PaintExpo registers strong growth in number of exhibitors, visitors and participating countries
Oberboihingen – With a respective growth of over 14 percent, the 5th leading international trade fair for industrial coating technology held from 8th to 11th April 2014 reached new records regarding the number of exhibitors and visitors. However, PaintExpo didn’t just score on quantity but also quality. The 9,167 visitors from 70 different countries came to Karlsruhe with targeted requests and concrete projects and orders, and were overwhelmed by the range on show.
With the best results ever since it came into being, PaintExpo 2014 in Karlsruhe (Germany) underlined its leading position as a global information and procurement platform for industrial coating technology. 469 exhibitors (14.4 percent more than in 2012) presented products and solutions for wet painting, powder coating and coil coating from 8th to 11th April 2014. They came from 27 countries, with 28 percent of exhibitors coming from abroad. The net exhibition area was 12,634 square meters – a growth of 21.4 percent. “PaintExpo has really developed well. As a high percentage of visitors come from all fields of industrial coating technology, they are able to obtain information about all the different areas. And that’s really well received. We were able to make excellent new contacts and nurture existing ones. When we take part again in 2016, we’ll have even more staff at our booth to cope with the growing number of visitors,” said Bernd Dispan, Sales Manager of Grimm Pulverlacke GmbH. With an increase of 14.2 percent, the 5th leading international trade fair for industrial coating technology also registered a record number of 9,167 visitors. 26.6 percent of professional visitors came from foreign countries. In total, 70 countries (63 countries in 2012) from all continents were represented.
Professional visitors with major decision-making powers, concrete tasks and a willingness to invest
The event organized by FairFair GmbH didn’t just make an impression because of the quantity and internationality of its visitors but also because of its quality. Due to the high levels of specialist and decision-making competence, exhibitors noted that discussions were very specific. “We took part in PaintExpo for the first time this year. Thanks to the many interesting contacts and concrete requests for new coating machines made by visitors from various branches, such as the automotive, cosmetic, aerospace and general industries, we are more than pleased with our appearance at the trade fair and will definitely be exhibiting again at PaintExpo in two years’ time”, reported Tomás Miranda happily, Industrial Engineer and Project Leader at the Spanish company Sidasa Engineering. The business area of Clean Systems Technology at Dürr Systems GmbH also had a successful first appearance at PaintExpo: “The trade fair went very well for us. We had lots of interesting discussions and were able to establish some good contacts that may lead to projects. Visitors came with specific requests and that was exactly what we had been hoping for,” said Thomas Scheiring from the company’s sales department. Markus Koenigs, Marketing Communications Manager of EMEA, Powder Coatings, Axalta Coating Systems, is also more than pleased with the way the trade fair went: “Over the years, PaintExpo has become more multi-faceted and international. Compared to other trade fairs, here we get to meet lots of really high-quality professional visitors. We wanted to present our company and skills in the field of industrial surface coating to such people and were able to surpass this aim by a long way. We had lots of interesting and targeted discussions, some of which I’m sure will result in orders.” Oliver Voigt, Sales Manager of Cefla Finishing Europe, talked about some contracts that were concluded directly at the trade fair: “Our appearance at the trade fair was a real success. We made numerous new contacts. Also in the fields of robot applications, printing and digital printing, we had many discussions and closed new deals. That was even the case for product areas that we hadn’t even exhibited here. It’s extremely probable that we will be coming back to PaintExpo in two years’ time.” This is a certainty as far as Martin Weidisch, Marketing, J. Wagner GmbH, is concerned: “You can really tell that PaintExpo has developed into the industry’s most important meeting point. The public has become even more professional and international and the number of visitors coming to PaintExpo has gone up. Visitors have major decision-making powers and are prepared to invest again in process optimization equipment, with the result that we were able to close some good deals at the trade fair. We’re already looking forward to PaintExpo 2016.” Maximilian Hauck from the sales department at Kaeser Kompressoren also talked about how successful the trade fair was for him: “This was the first time we’d exhibited at PaintExpo and we’re really pleased not only with the quantity but also with the quality of professional visitors attending. It was also good that we were able to establish contacts with suppliers at the trade fair.” Exhibitors in the field of pre-treatment were also delighted by the amount of interest shown by visitors, as reported for example by Patrick Schmidt-Dobrowolny from Technical Sales at NABU Oberflächentechnik: “The visitors are using established pre-treatment systems but are looking for alternatives in order to become more environmentally friendly. As a result, we had quite a number of in-depth discussions and I’m sure that some of those contacts will develop into business relationships. I think that our company has benefitted from taking part in the trade fair”.
