‘The Bright World of Metals’ further strengthens its position as an international leader
- GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST provide impetus for investment
- More trade visitors from overseas
- Trade fair quartet drives the megatrends ‘Industry 4.0’ and “Additive Manufacturing”
After five eventful days, “Bright World of Metals” came to a successful close on Saturday 29 June, impressively reaffirming its international leading position as the world’s most important trade fair platform for metallurgy and foundry technology. Numerous investments, spontaneous business deals, and a lively exchange of ideas and know-how between exhibitors and trade visitors characterised the extremely dynamic atmosphere in the twelve exhibition halls at the Düsseldorf venue. Both exhibitors and visitors saw GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST achieve good results – and, in particular, further improve on the international reach compared with previous editions: Among exhibitors, this figure stands at 70 per cent (2015: 65 per cent), whilst among visitors it is 66 per cent (2015: 62 per cent).
Key success factors: international reach & decision-making authority
“With around 2,360 exhibitors from all over the world, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST cover virtually the entire international market. Global players are represented alongside small, innovative newcomers and providers of niche technologies,” said Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, Global Portfolio Director for Metals and Flow Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Around 72,500 visitors from 118 countries were welcomed to the exhibition halls over the five days of the event. Demand for European metallurgy and foundry technology is particularly high overseas – especially in the Asian region. This is also reflected in the international country ranking: India and China lead the way here – followed by Italy, Turkey, Japan, France and Russia. “This high level of international participation among exhibitors and visitors is a key factor in the success of the Bright World of Metals and is what makes this quartet of trade fairs so distinctive. For metal and foundry professionals from all over the world, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST are an absolute must,” Kehrer continued.
This is also confirmed by Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Nelissen, President of GIFA & NEWCAST and Managing Director of Vesuvius GmbH FOSECO Foundry Division: “Immediately after the trade fair opened, the lingering uncertainty caused by the economic downturn quickly dissipated, and the rush of trade visitors was enormous. The large number of high-calibre trade visitors from a very international background showed great interest in the exhibitors’ innovations,” said Nelissen. “Discussions focused primarily on digitalisation, automation, additive manufacturing and resource efficiency. If one thing has become clear, it is this: GIFA has clearly reaffirmed its status as the world’s leading trade fair.”
A second key factor in the fair’s success, alongside its high level of international participation, is the calibre of the visitors: More than two-thirds hold senior or middle management positions in their companies and are directly involved in investment decisions. Dr.-Ing. Joachim G. Wünning, President of THERMPROCESS and Managing Director of WS Wärmeprozesstechnik GmbH, can only confirm this from an exhibitor’s perspective: “The atmosphere is excellent. The Bright World of Metals is providing strong impetus for investment decisions – exactly what our industry needs.”
Trade fair quartet: drivers of megatrends
Once again, the metallurgy trade fair quartet has proven itself to be a driver of trends and innovations. In particular, the major themes of ‘additive manufacturing’ and ‘Industry 4.0’ ran like a common thread through the exhibition halls and met with great interest from trade visitors. However, the topics of energy efficiency and resource conservation also shaped the event – as was clearly evident, for example, at the ecoMetals Trails. Burkhard Dahmen, President of METEC and Chairman of the Executive Board of the SMS group, draws a correspondingly positive conclusion: “This year’s METEC sends a clear message and sets a clear direction for the future of metallurgy and steel production. The exhibitors presented solution concepts that primarily reflect the industry’s key future themes: ecoMetals, additive manufacturing, sustainability and digitalisation. Now it is a matter of carrying this spirit forward and putting it into practice for a successful future. I look forward to the results we will see at METEC 2023.”
The next Bright World of Metals, featuring the flagship trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS & NEWCAST, is scheduled for June 2023; the exact date will be confirmed in the coming months.
ITPS 2017
GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST 2019
Monika Kissing/ Michelle Pietsch
Tel: +49 (0)211-4560 543/465
Fax: +49 (0)211-4560 87543