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27/06/2006
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Number of foreign trade specialists up 17%
Over 49.000 visitors at 24th BIEMH
A total of 49,168 people, 39,706 of them trade specialists, visited the 24th Spanish Machine-tool Biennial at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre on 6th-11th March. The 17% increase in foreign visitors over the figure for the previous event reaffirms the growing international profile of the biennial, which drew trade specialists from 72 countries.
The Bilbao Exhibition Centre considers these visitor numbers to be excellent, given the current situation of the machine-tool market worldwide, and in Spain in particular. In this regard representatives of the AFM (Spanish Association of Machine-tool Manufacturers) stated that “however, in the context of our initial expectations queries of considerable interest have been received and expectations for orders in the coming months have been greatly improved”. AFM sources confirmed that several deals were entered into during the event, some of them very large.
The number of foreign visitors increased by 17% on the previous event, and the number of different countries represented rose from 54 to 72. Portugal, France, Italy and Germany contributed large numbers of visitors, as did Japan, China, India, The Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the UK, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Morocco, Turkey, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
In answer to surveys conducted during the event, domestic and foreign visitors alike indicated that their main areas of interest were the exhibition as a whole, cutting machinery, tools and accessories for machine-tools, automation of production systems, shaping machine-tools, welding, cutting and flame-cutting.
AFM exhibitors highlighted the organizational, technical and commercial aspects of the event as particularly positive.Erection work was completed rapidly, taking advantage of the magnificent facilities at the BEC, which enabled an optimal sectoral distribution to be arranged on a par with the best trade fair complexes in the world.
From a technical viewpoint, the widespread use of technology in high-speed machines, machining with five controlled axes, multi-purpose, flexible machines, linear motors and considerable improvements in ergonomics, safety, appearance, environmental friendliness and design can be highlighted.Significant progress has also been made in shaping machinery for use with new materials and new processes.
The 24th BIEMH featured a total of 1752 firms from 33 countries, on 757 stands.It was a high-level industrial and technological showcase, with the latest innovations in cutting, shaping, metrology, CAD/CAM/CAE, accessories, tools, lasers, marking, automation, hydraulics, handling, robotics, pneumatics, other machinery and welding.
This is the second time that the Spanish Machine Tool Biennial has been held at the new Bilbao Exhibition Centre, and it occupied all six halls of the complex.The sectors occupying the largest surface areas were cutting machine tools (38% of the total), shaping machine tools (21%), tools and accessories for machine tools (11% and 8% respectively).The remaining space was taken up by electrical and electronic equipment, handling and robotics, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment, metrology and quality control, welding and flame cutting, workshop and business services, CAD/CAM/CAE, and other machinery and equipment.
Once again this year DZ Centro de Diseño worked with the AFM and the Bilbao Exhibition Centre itself to convene the National Machine-tool Design Award.This was the eighth edition of the award, and the winners were Danobat, Ineco, Soraluce and Nicolas Correa. A special award was also given to the former general manager of Ona Electroerosión, José Mª Onandía, who passed away recently.
Finally, more than 5000 people downloaded an alphabetical list of exhibitors and their exact locations onto their mobile telephones or PDA’s,enabling them to personalize their itineraries and visit the companies that most interested them.The system used was the pioneering “Xyber Scout” platform, which was made available free of charge on the BEC Website (www.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com) and in the atrium of the complex, where it was used for the first time during the Industry and Technology Summit last September .
The next BIEMH will take place on March 3rd to 8th 2008.
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(Fonte de informação: Bec)
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