【Post Show Report】AMB 2016

Nov 14, 2016

Innovation and investment platform for the metal working industry

Exhibitors impressed by the visitors’ propensity to invest / Large number of innovations and further developments presented for the first time

Held in Stuttgart from 13 to 17 September 2016, AMB represented the leading meeting point for the metal cutting industry. Experts and trade visitors were very impressed by the large number of new products and innovations. Specific questions were discussed and investment decisions were made on the stands of the 1,469 exhibitors (2014: 1,357). Two thirds (79%, 2014: 80%) of the 86,156 visitors (2014: 90,331) said they were involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their company.

75% (2014: 72%) of visitors came, by their own account, to the exhibition with specific purchasing and investment intentions. These conditions created a very good atmosphere and a mood of confidence for business in the industry after the event. "An extremely positive mood and smiling faces are clear indications of the success of AMB 2016," enthused Ulrich Kromer, President of Messe Stuttgart.

There was very little change in the industry affiliation of trade visitors. Mechanical engineering accounted for the largest proportion of visitor industries at 37% (2014: 33%). It was followed by the metal working and processing industry at 24% (2014: 23%), the automotive industry and motor vehicle construction at 17% (2014: 18%), tool construction and mouldmaking at 12% (13%) and metal construction enterprises at 9% (10%). More than one third of visitors said that AMB was the only event which they attended. Around 50% of visitors were certain that AMB would become more important in future.

Slight increase in the proportion of exhibitors and visitors from abroad
408 (2014: 359) exhibitors came from abroad. Italy was in first place with 52 exhibitors (2014: 49), followed by Switzerland with 49 (2014: 41), Spain with 24 (2014: 26), Japan with 20 (2014: 18) and Austria with 19 (2014: 16). There was a similar picture regarding the visitors: 16% (2014: 15%) came to AMB in Stuttgart from outside Germany. Visitors were recorded from 89 countries (2014: 75). The top 5 visitor countries were Austria at 17% (2014: 19%), Switzerland at 15% (2014: 15%), Italy at 7% (2014: 8%), Scandinavia accumulated at 7% (2014: 6%) and France at 6% (2014: 5%). The economically strong southwest was still the region where most of the German visitors originated.

Exhibitors looking to post-event business with confidence
"There was a very large number of visitors on our stand every day of AMB. However, what was even more important to me was the fact that they were very interested in technical issues and had specific projects in mind. The overwhelming majority of customers were interested in process optimisation and Industry 4.0 topics. The mood among customers was also extremely positive," concluded AMB exhibitor Stefan Pross, Head of Sales at DACH Komet Group GmbH. Gabriele Urhahn, Head of Marketing and Communication at GF Machining Solutions GmbH, added: "We were very satisfied with the number and expertise of visitors. The key topics were solutions, automation cells, automation, new technologies, additive manufacturing and lasers. Interest in Industry 4.0 is developing steadily and becoming increasingly more specific."Siemens AG organised its presence at AMB 2016 with an innovative feature. "We rented a larger room in the conference area for the first time. That went down very well with customers. Topics such as the digitalisation process chain or simulation are very complex and can be better discussed in peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the exhibition. We will therefore do the same at the next AMB," said Jürgen Köhler, Head of the Southwest Region at Siemens AG, in regard to the new exhibition strategy.

Professional and promotional supporters attest to the mood
"AMB is established as one of the most important industry exhibitions and also fulfilled the expectations of our members in 2016. Full exhibition halls right from the very start, high-quality visitors in terms of their decision-making authority and propensity to invest, as well as the extremely good mood among exhibitors and visitors created the impetus, which we had anticipated, for the continued positive development in the second half of the year. We therefore assume that the 2% increase in machine tool production predicted by us prior to the exhibition will be attained," concluded Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Managing Director of the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW).

Lothar Horn, Chairman of the VDMA Precision Tools Association, concurred with this estimate: "The very high standards at the previous event were maintained. The discussions on the exhibition stands were very enjoyable while the exhibition halls were bursting at the seams. We felt really at home here, AMB is staged in exactly the right place in Stuttgart."Markus Heseding, Managing Director of the VDMA Precision Tools Association, added: "The première of our Industry 4.0 Forum on our stand in Hall 1 went down very well. We attracted large crowds and many interested visitors to the expert talks. We will extend and continue this format in future.". Meinolf Gröpper, specialist adviser in the IT Department of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), summarised: "Digitalisation and virtualisation within the meaning of Industry 4.0 not only took place in Hall 4. The topic was present throughout the exhibition halls and the great interest among visitors could be discerned."

Increased demand for AMB Iran
Some exhibitors are already looking forward to the next AMB event. The exhibition with accompanying technology forums and pavilions will be held for the second time in Tehran from 23 to 26 May 2017. After the very successful début of AMB Iran in Tehran in 2016, it was quickly seen after the announcement of the next date of AMB Iran that there is enormous interest within the machine tool and precision tool construction industry. A three-year contract covering 2017, 2018 and 2019 was signed to stage AMB Iran at the newly opened Shahr-e-Aftab Trade Fair Centre. "The high demand ensures that we are relocating to a larger venue because we want to develop AMB Iran as the most important metal working exhibition in the country. The new Shahr-e-Aftab Trade Fair Centre in Tehran is ideal for us. The objective is to double the size of the event," said Ulrich Kromer, President of Messe Stuttgart, describing the visions for the future. The next AMB will be held in Stuttgart from 18 to 22 September 2018. And then with the new Paul Horn Hall (Hall 10) and an additional 15,000 square metres of gross exhibition space.

About AMB

More than 90,000 visitors and about 1,450 exhibitors are expected at AMB 2018 in Stuttgart, which takes place from 18 to 22 September. On approximately 120,000 square metres of exhibition space, the exhibitors showcase innovations and further developments for metal-cutting machine tools, precision tools, measurement technology and quality assurance, robots, workpiece and tool handling technology, industrial software & engineering, components, assemblies and accessories. AMB 2018 is backed by the professional and conceptual sponsors, the VDMA Precision Tools Association, the VDMA Software and Digitalization Association and the Association of German Machine Tool Manufacturers (VDW).

For more information, please visit http://www.messe-stuttgart.de/en/amb/