Feedback from exhibitors
Andreas Lindner, Director, Bimatec Soraluce Zerspanungstechnologie GmbH, Limburg, Germany
“On the one hand, it is a tradition for us to come to METAV, there is no doubt about that. METAV is an established event for the machine tool industry and I myself have been coming for over 30 years now. On the other hand, it is important that the quality of the visitors is high. And in this respect, we are experiencing the same thing at METAV that we had already noticed at EMO: the total number of visitors to the event is lower than on the preceding occasion, but their quality is much higher. To give you an example: only this morning, we concluded a huge contract worth more than 1 million euros at METAV with a customer who we were not expecting to see today and to whom no quotation had been submitted either. That is exactly the point and underlines the quality of METAV: a customer comes to the trade fair and spends 1 million euros. We are satisfied!”
Nina Bruckner, Director, Karl Bruckner GmbH Präzisionswerkzeugfabrik, Weinstadt
“METAV is very good value for our money. Our main objective here is to cultivate relationships with customers. As a result, we can extend a welcome to our top customers from Southern Germany too and we expect to do good follow-up business after the trade fair.”
Markus Piber, Managing Director, Deckel Maho Pfronten GmbH, Pfronten
“The quality of the customers is very high, because very often they are the owners who are still directly involved with the machines. This of course means that the level of expertise is also very high. The discussions are very interesting, particularly since most customers are interested in a partnership relationship – something that will be a very important instrument for us in future.”
Björn Svatek, Sales and Marketing Director Modular Solutions, Emag Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Salach
“METAV is a classic buyers’ trade fair for us and is one of the best trade fairs where machine sales are concerned. I was surprised by the large number of visitors this year even so. The quality of the discussions held at METAV is definitely higher than in other countries too.”
Lukas M. Mürdter, Field Sales Service, EVO Informationssysteme GmbH, Durlangen
“We had a terrific trade fair here and are very satisfied. Particularly with the opportunity to make presentations in the moulding area too. That was a very interesting experience and we were pleased to receive plenty of good feedback. We are looking forward to coming again in 2020!”
Axel Fehling, Regional Sales Manager / West Germany, Hasco Hasenclever GmbH + Co. KG, Lüdenscheid
“We took part in METAV for the first time in 2016, because we found the new area concept convincing. Hasco’s entire process chain, from machines to standardised part requirements and software, is reflected in the moulding area. It is also important to us that our customers can experience us live and that we can show them our living room, so to speak. METAV is therefore a trade fair that is of strategic importance to us.”
Matthias Funk, Director, Hedelius Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, Meppen, Germany
“We have already sold machines at METAV and we are of course very pleased about that. Times are good as well, after all, so we should benefit from this. We have exhibited at METAV for 25 years now and like coming here. Having less and less time in production means that we need to come to where the people are rather than vice-versa. The visitors include machine operators but also directors, designers and vocational college classes. The trade fair is therefore very important to us as a regional event too.”
Christian Thiele, Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager, Paul Horn GmbH, Tübingen
“Large crowds, very high quality. We were impressed by numerous visitors to the Horn stand at METAV 2018. There was a further increase in the quality of the contacts, discussions and inquiries compared with the previous event in 2016, which was also good.”
Reiner Hammerl, Managing Director of Sales and Marketing, Index-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, Esslingen
“Trade fairs are not generally sales events for us and we do not judge how successful they are by sales figures either. It is, however, the case that we have succeeded in selling our machines here too, so we are of course happy about that. The quality of the customers is encouragingly high and in the meantime they come to trade fairs with very clear goals. There are fewer casual visitors than there used to be. Detailed discussions normally start very quickly and that naturally increases the efficiency of such a trade fair substantially.”
Dr Marcus Stuhlert, Vice President Sales Germany, Mahr GmbH, Göttingen
“The fact that manufacturing and measuring technology are merging is becoming increasingly evident to us. We therefore provide in-line measuring solutions too, in the context of which automation is incorporated in manufacturing with the help of robots. Many plant managers came to METAV who are looking precisely for solutions of this kind. This trade fair is as a result always one of the first indicators of the year. This is where one prepares for the year’s trends. At METAV, we meet more plant managers than quality assurance managers and they come from outside the classic automotive sector too.”
Jens Wunderlich, Sales Division Manager, Profiroll Technologies GmbH, Bad Düben
“North Rhine-Westphalia is too important a market for us, so it is essential for us to participate in METAV. 80 per cent of our customers are smaller metalworking companies. We always welcome customers from Russia at METAV too. They come from privately managed companies that very specifically want to buy German technology.”