Karlsruhe as trade fair location for PaintExpo confirmed
Both exhibitors and visitors appreciated the location of the trade fair. “We’ve been exhibiting at PaintExpo since 2006 and are impressed every time. Not just because of the quality of professional visitors. The organization and location are excellent, too; experience has shown that the trade fair is within easy reach for visitors from faraway countries. Installing and disassembling processes are stress-free - parking, too” said Sascha Schmidt, Sales Manager of TQC GmbH. Tony Wilkinson, CEO of The Aerogen Company Limited from England, not only enthused about the success of exhibiting at the trade fair for the first time but also about the surroundings: “We were taken by surprise by the internationality of the visitors who came to Karlsruhe from Europe, South America and Asia. We were also delighted with the organization and location of the trade fair. We like the pleasant atmosphere here and will definitely be attending the trade fair in two years’ time.”
The next PaintExpo, leading international trade fair for industrial coating technology, will be held in Karlsruhe from 19th to 22nd April 2016. Due to the fact that the exhibition will be held during odd years in the future, just this once the next PaintExpo after that will be taking place a year later from 4th to 7th April 2017. As of 2019, subsequent leading international trade fairs for industrial coating technology will be held again every two years. Because the location is so well received by exhibitors and visitors alike, contracts with Messe Karlsruhe have been extended ahead of schedule right up to PaintExpo 2025.
From 15th to 17th October 2015, together with its Turkish partner Artkim Fuarcilik, FairFair GmbH will be staging the 3rd PaintExpo Eurasia trade fair for industrial coating technology in Istanbul in Turkey. www.paintexpo.de
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Contact partner for editorial matters and requests for photos:
SCHULZ. PRESSE. TEXT, Doris Schulz, (Journalist DJV),
Landhausstrasse 12, 70825 Korntal, Germany, Tel +49 (0)711 854085, ds@pressetextschulz.de, www.schulzpressetext.de
FairFair GmbH, Jürgen Haußmann, Max-Eyth-Strasse 19, 72644 Oberboihingen, Germany, Tel +49 (0)7022 6025510, info@paintexpo.de, www.paintexpo.de
Further comments from exhibitors:
Sandro Albano, Sales Manager, Pulverit Deutschland GmbH
“This was our third visit to PaintExpo as an exhibitor and, just as in previous years, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of visitors and the number of first-class contacts we were able to make.”
Ogün Okyar, Export Manager, IBA Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Turkey
“PaintExpo was especially important to us this year. We met up with all our partners and colleagues from Germany, Russia, Poland, Spain, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia and Ukraine. It was good for our attendance at the trade fair that we could form a multinational team at our booth. We were able to meet up with existing and potential customers and the trade fair was a success for us.”
Thomas Spehr, Managing Director, Wandres GmbH micro-cleaning, Germany
“We had numerous visitors and a highly international public from the automotive industry at our booth. That is also the target group we are want to reach. The trade fair went very well for us.”
Helmut Novosad, European Account Manager, Industrial Coating, Phoseon Technology, USA
“This was our first appearance at PaintExpo and it was highly successful. I was able to talk to many people in responsible positions and they showed great interest in our products.”
Stefan Leers, Managing Director, Wenker GmbH & CO. KG, Germany
“In the past, we only came to PaintExpo as a visitor. However, now that we are active in the automotive industry as a general concern and have developed a new light tunnel, this year we decided to take part as an exhibitor. We saw the chance to present the company to a broader public and we achieved this goal 100 percent. Our attendance at the trade fair was well worth it and our employees were really impressed by PaintExpo.”
