Top Marks for Trade Fair Quartet GIFA, METEC, THEMPROCESS and NEWCAST 2007

“The Bright World of Metals” impressed exhibitors and visitors alike

This summer, satisfied faces could be seen everywhere at the four technology trade fairs, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST. The visitor and exhibitor survey commissioned by Messe Düsseldorf confirms this excellent mood. More than 97 percent of the 77,000 trade visitors said positive things about their visit to the four trade fairs. And the 1,700 exhibitors, too, gave mostly good marks to the trade fair quartet. They are now dealing with the intensive post-fair business. “The good economic situation and the increasing globalisation have presented us with a particularly successful trade fair period this year, and exhibitors and visitors alike are reaping the many benefits,” Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, is happy to report on the excellent response to the four technology trade fairs. The already high level of international appeal is increasing further and underlines the four fairs’ ranking as leading events, which – despite their specialty character, yet because of their combination – offer visitors the worldwide technology range of the “bright world of metals”, comments Dr. Gutmann Habig, Managing Director of the VDMA Professional Associations for Thermo-processing Technology, Foundry Machinery and Smelting and Rolling Works Equipment.

GIFA 2007, 11^th International Foundry Trade Fair with WFO Technical Forum, attracted more trade visitors from Europe and Asia
793 companies showcased their machinery, systems and products at the 11^th edition of GIFA. More than 51,000 experts from 43 countries visited the largest international foundry trade fair this year. Thus, GIFA continues to build on the excellent results of 2003. However, the overall level of international visitors has increased. The number of visitors from Germany tied with foreign visitors for the first time. The share of European visitors was leading the field at 59 percent, as expected. As previously, the largest group of non-European visitors came from Asia (22 percent). “GIFA was successful mainly because it showed that the foundry industry is optimally equipped to meet the growing international demand for new products and technologies. This is one of the reasons why we saw an exceptional level of willingness to invest at this year’s GIFA, which we consider a very positive indicator for the future,” says Hans-Dieter Honsel, President of GIFA 2007 and of the GIFA carrier association, the Verein Deutscher Gießereifachleute (VDG) (German Foundrymen Association).

The trade visitors, 59 percent of whom work in the foundry sector, were particularly interested in foundry technology (70 %), raw, auxiliary and resource materials (24 %), die-casting technology (23 %), foundry chemistry (23 %), supplier industry (22 %) and treatment and processing technology (19 %).

GIFA 2007 was accompanied by the WFO Technical Forum, organised by the World Foundrymen Organisation and the VDG association. The Technical Forum included topics from all areas of process engineering for foundries and provided information on the latest developments in the business sector.

METEC 2007, 7^th International Metallurgical Technology Trade Fair with Congress, reported more visitors and exhibitors
15,500-plus visitors from five continents – about 500 visitors more than in 2003 – attended METEC 2007 in Düsseldorf. The number of exhibitors also increased this year, from 230 in 2003 to a total of 368. The number of international visitors was very high at 51 percent, and has increased slightly compared to 2003. Nearly half of all visitors came from Europe, followed by Asian visitors, with a share of 29 percent.

METEC 2007 visitors were primarily interested in ferrous and non-ferrous metal production (49 %), equipment and components for smelting and rolling works (48 %) and the topics of measurement and control technology and data communication (27 %). In general, visitors hailed from the following sectors: steel and non-ferrous metal production (34 %), services (9 %), iron, steel and non-ferrous metal industry (7 %), commerce (7 %) and mechanical engineering (5 %). “The worldwide demand for steel and other metals has put the industry in a good mood,” summarises Dieter Rosenthal, member of the managing board of SMS Demag AG and President of the METEC Trade Fair Advisory Board, the course of METEC.

Two professional congresses that were held parallel to METEC focused on central developments in the metallurgy industry. The Steel Institute VDEh organised the third International Steel Conference (InSteelCon 2007) and informed on new developments in metallurgical process technology. During 160 presentations, experts provided information daily on the essential steps in the steel production process. The Gesellschaft für Bergbau, Metallurgie, Rohstoff- und Umwelttechnik e.V. (GDMB), the Association for Mining, Metallurgy, Raw Material and Environmental Technology, staged its 4^th European Metallurgical Conference (EMC 2007) on the topic of development potentials in non-ferrous metal production. 

THERMPROCESS 2007, 9^th International Trade Fair and Symposium Thermo-Process Technology, reports record visitor numbers
289 exhibitors presented the latest machinery and systems at THERMPROCESS 2007. In 2003, only 276 exhibitors participated. In total, more than 7,000 visitors – this represents an increase of 27 percent as compared to 2003 - attended the event in Düsseldorf to gather information on the area of thermo-process technology. 45 percent of the fair visitors came from abroad. “As the world’s leading trade fair for industrial furnaces and heat technological production processes, THERMPORCESS has again proven its worth by providing a technological bracket around its neighbouring trade fairs GIFA, NEWCAST and METEC,” reviews Dr. Hermann Stumpp, President and CEO of LOI Thermprocess GmbH and President of the Exhibitor Committee THERMPROCESS.

The focus of the visitors’ interest was mainly on the topics of industrial furnaces and heat treatment systems (75 %), fireproof and heat insulating furnace components and machines (34 %) as well as measurement and control technology and data communication (26 %).

The VDMA Association Thermo-process and Waste-disposal Technology was again successful in organising the THERMPORCESS Symposium. The main topics of this year’s event were heating, heat treatment, diffusion, metallurgical processes, MIM, vacuum technology and induction.

NEWCAST 2007, 2^nd International Castings Trade Fair with NEWCAST Forum, seamlessly follows up on the successful 2003 event
After its successful premiere in 2003, NEWCAST showed robust increases this year. The number of exhibitors grew from 270 in 2003 to 304 in 2007. More than 3,500 trade visitors travelled to Düsseldorf just to attend NEWCAST. The level of international participation at NEWCAST was impressive. Exactly one half of all visitors came from abroad. The successful establishment of NEWCAST, paired with the increased demands on the industry, prompted Messe Düsseldorf to hold NEWCAST every two years from now on. Every four years, it will be held simultaneously with GIFA, METEC and THERMPROCESS.

In connection with NEWCAST 2007, the first international NEWCAST Award for particularly innovative cast parts was presented. In the category “cast part with the best functional integration”, Georg Fischer GmbH from Friedrichshafen impressed with an exhaust gas recirculation cooling apparatus, produced using a sand casting procedure. Claas Guss GmbH from Gütersloh took first prize in the category “best substitution of another production process” with an engine base made of cast iron. Adolf Föhl GmbH + Co KG from Rudersberg presented a holding frame for steering columns made using the zinc die-casting procedure, which was considered the “best casting solution by expanding the limits of the casting process”.

The four trade fairs GIFA (International Foundry Trade Fair with WFO Technical Forum), METEC (International Metallurgical Technology Trade Fair with Congress), THERMPROCESS (International Trade Fair and Symposium Thermo-Process Technology) and NEWCAST (International Castings Trade Fair) were held under one roof at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre from 12 through 16 June 2007. The trade fair quartet will be staged again at the Düsseldorf exhibition grounds in 2011. Because of its new cycle, the next NEWCAST will take place between 23 and 25 June 2009.

Further information is available at www.gmtn.de.

August 2007
Press & Public Relations GMTN 2007:
Christiane Schorn/Jessica Schmidt 
phone: +49(0)211/4560-991 or -996
fax:      +49(0)211/4560-87 991
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