Signs pointing to expansion

AMB 2018 will be bigger than ever / Industry figures attest to the right time for investments.

Experts from the machining and metal-working industry will meet at AMB for the 19th time from 18 to 22 September 2018. More than 1,500 exhibitors will present their developments and innovations on a gross exhibition area of more than 120,000 square metres. There is every indication that AMB 2018 will be the biggest AMB ever. “With the new Paul Horn Hall (Hall 10), the special AMB show “Digital Way” and the related Congress, we have created ideal conditions to make AMB 2018 even larger and better,” said Ulrich Kromer von Baerle, CEO of Messe Stuttgart.

Sales markets in Germany and some parts of Europe are booming at present. The Council of Economic Experts, the so-called “Five Sages of Economy”, is predicting that gross domestic product in Germany and the eurozone will rise by 2.2 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively in 2018. Industry associations such as the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) expect production of machines and plant to increase by 3 per cent in real terms. “Exhibitors have confirmed to us that the capacities in the industry are currently running at the highest level since 2008. Now would be the right time to make necessary investments. AMB offers a unique platform in this respect since it enables exhibitors to present the latest state of the art and show what is now possible in regard to digitalisation in production,” said Gunnar Mey, Department Director Industry at Messe Stuttgart.

According to Reiner Fries, Sales Director at Schwäbisch Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, AMB is a magnet for visitors and exhibitors alike: “Southern Germany is the country’s strongest region in terms of the production of machine tools and accessories. Every renowned manufacturer will be represented at AMB 2018. They will present genuine innovations and provide a good overview for investment decisions.“ Fries said that his company will exhibit fully automated machines as a highlight at AMB.

“AMB in Stuttgart is one of the most important exhibitions for our company since the entire industry meets there and the event therefore becomes an attraction for our target group. As the largest mechanical engineering exhibition in southern Germany, AMB is becoming increasingly more important due to its location in Stuttgart. It is the ideal counterpart to EMO. During AMB 2018 we will show our innovations from the machine portfolio in the area of universal machines and will present the GROB automation solutions.
Industry 4.0 will be a key topic in the context of our latest GROB-NET4Industry applications,” said Jochen Nahl, Sales Director.

Sales Manager Marcus Steudel also believes that now is the perfect time for investments and digitalisation in production. He summarised the exhibition focus of Schneeberger Maschinen AG as follows: “We will show the technically future-oriented level of grinding technology both from the aspect of mechanical engineering and in regard to the man-machine interface, and will present the entire range in our capacity as the manufacturer with the world’s largest spectrum of 5-axis grinding machines.

“The metal-cutting industry is faced with major challenges at present. We believe that AMB, as the leading exhibition in the metal-working industry, has the potential to provide fresh impetus for positive growth in sales. The Komet Group will again showcase a large number of innovative solutions and products at AMB 2018. Clear objective: to continuously give our customers suitable tools for increasing productivity. Visitors to our stand can expect to see efficient standard precision tools, project-related developments and digital products relating to metal-cutting and productivity,” said Marten Veenendaal, Marketing Manager of the Komet Group.

According to Dr. Michael Klinger, Managing Director of Seco Tools GmbH, the clear advantage of AMB is the extensive information which visitors obtain on the latest trends and development in the areas of machine tools and precision tools. “AMB also features a wide range of accompanying and special programmes in this respect. The target group-specific theme areas provide visitors to the exhibition with great value-added. This will certainly also have a positive effect on decisions to attend AMB that are made in the run-up to the event.” During AMB 2018 Seco Tools 2018 will focus on the presentation of innovative metal-cutting solutions and new consulting services which comprise the entire area of metal-cutting production.

According to Manuel Sens, Marketing Manager of Gehring Technologies GmbH, the company is prepared for the visitors’ requirements: The “keyword” digitalisation is on everyone’s lips. It is now essential to show how business and production processes can be optimised in very specific terms. During AMB 2018 we will present comprehensive approaches with the emphasis on our system concept and our integrated range of services. We will exhibit different applications which have been implemented in practice and offer genuine added value.”

Andreas Walbert, Head of Marketing & Product Planning at Makino Europe GmbH, emphasised the ideal general conditions at AMB with the first-class transport connections and the modern trade fair centre. However, he also saw other advantages: “The expertise of the exhibitors and visitors is hard to beat. All the big names are present there. The contents of the exhibition stand is what counts rather than its size. And these contents are at an extremely high level.” He announced new product highlights and innovations from the area of Industry 4.0 since digitalisation of products and services is also right at the top of the agenda at Makino.