Maquitec 2005 brings knowdelege, innovation and new markets for Spanish Metallurgy

Fira de Barcelona’s industrial fair will be held from the 25th to the 29th October in halls 3 and 4 of the Gran Vía exhibition centre Around 800 companies will be representing exhibits of the latest in products, services and processes for the metallurgy industry The sectors with the biggest presence in Maquitec 2005 are machine tools; welding; subcontracting; accessories and automatisms; CAD/CAM and cutting tools From this year onward, Maquitec will be held during odd years and maintain its biennial frequency The conferences will make Maquitec an excellent forum of debate on the future of the metallurgy industry El salón de Fira de Barcelona se convierte en observatorio de tendencias en la industria y promueve la introducción de las empresas españolas en nuevos mercados como la Europa del este o los países mediterráneos Dentro de Maquitec se celebrará el día 25 la primera sesión del Meda Industrial Forum que tiene a Marruecos como país invitado. El ministro de industria marroquí, Salah Edin Mezouar, participará a las 11.00 horas en la sesión inaugural del evento junto con empresarios alauitas La sexta edición de Maquitec, que se clausuró en el recinto Gran Via M2 de Fira de Barcelona el pasado sábado 29 de octubre, registró 20.764 visitas de profesionales vinculados a la actividad industrial. La gran concentración de compradores en el nordeste peninsular –el 40% de la demanda del sector– convierte Maquitec en un salón donde se realizan numerosos contactos comerciales. Muchos de los expositores declararon haber superado sus expectativas de participación, cerrando diferentes operaciones de venta en el salón y, en general, las empresas participantes valoraron nuevamente la calidad del visitante.

The sixth Maquitec will be held from the 25th to the 29th October 2005 in Fira de Barcelona's Gran Vía M2 exhibition centre. 800 companies exhibiting solutions for all metallurgical processes will be represented at 225 stands. Maquitec has an established position as a trade fair which provides information, shows innovation and promotes the globalisation of companies of the metallurgy sector in new markets, such as the Euro-Mediterranean Area.

20,000 m2 gross will provide the setting for companies specialised in the following: stock-removing machine tools, machine tools, welding, cutting tools, hydraulics and pneumatics, CAD/CAM, measuring and control, thermal and surface treatments, accessories, automatisms, tooling, subcontracting and engineering and support services, which are all tightly linked to the needs of industrial activity. 

A distinguishing feature of Maquitec is that it is held in an area of major industrial consumption. 40% of demand is concentrated in the north east of the mainland. Another notable aspect is the high level of professionalism and loyalty of its visitors, which translates into trade contacts for participating companies, thereby increasing the potential for profitability. The organisers expect an audience of more than 25,000 trade visitors.

Maquitec is a trade fair of interest to professionals of sectors such as Automobiles; Consumer Electronics; Domestic Appliances; Construction; Transport and Communication; Electricity and Optics, among others, many of whose major manufacturers and suppliers are located in Catalonia and its hinterland.
 

Exhibits

The Fira de Barcelona trade fair shows the transformation of the industry with the incorporation of new technologies in industrial design and production processes. Automation, the growing importance of engineering, innovation applied not only in the development of new products and more efficient production methods, but also design, business management, marketing tools, etc. are some of the key areas that define Maquitec.

The major sectors represented are: stock-removing and metal-forming machine tools; welding; sub-contracting; accessories and automation. Maquitec is a unique event, providing a contact point with suppliers of products and services for the different processes within the metallurgy industry.  

Sector distribution

A valued aspect of the trade fair is the careful grouping of sectors making it easy for visitors to locate specific exhibitors. Pavilion 3 will house stock-removing machine tools; cutting tools; CAD-CAM and subcontracting; while metal-forming machine tools; welding; hydraulics & pneumatics; tooling; automation; measuring & control; thermal and surface treatments; accessories and engineering can be found in Pavilion 4.

