Certain automatable tasks will easily be replaced with a mix of technology and higher-skilled workers.
This trend is of course more pro- nounced in some sectors than in others. As we’ve noted elsewhere, innovation and technological pro- gress will be central to recovery, particularly in our industries. The reskilling of workforces, educa- tional exchange, the exchange of ideas and groundbreaking initia- tives, all of these are fundamental
features of Tube. They are also the main reason why we need these events more than ever before.
Staying in touch
The ITA is dedicated to staying in touch with members and clients, even more so in periods of crisis such as the pandemic and its after- math. We have events planned, both on the virtual plane (more on that topic elsewhere in these pages), and in anticipation of a time, later in the year, when face- to-face meetings become possible once again.
Of course we will have our usual booth at the Tube fair in December and will be organizing our well- known features, such as Students’ Day and the Booth Party exclu- sively for members—all whilst fully observing hygiene and social distancing measures as required by the organizers.
The Annual General Meeting will be taking place virtually and details of this will be published at a later date. Also still to come are the details of our popular ITA Conference which was originally due to take place in April 2021. It is anticipated the rearranged Con- ference will now take place in the autumn.
We are expecting a busy second half to 2020, look forward to an eventful Tube Düsseldorf, and are excited to think what 2021 is going to bring.
ITA – International Tube Association
Heinz-Ingenstau-Strasse 9 40474 Düsseldorf Germany
Tel.: +49 211 947-5650 Fax: +49 211 947-3938
info@itatube.org www.itatube.org
ITAtube Journal No1/July 2020
61