ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE STARTS TODAY

The first industry event after a several-month break is approaching. On 31 August ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE opens the season of industry meetings. How do companies and partners assess the past year and the period of virtual interactions? What do they particularly expect from the Fair? What did organisers plan?

Industry records

The PMI index, reflecting the moods of the industry, was at a record level of 59.4 points in June. Polish industry is coming out of the crisis with new, unprecedented dynamics. According to the latest survey by IHS Markit, forecasts of entrepreneurs from the Polish manufacturing sector regarding production volume in the coming year have also improved.

‘These are important forecasts for us. We are preparing the event with great responsibility, bearing in mind that over the years we have raised the bar exceptionally high. It is extremely important for us to provide exhibitors and visitors with the appropriate business quality of the event. Although last year we were not able to organise fairs, we put that time to good use, for example by adding a new tool to our offer: an online meetings platform. It gives companies additional opportunities to gain new contacts and win international markets. This solution has met with great recognition among our exhibitors’

Anna Lemańska-Kramer, ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE Fair Director

Industry Next – a remedy for the crisis

The Fair is not only an extensive exhibition and machinery show, but it also comprises an interesting programme of events. The hybrid formula will include e.g. the already announced Industry Next meeting. The event will be dedicated to support programmes and funds aimed at the development of Polish industry in the new reality. It will also be a place to exchange experience and discuss the application of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things solutions by Polish and global leaders.

‘We will focus on financing of industrial transformation of Polish companies. We will also discuss robotisation and automation as an important support element for production, especially in times uncertain for business. There will also be the topic of the Polish Digital Valley discussed, which is an important pillar for the development of the Industry 4.0 idea in Poland. We have great speakers from leading institutions and industry organisations, as well as experts from originating from companies that can be honestly described as giants of digitisation‘

Anna Lemańska-Kramer.

Fairs build relationships

The exhibitors at ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE have been waiting for months for an opportunity to show their solutions to the world and to return to face-to-face meetings.

‘We have had to significantly remodel our current work mode and switch almost 100% to online talks. It has been mentioned for a long time now that customers are hungry for face-to-face business meetings. Whether this is really the case will be shown at the Fair. So, above all, we are counting on the fact that the visitors will come with specific projects and challenges and that they will be looking for solutions to face them,’

Mateusz Amroziński, FANUC POLAND New Projects Specialist

The view is shared by Wojciech Chudy, Director and Proxy of BOSCHERT POLSKA ‘The pandemic period requires a big mental change and, in particular, a shift from face-to-face to remote meetings with customers. Despite the fact that it is a great facilitation, it cannot replace direct contact. Fortunately, our company has quickly adapted to the reality and thanks to this we can already call this year a good one. For our company, ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE in Poznań is a long-awaited industry event, where we will be able to meet our customers again. We hope that despite the difficult pandemic period, we will manage to meet this goal. According to our business talks, it seems that many companies are looking forward to this Fair,’ he remarks.

‘In current economic activity, the issue of contacts between participants of production and trade processes is of great importance. Their limitation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the economy of practically all countries in the world. During the lockdown, industry, trade and technical contacts were limited to remote meetings. Acquiring new customers and markets has become very difficult. We would like this year’s Fair to be another very important event, which would create a memorable place for its participants to hold important business meetings, interesting promotions and host a large number of exhibitors and visitors. We expect that the ITM Fair will mark the beginning of a new period of business success, and will bring satisfaction to all those who missed direct contacts and exchange of technical and commercial information, which is so important’

Tadeusz Franaszek, President of the Polish Foundry Association.

What are the exhibitors preparing?

Direct contact with new products and product premieres is, for many visitors, one of the most important aspects of participation in the Fair.

‘We plan to show both robots and machine tools. We also wish to present new products, such as the FANUC CRX cobot, whose premiere took place during the deep “lockdown” and so far it has not been presented to a wider audience at a large fair event’

Mateusz Amroziński from FANUC POLSKA

At the BOSCHERT POLSKA fair stand, visitors have an opportunity to see the flagship products, i.e. the CNC press brake and the CNC guillotine. ‘Apart from that, we will also show a compact solution for burring and grinding metal sheets made by Timesavers, a CNC sheet metal rolling mill made by Faccin, one of many models of hydraulic presses made by Sicmi, and of course a wide range of tooling for press brakes and tool punch machines,’ reveals Wojciech Chudy.

Traditionally, the Polish Foundry Association will organise the FOUNDRY Theme Park as part of the FOCAST Foundry Forum.

‘It will be a collective stand attended by Polish foundries and foundry industry suppliers. As every year, it will be a place for meetings and talks with potential customers’

Tadeusz Franaszek

Current trends

The world has changed over the past year, also in the industrial sector. The pandemic has had a major impact on current trends. This has been confirmed by exhibitors and partners of the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE Fair.

‘From a purely manufacturing perspective, many industries have noticed once again that in the production processes it is the human being that is the weak link. Hence, another reason appeared to broaden the interest in automation and robotisation of production’

Mateusz Amroziński

The necessity of implementing solutions based on automation is also raised by Wojciech Chudy, who at the same time emphasises the problem of availability of materials.

‘Today, our customers have to cope with constant increase in the costs of materials and their availability, and as a result they often have to increase the prices of their products. The way to rescue their competitiveness is to increase investments aimed at automation of technological processes,’ he adds.

Tadeusz Franaszek, in turn, is of the opinion that all negative phenomena resulting from the disorganisation caused by restrictions related to the pandemic, also changed traditional forms of doing business and affected its functioning.

‘The year 2020 brought a 20% drop in castings production, resulting in significant restrictions in the production of components and parts of machinery and equipment, which made it difficult to produce finished products on time, and as a result was felt in many industrial sectors, e.g. in the automotive one. The problems have been overcome, and the automotive industry is already seeing a return to normality, which for our industry means an increase in demand for castings. So we hope that this year’s edition of the Fair will further improve this trend’

Tadeusz Franaszek

The power of industry celebration at the Fair

The power of ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE is also built up by the Modernlog – the Logistics, Transport and Storage Fair, 3D Solutions – the 3D Printing and Scanning Fair, Subcontracting and the Focast Foundry Forum taking place at the same time. Special emphasis is put on business relations and acquiring new contacts during the Industrial Subcontracting Exhibition. The event, taking place simultaneously with ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE, is addressed to entrepreneurs looking for industrial subcontractors and contractors ready for new professional challenges. The interaction of those two professional groups is arranged during the International Subcontracting Meetings. As part of this year’s edition of the Subcontracting Exhibition, it will also be possible to take part in a two-day seminar (1-2 September) aimed at those interested in expanding their business into foreign markets and promoting Polish subcontracting abroad. The programme of the event includes presentations of the representatives of the Metalworking Cluster – the National Key Cluster and the Cinnomatech – Cluster of Innovative Manufacturing Technologies.

The Fair will last from 31 August to 3 September 2021, at the fairgrounds of MTP Poznań Expo. This year’s extension of the traditional ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE offer is also a dedicated virtual space, a new place to establish business relations: an online meetings platform.