Plenty of quality visitors with decision making authority and firm investment intentions; 35 percent of the more than 7,400 trade visitors attended the parts2clean forum.
Held from 31 May to 2 June, the 14th parts2clean international trade fair for industrial-parts and surface cleaning put in a solid performance, pulling in more than 7,400 visitors. This pleasing figure is due in part to the visitor synergies achieved from the show's co-staging with the O&S international trade fair for surface treatments and coatings and various other specialist trade fairs at the Stuttgart Exhibition Center. But it wasn't just the visitor numbers that had the show's 230 exhibitors from 16 nations in the best of spirits; it was also the visitor quality in terms of relevant industry background and decision-making authority. Indeed, the post-show analysis reveals that a stunning 99 percent of the visitors were industry professionals and that around 85 percent of them were either in charge of their organizations' plant investment decisions or had input into them. Some 33 percent of the visitors indicated they were there with the firm intention of making capital investments, while another 48 percent said they were considering their investment options. "The strong trade visitor turnout cements parts2clean's key role as a global platform for new business development in the industrial parts cleaning technology sector," commented Olaf Daebler, the director in charge of parts2clean at Deutsche Messe AG.
Sixty-five percent of the trade visitors were from EU countries, 25 percent were from other European countries, and around 10 percent were from Asia and the USA. The top four visiting nations were Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. The statistical breakdown also shows that mechanical and plant engineering, automotive manufacturing, surface technology and treatment and metalworking were the top visiting industries.
Meanwhile, 35 percent of the visitors took advantage of the learning opportunities offered by the simultaneously interpreted (English<>German) presentations at the parts2clean forum. The Guided Tours, with their new bilingual German/English format, likewise generated a great deal of interest among the show's international trade visitors – as evidenced by the fact that about half of the participants were from non German-speaking countries. This year's show offered two tours daily, one on "Resource-Efficient Cleaning Processes and Media," and one on "Quality Assurance and Analysis." The feedback from the exhibitors selected for inclusion in the tour routes has been very positive, and many of the exhibitors have signaled their interest in participating in the Guided Tours again at the next parts2clean show.
Quality leads and promising new ventures
The general mood among visitors at the close of the three-day show was one of satisfaction. "It was one of the best trade fairs we've experienced in a long time. We took part in the Guided Tours and used the organizer's press service to profile our new cleaning plant during the lead-up to the show. This boosted the visitor turnout at our stand – so much so, in fact, that all of our staff here were constantly busy with talks and meetings. We encountered visitors from a wide range of industries. The country mix was also very diverse, and included Italy, France, Japan, China, India and Sweden. We will be back again in 2017," reported Christian Härtel, a sales executive at cleaning solutions specialist Zippel GmbH.
parts2clean 2016 also went well for Ecoclean GmbH, as Sales Director Rainer Straub reports: "We were surprised to encounter a large number of customers with ongoing capital investment projects who were keen to finalize their investment decisions. We also fielded a number of very promising new inquiries – no doubt due in part to the new systems we were showcasing. Apart from that, we engaged in fruitful dialogue with business delegates from various Asian countries, including India and Japan."
Berk Gülörten, Sales Manager, Protechnology Endüstriyel Makine Ve Kimya Sanayi Tic. Ltd. Stl., Turkey, was similarly upbeat about the show: "We make aqueous parts cleaning systems and are very happy with our decision to exhibit at this year's parts2clean. We made over 100 promising new leads, which is fantastic. The show is a plus for our company because it attracts industry professionals who know what they are looking for and what they need. And that is why we'll be back again next year." Another company that will be back in 2017 is Sita Messtechnik GmbH, as Marketing Manager Sandra Wensch explains: "This year we had a larger booth, and I'm pleased to say that almost all of our staff here were busy talking to visitors the whole time. We made a lot of new leads. Our customers come primarily from the automobile, metalworking and electroplating industries. The majority of the visitors we encountered came from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, although about a third were from non German-speaking countries. parts2clean is the main event in our trade show calendar, so we will definitely be back in 2017."
This year's show was also rated highly by Olivier Huin, President, Microvision Instruments, France: "It's the fourth time we've exhibited here. We are a provider of software and turnkey solutions for contamination control, so it is vital that we have a presence at parts2clean because all of our competitors exhibit here too. The show has an international focus and has in the past yielded a number of new customers from our domestic market. This year we also encountered strong interest in our systems among visitors from Slovenia, Italy, Turkey and Germany."
Strong visitor interest is also reported by Gerhard Koblenzer, CEO of LPW Reinigungssysteme GmbH: "The show went very well for us, which is in keeping with market trends over the year so far. Our custom aqueous cleaning systems are doing very well. And in the high-purity segment, demand is increasing sharply on the back of industrial processes like coating and adhesive bonding, which have more stringent cleanliness requirements."
Another company experiencing growing demand from more stringent requirements is Bussi Demagnetizing Systems, Italy. Product Development and Sales Manager Pietro Bussi explains: "Demagnetization is an increasingly important part of meeting the stringent standards of particulate decontamination required in the case of ferromagnetic components. The inquiries we fielded from existing and potential customers at parts2clean were very specific to this area, which was very pleasing. The show met our expectations, and we will be back again in 2017."
Chuck Sexton, Global Product Line Manager Industrial, Kyzen, USA, is another exhibitor happy to commit to parts2clean 2017. "parts2clean is one of the top events on our worldwide tradeshow circuit, and this year's show went extremely well for us," he said. "We generated a lot of leads, most of them in the manufacturing industry, although there were a number from the electronics industry. They included leads with both new and existing customers as well as dialogue with our partners from the plant manufacturing sector. And so, for us, exhibiting at parts2clean is always a very good networking opportunity. We'll be here again in 2017."
Networking is also high on the agenda for Dr. Christian Rösener, a chemical service engineer at Safechem Europe GmbH: "All in all it was another very positive parts2clean for Safechem. Our stand received a steady team of visits throughout the show – both from potential customers and from the many professionals using it as the central in-show networking hub for our service alliance. We had a number of key meetings with customers in which we jointly explored and developed new strategies."
parts2clean to return to its October slot from 2017 on
As from October 2017, parts2clean, the international trade fair for industrial-parts and surface cleaning, is reverting to its traditional autumn slot. The next parts2clean runs from 24 to 26 October 2017.
For further information: www.parts2clean.de