WELCOME TO THE PRECISION FAIR Dear reader, This year we are celebrating the twentieth edition of the Precision Fair. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, but precision technology is something that fascinates me immensely. It is all around us - in smartphones, mechanical engineering, and medical technology - without being visible to us. Without it, the world would be nowhere. The magazine in front of you is a collection of articles that looks back at the past, reflects on the present, and looks ahead to the future. A big Thank You is in place towards Geert Hellings and Hans Houdijk, without whom this Fair would never have been what it is right now. You will meet both of them further on in this magazine. In recent times, the industry has made great strides towards becoming even more compact and precise. It went from micrometer to picometer and the demand for even smaller measurements, manufacturing and construction kept on rising - and continues to do so. For a brief retrospective of the most important innovations and technologies, we spoke with Hans Krikhaar (DSPE). In the 20 years that the Precision Fair has been held, precision technology has secured a permanent place in the industrial sector. Jan Visser, Industrial Liaison Officer at CERN and coordinator of the ILO-net, knows better than anyone else that we, as the Netherlands, are participating in the chain on a world-class level. In this magazine, he tells us all about the special collaborations happening in this sector. Another trend is that more and more companies are gravitating towards a life-long learning path. After all, technology is moving so fast that people regularly need further training. In this issue, we spoke with Hans van Kimmenade, one of the most inspiring lecturers in the sector. For many years, he has been giving the ‘Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing’ course on behalf of Mikrocentrum. You will also find a visual timeline in this magazine that takes you back in time. You can read an interview with delegate Martijn van Gruijthuijsen (Province of North Brabant) and we introduce some of the speakers at the Precision Fair. Speaking of which, I would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you once again to the Precision Fair. Meeting people, working together, and sharing knowledge is indispensable if we want to grow as a sector. Our team has been organizing this event with plenty of enthusiasm for the past 20 years and we hope to add at least another 20 more editions to that list. Last but not least, a special mention goes to the Province of North Brabant as the partner of this magazine. Thanks for making this possible! I hope you enjoy reading this magazine and look forward to seeing you on the 10th and 11th of November in the Brabanthallen! Kind regards, Bart Kooijmans Manager Precision Fair Mikrocentrum 3
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