Fully booked halls, satisfied exhibitors and an attractive programme
High quality audience at northern German manufacturing trade fair
NORTEC 2016 has further strengthened its position as northern Germany’s foremost meeting place for decision makers and experts from the manufacturing industry. With roughly 450 companies from 16 countries, this year's NORTEC set a new exhibitor record. Returning for the 15th time, the trade fair of the manufacturing industry in northern Germany drew approximately 12,000 visitors, and most notably, a significantly increased number of decision-makers before closing its gates on Friday 29 January. For four days, future-looking technologies, innovative manufacturing solutions and other key topics of the industry, from 3-D printing through to "Industry 4.0", were at the centre of attention in the halls of Hamburg's fair complex.
"NORTEC 2016 was a full success. The fair concept of representing all stations of the value chain in modern production while targeting visitors from all across northern Germany was received extremely well. The success of NORTEC also highlights the strength of northern Germany as an industrial region," says Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC), which hosted the fair.
Increasing number of decision-makers
Exhibitor satisfaction was high, as many comments revealed. Many praised the high quality of visitors from the industry, an observation which was confirmed by a visitor poll conducted by an independent market research Institute on behalf of HMC. The number of visitors with discretionary authority was at 77 per cent, 11 percentage points higher than in the previous year's event. 48 per cent of visitors where executive-level employees of their respective companies, likewise an increase from the 2014 fair. The overall visitor response was positive, as well. 78 per cent rated NORTEC "very good" or "good", while 90 per cent said their expectations had been met.
Lars Reeder, CEO of HEIN & OETTING Feinwerktechnik GmbH and a member of the board of directors of the northern German chapter of VDMA, the German engineering industry association, was highly pleased, as well: "This was a very lively and exciting trade fair. We were able to engage in a continuous and intense exchange of views with customers, and to establish numerous new contacts."
NORTEC was accompanied by an elaborate program of lectures, workshops and fascinating special exhibits. In particular, the 3-D printing special exhibition, which displayed objects such as a sports car prototype with a body made by a 3-D printer, attracted a large crowd.
The marketplace for the northern German industry
One of the highlights at this year’s NORTEC stand of DMG MORI Hamburg GmbH was the company’s new ECOLINE series of turning machines which are geared primarily towards northern Germany’s top manufacturing industries: healthcare products, aerospace and automotive engineering. CEO Wolfgang Schäkel says he appreciates the leading role NORTEC plays for northern Germany, as well as the increasing attendance of the fair. "This trade fair is firmly established as a buyers' fair and a platform for decision-makers," he says.
Michael Stockmann, head of North Germany Sales at SolidCAM GmbH, says: "To us, NORTEC is the gateway to the north. We have acquired most of our northern German customers right here. Every year I look forward to this industry fair because there is no other trade event in Germany that provides this kind of focused and efficient working atmosphere.” Patrick Burgun, Manager, ESPRIT by DP Technology Germany GmbH, agrees: "For our company, NORTEC is the most important trade fair in Germany’s north. It is a perfect staring point for us to engage with our northern German customers. This fact alone is motivating enough to make us come back every year."
Stefan Gromm, owner of Gustav F.W. Lange oHG, the Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and northern Lower Saxony sales partner of SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG, the leading manufacturer of clamping and gripping solutions, comments: "NORTEC has been a gold mine for us, and it has exceeded our expectations. We were able to communicate with many major customers and establish numerous new business contacts.” Yet another voice of a highly satisfied exhibitor is that of Paul Horn GmbH Hartmetall-Werkzeugfabrik. "At NORTEC we were in touch with all key decision-makers from northern Germany's key industries: aerospace, medical equipment, shipbuilding and gear making," says CEO Lothar Horn.
Cooperation across borders
Companies from the neighbouring countries are increasingly discovering the potential offered by northern Germany's industry, as well. For example, Danish suppliers have been presenting their offerings at NORTEC in a shared booth since 1998. Their fair appearance is organised by CFU, the association of the Danish supply industry. "Most of our members are SMBs. Their core competencies are an excellent match for the needs of northern German industries. This results in a number of interesting synergies,” says Elisabeth Forsberg Nørgaard, HMC’s foreign representative for Denmark and Iceland. An excellent example is Firma LPM Production A/S, a company specialising in sliding head turning and product optimisation. "We are overwhelmed by the positive atmosphere here in Hamburg and acquired two new customers on the very first day of the fair. You can hardly do better," says Sales Manager Jenz Brietzke.
The Dutch industry association Verenigde Maakindustrie Oost (VMO) attended NORTEC for the first time this year. "From the very beginning we were attracted by an extremely positive atmosphere. Networking with other exhibitors was very easy, as well," says Bert Hurink, Sales Manager at Herikon BV, a VMO member company specialising in highly sophisticated polyurethane and silicone products.
Record attendance at VDMA workshop
The NORTEC forum, offering a top-quality programme of lectures, workshops and conferences on current industry topics, including "Industry 4.0" and 3-D printing, was extremely well received. The VDMA workshop "Ramping up to Manufacturing 4.0" was especially well attended. "This is a topic no industrial company can ignore. We were able to demonstrate existing production applications as well as products. In addition, we had prepared handouts with graphics allowing attendees to define a personal benchmark. At next year's NORTEC, we will check how these companies have evolved," says Dr Jörg Mutschler, General Manager, VDMA Nord. A record attendance of 150 participants gave strong evidence of the impact this topic has on the industry. During the workshop, companies such as GROB, Mindelheim, presented practical examples and explained the milestones and steps leading up to the implementation of "Industry 4.0". "We were very excited to be given the opportunity to showcase our innovations to an industry audience. Conditions were ideal, and the exchange of ideas with other companies worked very smoothly," says Peter Hermanns, Head of Department, Universal Machinery at GROB.
Highlighting tomorrow's 3-D printing and laser technologies
The 3-D Printing/Additive Manufacturing special exhibition, organised in cooperation with LZN Laser Zentrum Nord, was a true magnet to visitors. Professor Dr Claus Emmelmann, CEO of the LZN and Head of the Institute of Laser and System Technologies (iLAS) at Hamburg-Harburg Technical University, comments: "The 3-D printing special exhibition drew great interest among fair visitors. Of course, the spectacular “Light Cocoon” concept car with its 3-D printed bodywork was a head turner. The “Light 2016” conference on laser technology was also very popular. With its programme NORTEC gave an impressive demonstration that it is indeed the optimal stage for presenting industrial innovation, trends and new developments for the manufacturing sector in northern Germany."
Not surprisingly, the winner of this year's NORTEC Awards was a representative of the 3-D printing segment: SLM Solutions Group AG, based in Lübeck, and JUREC Engineers jointly received the coveted innovation award for their high-pressure reactor made in an additive manufacturing process. "We're excited to have been chosen for this award. The award ceremony was arranged very tastefully, and we had many very interesting conversations at our stand afterwards," recalls Andreas Frahm, CEO of SLM Solutions GmbH. The 3-D special exhibition was a roaring success, he emphasises: "We were positively surprised that the concept went over so well."
The next NORTEC will take place from 23 to 26 January 2018 at the Hamburg fair site. For further information go to www.nortec-hamburg.de/en