Precision tools at AMB 2016

Jul 25, 2016

Manufacturers expect additional boost from AMB and anticipate new production record in 2016

The German precision tool industry has for many years been experiencing one success after another. Apart from the economic damper in 2009, there has been only one direction:Upwards. Last year, the industry again grew by three per cent to achieve the record production value of 9.6 billion Euro. From AMB, the international exhibition for metal working, which will take place from 13 to 17 September in Stuttgart, they expect another boost and want to continue the upward trend at a moderate pace.

"We assume that the German precision tool industry will increase its overall production by around four per cent," announced Lothar Horn, President of the Precision Tools Association in the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) at the start of the year. Half-way through the year, his forecast seems to be confirmed. However, the growth is very unevenly spread over the sub-sectors. For the two sectors represented at AMB, metal-cutting tools and chucking tools, a moderate growth rate of around two per cent still applies. Horn explains this with the equally cautious expectations on the part of the most important client sectors, the automobile and the mechanical engineering industries. However, there would again be a production record. Despite increasing automation, the number of employees is also expected to increase again during the current year.

Lack of specialised personnel is a brake on growth

Much rather, the companies' problem is to find urgently required personnel. Markus Heseding, Director of the Association, explains: "The overwhelming majority of our members currently would like to increase their personnel but cannot find enough specialists. Furthermore, it is increasingly difficult for companies to train sufficient young people in order to be able to grow further." Automation should therefore in no way result in a reduction of personnel, but only compensate at least in part for the shortage. Moreover, in order to continue to play a leading international role in future too, the German manufacturers would still "continually invest a large portion of their profits in research and development." In this way, they want to maintain and further strengthen their technological lead. "This year too, we expect to get a strong business boost from this trade fair," said Heseding in summary.

AMB exhibitors cautiously optimistic

Association forecasts are, of course, always only average values, from which the specific figures for individual manufacturers can differ significantly. This is confirmed by a survey of AMB exhibitors. The example of Hahn+Kolb Werkzeuge GmbH (Stand 1A33): Uwe Schmelzer, Head of Metal Cutting Development and Application Technology, agrees with the association's cautious forecast. The reasons are ailing business areas such as metallurgy or the oil and gas industry. Nevertheless, he looks positively to the near future: "The boom in the automotive industry, for example due to new model ranges in particular of electric cars, will result in an improvement in prospects in the second half of the year."

Although this will not have an effect on turnover until next year, his company is still aiming for double-digit growth for metal-cutting tools already this year. Hans-Jürgen Büchner, Managing Director of Iscar Germany GmbH (Stand 1E31), is also satisfied: "With the exception of the original equipment business and the negative development in the oil and gas extraction industry, growth in turnover is currently satisfactory." At mid-year, Büchner assumes that the stated turnover target will be met. Andreas Enzenbach, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Mapal Dr. Kress KG (Stand 1D12), reports a sluggish start in January. Meanwhile, the year has developed positively "so that we can currently record single-digit growth compared with the previous year."

Significant regional fluctuations in a barely growing market are noted by the Managing Director of the Komet Group Dr. Christof Bönsch (Stand 1B12): "In China and also in the USA, we can see a cooling off, and even the automotive sector, the former engine for growth, is stuttering." He hopes to gain vitalising impetus from AMB. "Slightly less dynamic" is also how Herbert Schmidt, Managing Director of Walter Deutschland GmbH (Stand 1G32) describes the situation. The company wants to counter with "innovative new products in the coming months in order to continue to develop positively against the trend."

In this respect, Dr. Uwe Schleinkofer, Head of Development for the Ceratizit competence brand Cutting Solutions (Stand 2B06), is clearly more optimistic: "We are continually growing and still expect a stable upward trend." The reason for this may be that, as a specialist for hard-to-machine materials, they can anticipate better-than-average opportunities in growth markets such as the aerospace and automobile industries. Paul Horn GmbH (Stand 1I16) also wants to achieve above-average growth. Markus Kannwischer, Head of Technology and Member of the Executive Management: "On the one hand, we are working with new products and intensive customer support towards this objective, and on the other hand with constructional, personnel and procedural themes in order to ensure added value for our customers not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long term."

 

About AMB

More than 90,000 visitors and over 1,300 exhibitors are expected at AMB 2016 in Stuttgart, which takes place from 13 to 17 September. On approximately 105,000 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 2016 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).

 

Date: 13.09.  –  17.09.2016
Place: Messe Stuttgart
Organiser: Landesmesse Stuttgart GmbH
Project team
Nadine Trester
Tel.: +49 711 18560-2178
Fax: +49 711 18560-2026
nadine.trester@messe-stuttgart.de
http://www.messe-stuttgart.de/en/amb/