Ottavio Milli, Managing Director, Group Eurosider, Italy
“PaintExpo is the most important trade fair in the field of industrial coating technology in Europe. The main reason for this is because all the visitors who come here are involved in coating technology in some way and have the power to make investment decisions. Visitors attend from all branches of the industry and from all over the world. I think the trade fair should be a day longer to give everyone the chance to visit it.”
Paul Liese, Export Manager, Holland Mineraal B.V., Netherlands
“This was our first appearance at PaintExpo and we were really taken by surprise. We hadn’t reckoned on talking to so many international visitors. We’ve made excellent contacts and will definitely be back for the next PaintExpo in two years’ time.”
Petra Schotte-Pirker, Marketing, WIWA Spritztechnik Wilhelm Wagner GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
“PaintExpo was even more successful for us this year than in 2012, particularly because so many international visitors were there. We’ve noticed that this trade fair has become even more important for visitors as an information and procurement platform. We’ve also seen a trend regarding the willingness of companies to make investments again, and that they are showing a lot of interest in new products.”
Lars Holm, Technical Manager, Moldow A/S, Denmark
“PaintExpo is a good trade fair and better known than it used to be. We were able to make some excellent contacts concerning projects and are really pleased. The location is good, too, with visitors coming from all over the world. It was also very interesting for us to observe what went on here – there was a feeling of optimism in the air. We’ll be exhibiting again in 2016.”
Claudia Maria Ferrarese, Marketing & Sales Support, Inropa, Denmark
“The trade fair went very well for our company; we had loads of interested visitors from various branches of the industry at our booth. Our first visit to PaintExpo as an exhibitor was a real success.”
Ajit Gupta, Managing Director, Rapid Coat, India
“Unfortunately we had fewer visitors at our booth than last time but the quality was better. A lot of distributors visited us who are also an important target group for us.”
Oliver Heinrich, Technical Consultant for Sputtering Technology, Lechler GmbH, Germany
“The feedback from visitors is very positive as is the quantity of visitors. PaintExpo is really well-placed and well-organized. Both halls were booked out this year and the range of products covered all areas of industrial coating technology. We were able to make good important contacts with OEMs and major end-users and are very pleased with results.”
Emanuele Mazza, Lesta S.r.l., Italy
“We’re delighted with our first appearance at PaintExpo; we met existing customers, got to know potential customers and established contacts with other companies in the field. We’re also really pleased with how the trade fair was organized – communication in the run-up was excellent. We’ve only got good things to say.”
Pablo Meeuwes, Managing Director, Göttert SA, Argentina
“PaintExpo was very important and really successful for us this year. It’s got bigger since last time and we were able not only to meet up with our customers from South Africa but also from many other countries, as well as initiating new and interesting business relationships. I think the companies here and across the globe want to make processes greener; that demand is just as important as improved quality. We were also really pleased with the organization of the trade fair – German quality at its best.”
Erik Calundan, Marketing Manager, Caldan Conveyor A/S, Denmark
“Caldan has been coming to PaintExpo since 2006 and this year was our most successful visit to date, although 2012 went really well for us, too. Once again, we were able to establish excellent contacts - over 80 percent of them with companies from the area of surface technology. The remaining 20 percent were companies interested in material flow solutions, an area which is also of interest to us. Our booth also had lots of international visitors, with guests from the USA, India, England, France, Italy and other countries. The way PaintExpo is organized and run is also superb, and we attend trade fairs throughout the whole of Europe and the USA.”
Johann Reisinger, Managing Director, Merlin Technology GmbH, Austria
“We already decided during our first appearance at PaintExpo in 2012 that we’d come back in 2014 and that was a good decision. We were able to get to know major customers from the automotive industry during this trade fair that we’d probably not have got the chance to meet otherwise. What’s really good about this trade fair is the professional competence and decision-making powers of the visitors. And you get to meet people from a wide range of industries and countries.”
Nicole Mihlan, Marketing Manager, Venjakob Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
“We’re delighted again with this year’s results – lots of interesting discussions and numerous international visitors. You could tell from the number of exhibitors, area of space occupied and the amount of visitors that we were really well-placed at PaintExpo. We’ll be back again in 2016.”