Last Munich machine tool show went well

The last METAV metalworking machine tool show to be held in Munich attracted around 25,000 visitors from eleven countries, of whom 13% came from outside of Germany - a slight increase.

METAV Muenchen took place this year for the last time.

The machine tools manufacturing sector has spoken out clearly in favour of Stuttgart for 2008.

The VDW has respected this decision, and announced that it will support the AMB in Stuttgart as conceptual sponsor from 2008.

METAV Muenchen 2006, International Trade Fair for Manufacturing Technology and Automation, came to an end on 7 April after four successful days.

Around 25,000 visitors from eleven countries (among them 4,000 schoolchildren and trainees) came along to this event to find out about new products, solutions and services in manufacturing technology.

METAV Muenchen (Munich, Germany), which is organised by the VDW (Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabriken - Association of German Machine Tools Manufacturers) was the first universal trade fair in the current year for the metalworking segment.

The number of trade visitors this year stayed at roughly the same level as in 2004.

At 13% of the total, there was a slight increase in the number of visitors from outside Germany, most of them coming from Austria and Switzerland.

Around a fifth of the proportion of international visitors travelled from outside Europe.

518 exhibitors from 18 countries presented their products and services at METAV on over 25,000m2 of exhibition space (net).

The mood at METAV Muenchen 2006 was generally good, among both exhibitors and visitors.

"There is a certain mood of optimism," noted Christian Behringer, managing director of Behringer in Kirchardt.

Even before the fair started it was clear that the event would be taking place in a more positive economic environment.

Many of the customer groups for manufacturing technology had announced higher investment levels for this year.

This was then reflected at the fair." Over two-thirds of the visitors said in a survey that they held managerial positions within their organisations.

Almost as many again said they had a key role in purchasing decisions.

"Demand was considerably higher than in 2004," reported Gerhard Lenz, sales director at Hoffmann Group in Munich.

Around 40% of the trade visitors indicated that they had come to Munich with specific investment intentions.

One in two wanted to invest in machine tools.

The survey then also revealed that in fact one in five visitors had placed orders at the fair or intended to do so.

The exhibitors were very satisfied with the professional level among the visitors.

Two-thirds were also satisfied with their business success at the fair.

"The visitors came along with specific, technical questions, and we took a number of orders," Roland Ilg, managing director of Alzmetall in Altenmark, was pleased to report.

* Exhibitors expect good follow-on business - ccording to the survey, a further 20% of visitors intended to place orders after the fair.

Almost 70% of the exhibitors are therefore expecting good follow-on business in the weeks to come.

"We took no direct orders during the fair, but METAV was nevertheless a successful fair for us as regards pushing ahead with new projects.

We are hoping for good post-fair business," explained Dieter Schatzl of Wfl Millturn Technologies from the Austrian town of Linz.

For 46% of the trade visitors it was their first visit to METAV Muenchen.

The regional character of METAV Muenchen was consolidated at this second event.

Over 80% of the German visitors travelled from places within southern Germany, i e, in a radius of 300km.

At METAV, as at other fairs, information about new products and new technology was right at the top of the visitors' aims.

Over three-quarters of trade visitors explained that they were there primarily to see new products and to learn more about the technology of specific products.

* Almost all the visitors achieved their goals - one in three trade visitors said that their company was a supplier to the automotive industry.

The visitors, of which 61% came from industry, were interested primarily in metal-cutting machine tools, precision tools and CAD systems.

Over 90% had achieved their goals in full.

Just as many gave METAV a good overall rating.

In view of the generally positive course of the event, Dr Detlev Elsinghorst, chairman of the METAV Committee, forecast at the end of the fair: "METAV Muenchen 2006 has shown that the domestic economy is now getting into gear, as expected.

That is an excellent starting position for METAV Duesseldorf at the end of June.

By then the economic situation should have stabilised further and have an even more motivating effect on the ordering patterns of our customers." * Innovative machine concepts in manufacturing - manufacturers of production technology are still focusing primarily on the themes of system integration and automation.

Higher rigidity is a feature in many of the new machine concepts presented at METAV Munchen, as a way of achieving higher cutting forces combined with high precision.

On the other hand it is important that the dynamics should not suffer.

This is enhanced by the integration of linear drives.

The requirement for greater automation in the capital goods industry will continue in future.

For this reason many of the processing concepts at the fair were presented in association with robot technology and automated conveying.

Careers in machine tools - jobs with power - almost 4,000 schoolchildren and trainees came along to METAV Muenchen, with their teachers, to find out about the career opportunities and the technology in the machine tools sector.

In presentations, discussions sessions and one-to-one talks the young people were able to get an idea of how exciting a job in machine tools manufacturing is today - a job that offers the chance to work with the technologies of tomorrow, in an international environment and together with people from a wide range of disciplines.

* Next METAV exhibition - METAV Duesseldorf 2006 takes place from 20 to 24 June 2006.

What the exhibitors said about METAV Muenchen 2006.

* Agie - EDM - Franz-Josef Sendler, marketing and product management, Agie Schorndorf, Germany: "For us METAV Muenchen - like two years ago - is already a success.

The presence of our customers, the number of visitors and their quality are all very good.

The visitors come mainly from Switzerland and Austria." * Alzmetall - drilling machines, VMCs - Roland Ilg, managing director, Alzmetall, Altenmark, Germany: "On the first three days we were very favourably impressed.

Interest is high.

The visitors had very specific technical questions to ask, and we took some orders.

In comparison to 2004, things look more positive.

It is noticeable that there is a some catching up to do and that the companies are now having to invest." * Behringer - sawing machines - Christian Behringer, managing director, Behringer , Kirchardt: "So far we have had a very good response.

In contrast to earlier fairs this year we took concrete orders.

And that is very pleasing.

It confirms also the situation in the engineering sector in Germany.

There is a certain mood of optimism.

Visitors came from southern Germany and Austria.

Southern and eastern Europe were also represented at the fair." * Hoffmann Group - tooling - Gerhard Lenz, sales director, Southern Bavaria, Hoffmann Group, Munich: "METAV has been outstanding so far.

Demand was noticeably higher this year.

In the cutting segment, interest was tremendous.

The economy is in a better state than two years ago." * Iscar - tooling - Ruben Baranowski, managing director, Iscar, Ettlingen, Germany: "We achieved what we expected to.

Lots of visitors came from Bavaria and Austria.

The latter in particular were the main reason we decided to exhibit here in Munich." * Mori Seiki - CNC turning centres, machining centres - Michael Behrens, managing director, Mori Seiki, Munich, Germany: "So far we have talked to representatives from 450 firms at our stand.

We have already taken a number of orders at the fair for our vertical processing centre.

The circle of international customers included people from Austria, Switzerland, northern Italy and the Czech Republic.

Visitors also came from Russia, too." * Wfl Millturn Technologies - CNC turning centres - Dieter Schatzl, head of Marketing and After Sales Service, Wfl Millturn Technologies, Linz, Austria: "From out point of view the fair went very well - at our stand we talked to very good potential customers from the surrounding countries of Austria, Switzerland and Hungary.

We took no direct orders during the fair, but METAV was nevertheless a successful fair for us as regards pushing ahead with new projects.

We are hoping for good post-fair business.".

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