Lars Markus, Application Engineering and Service Manager, Additive Manufacturing, Renishaw GmbH, Pliezhausen
“Our main priority is of course corporate presence. Another important aspect is that many schoolchildren and groups of apprentices visit METAV. The shortage of skilled personnel is already having a strong impact on us and we have a live platform here to arouse the interest of young people in new technologies. It is difficult to establish contact with potential recruits otherwise, particularly in view of the fact that there is no classic apprenticeship for additive manufacturing. Although it is a subject taught at universities, more than just university graduates are needed. We chose a bicycle for demonstration purposes to highlight the significance of industrial 3D printing for people’s everyday lives.”
Bekir Kilic, SolidCAM Manager, SolidCAM GmbH, Schramberg
“METAV is a very good trade fair with a great concept. It is no coincidence that we have a large stand here, co-operated with three partners and had three demonstration facilities of our own. The stand is really full when we stand at our machine and carry out a presentation. We are delighted that about 70 to 80 per cent of the visitors come from the region, because we only recently opened an office in Siegen. METAV is a tremendous help to the staff there. They can make new contacts, invite customers and show themselves. All in all, we are therefore very satisfied and can say that all our expectations have been fulfilled.”
Visitors
Paul Pfeiffer, owner, CNC Automatendreherei Eggemann, Enneptal
“I came to METAV to look at machines and possibly to conclude contracts, i.e. to buy machines. We are not here for the first time; we come because the trade fair is nearby and there is always something new to see: new machines or new tools. I enjoy METAV very much; it is very interesting and I like coming regularly.”
Alexandra Lazarevic, Director, Intelligent Air Solutions, Mann + Hummel, Ludwigsburg
“Very exciting, very interesting, we obtained numerous insights and plenty of information. We are at METAV to look for filter casting systems and, of course, digital solutions. We are, however, also informing ourselves about customers’ requirements and wishes, so that we can satisfy them as well as possible. We will definitely be coming back!”
Frank Neuschulz, Managing Partner, Mayer Feintechnik GmbH, Göttingen
“Today I have only photographed the familiar tunnel vision phenomenon and have not experienced it myself. Although the amounts involved have been dizzying. I have spent somewhat more money at the trade fair than I originally wanted to. I have invested EUR 0.6 million in the German economy and have as a result made my personal contribution. Now I am going home again.”
Jasmin Pyka, Apprentice, Phoenix Contact, Blomberg
“What are fascinating are of course the huge CNC machines that we are familiar with from our own company too, where they are, however, much smaller and not as versatile. It is also possible to see different things at METAV.”
Dennis Lautenschläger, Riegler GmbH, Mühltal Nieder Ramstadt
“We are from the medical engineering tool manufacturing field and are finding out what new products are on the market, what innovations there are in milling technology and assembly tooling, for example.”
Roland Ramirez, Director Operations COO, Tridec, Netherlands
“We are buying new equipment for our company and signed the contract today. That was the main reason why we are at METAV. It is very positive that everyone has a great deal of time and is willing to discuss things in detail. It is definitely an alternative to Hanover.”
Feedback about additional events and special stands
Inside 3D Printing Programme Director Franz-Josef Villmer, Professor of Product Development, Innovation Management and Rapid Technologies at Ostwestfalen-Lippe University of Applied Sciences
“The roughly 200 participants were extremely happy with the contents and professionalism of the major international conference Inside 3D Printing at METAV 2018. They appreciated the interesting programme, the lectures by international speakers and the opportunities for discussion and interaction. It was then possible to visit METAV after the conference to see practical examples and to obtain more detailed information following the theory presented in the lectures.”
Peter Bole, Head of the Machine Manufacturing Recruitment Foundation, Bielefeld
“In view of the digitisation process and the changes associated with Industry 4.0, sustainability in recruitment development is the key to corporate success in future. These were among the central issues in the talks we held with instructors and teachers at the special youth show too.”
Andreas Zabel, Lecturer, Institute of Machining Technology, Dortmund Technical University
“With the grinding seminar, we once again created an opportunity for lively interaction between experts from the industrial and research communities. Lectures about three different areas (processes, tools and machine & environment) covered a wide range of grinding technology and finishing issues. The results of research projects about grinding processes and tool development were, for example, presented, as well as solutions for the handling and automation of grinding tools and workpieces. During the animated discussion at the well-attended seminar, the participants were able to interact and make numerous new contacts.”
Düsseldorf, February 2018