Side events

At a time of change from the traditional industrial model, Maquitec gives professionals the opportunity to keep up with the latest trends with a full programme of conferences and debates which analyse the sector, the latest technology, the state of innovation, competition from other markets and emerging sectors like sub-contracting.

One of the events being held on the 25th and 26th October is the Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Cooperation Forum, organised by Fira de Barcelona and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with ASCAME.

The debate forum will provide an effective means of cooperation between north and south Mediterranean countries; it will discuss the state of industrial innovation in the Euro-Mediterranean area, with a report by ANIMA and Marseille Innovation which identifies the technological centres available in the region; and it will present the experience of Morocco as a country that attracts foreign investment and establishes industrial alliances with European companies. The Meda Industrial Forum will provide the setting for a series of business meetings. Over a thousand business representatives from 16 countries have confirmed their presence and will meet with Maquitec exhibitors. Representatives from Euro-Mediterranean institutions will participate in the forum. The list includes the Moroccan Minister for Industry Salah Edin Mezouar and the Conseller d’Indústria i Treball de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Josep Maria Rañé, who will also give the opening address at the inauguration of Maquitec, at 5.30 p.m. on the 25th. The Spanish Minister of Industry, José Montilla, will visit Maquitec on the morning of Saturday, the 29th of October.

On the 27th and 28th of October, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce is organising the European Subcontracting Forum and the 5th European Industrial Subcontracting Encounters at Maquitec. Both events will analyse the business opportunities in subcontracting and provide the setting for meetings between potential users of their services. 

With the aim of establishing the situation of Catalan subcontractors, the opening seminar of the European Subcontracting Forum will include the presentation of the report “Industrial multi-localisation and its repercussions in Spanish industrial subcontracting companies”. The Forum will also provide the setting for four practical workshops, with the presence of experts on the contents of the 5th European Industrial Subcontracting Encounters: metallurgy, plastics, electronics and aeronautics. These encounters will put European buyers in contact with Spanish subcontractors able to respond to their specific needs. 

On the 28th October, Maquitec will also host a conference, organised by the Asociación Española de Responsables de Compras y Existencias, “View of the new industrial economy and purchases”, which will focus on the machine tool and subcontracting sectors and will examine the Mexican and Czech markets. 
On the same day, the trade fair will also provide the setting for a PIMEC INNOVACIÓ Cycle of Conferences called "How to create your own product and market ".  These conferences will be about industrial design and the protection thereof, marketing and entry into new markets and financing and public subsidies within the reach of companies.
New Markets
Internationalisation is one of the most effective alternatives for surviving in a globalised market, in which companies cannot only depend on domestic demand. Exports are consequently critical to the success of the Spanish metal sector and Maquitec, through the business encounters and associate trade missions, provides excellent access to trade contacts with professionals from European and Mediterranean countries.
2005: Transitional show

The Maquitec year has changed and Spain’s leading metallurgy trade fair will in future be held in odd years. This decision, unanimously agreed by the Organising Committee, is the reason for holding Maquitec shows during two consecutive years, in 2004 and in 2005.

When the organisers decided on the new dates, they thought of the 2005 show as a transitional one with the normal sequence of Maquitec continuing in 2007.

The metal industry

The metal trade and industry in Spain occupies an outstanding place in the Spanish economy, given that it accounts for 12% of the GDP. Turnover in the metal industry in Spain is almost 118,000 million euros, which represents almost a third of industrial production (35% of turnover). Exports account for around 50% of total Spanish industrial exports and three quarters go to the European Union. The metal industry and trade encompass the following activities: metallurgy and metal products, mechanical goods and equipment, electronics and information technology, material for transport, distribution and storage, vehicle sales and repair, electrical installations, plumbing, air conditioning and heating and hardware. 

Maquitec is a trade show of Fira de Barcelona, the leading organiser of industrial and professional exhibitions in Spain and one of the first four in Europe in number of events.