Federico Cappato, Presidente Direttore Commerciale, SIM S.r.l., Cuggiono, Italy
Mr. Cappato recalls the first booth of the company SIM four years ago: "We were very successful at that time and have gained new customers from Turkey, Iran and India." The fair days were really crazy." They want to be just as successful this year, because Mr. Cappato indicates that the annual forecasts look positive and the diary at the THERMPROCESS is already well filled. In addition to the work, the fun should not be neglected: "In the evening, we would also like to visit the old town in Düsseldorf and drink a beer at Schumacher's."
Marina Giacopinelli, Managing Director, Fundigex Casting & Foundry Suppliers from Spain, Leioa, Spanien Fundigex ist ein Verband ohne eigennützige Zwecke, der 1985 gegründet wurde und dessen Hauptziel es ist, die Firmen der Gießereibranche im Bereich Export und Internationalisierung zu fördern. Fundigex umfasst sowohl Gießereien als auch Zulieferfirmen der Gießereibranche. Auf der gesamten Messe (GMTN) finden sich 29 spanische Firmen in dessen Messe-Organisation der Verband involviert war. Frau Giacopinelli sagt:„Die Organisation ist das eine. Eine weitere wichtige Funktion ist die eines Mittlers. Viele Interessenten kommen zu uns mit speziellen Aufgabestellungen. Wir können dann genau sagen, welches Unternehmen eine passgenaue Lösung dafür parat hat. Die GMTN ist für uns deshalb so wichtig, da viele Unternehmen Ihre Innovationen zum ersten Mal hier in Düsseldorf zeigen und wir deshalb immer am Puls der Zeit sind."
Piyush I. Tamboli, Managing Director, Investment & Precision Castings LTD, Bhavnagar Gujarat, India IPCL is a pioneer in the Investment Casting business in India, set up in 1975. The main business fields are automotive, aerospace, medical Implants only to name a few. Mr. Tamboli just visited the Paris Air Show in France. He states: "There are a number of events around the world that we are represented in, but there is a reason why we are visiting GIFA. All the important and potential business partners are here in one place. This makes the show very special."
Lorie N. Bonham, Director of Marketing & Communications, Pangborn, Fairburn, Georgia, USA. Of course, as the person in charge of marketing, Ms. Bonham wants to promote and strengthen the "Pangborn" brand first. Especially in Germany, the names Vogel & Schemmann and Berger Stahltechnik are more familiar. She explains: "We are already known in the segment for tailor-made blasting technologies, but we do not rest on our success," she mentions. So besides the general branding, we also want to specifically address the needs of our customers. The conversations with the visitors of our stand here on the GIFA are essential. Ms. Bonham also talks about other fairs, such as the Cast Expo in the US, and especially regards the large proportion of international participants as a big advantage of GIFA.
Anke Fischer-Lohrengel, Management-Assistent & Communication Kommunikation, Imerys, Paris, France Ms. Fischer-Lohrengel has been at METEC for the company Imerys for twenty years. The Group has approximately 18,000 employees worldwide and a leading position in the segment for raw materials for the treatment and casting of liquid steel in steel mills. She explaines: "We are not only present at METEC, but also at GIFA. The wide range of the exhibition area is a great advantage for us. Customer contact has a high priority. This is why we have a Virtual Reality application on the stand this year, where we can use simulations to show engineers how to run certain processes that otherwise would not provide insights due to, for example, very high temperatures around the work enviroment."
Edith Weiser, Manager Foundry, Eirich Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich GmbH & Co KG, Hardheim, Germany Eirich has existed for 150 years and has been a regular exhibitor at GIFA since the 1980s. Ms. Weiser is looking forward to the coming days: "For us, it is the most important trade fair. Like every year, we want to inform ourselves about innovations and cultivate our business contacts. This year, our team focuses primarily on environmental issues, energy efficiency and sustainability. " Ms. Weiser is also particularly proud of the Evactherm fund sand mixer. She says: "What is needed in the air cooling process are three separate operations - cooling, blending, and activating bentonite, all three steps are now done in a single machine with the Evactherm. This procedure is only offered by us."
Sabine Holocher, Marketing Communication Manager Karsten Kunze, Dipl. Ing., Sales Manager Process Automation The cross sector automation specialist SICK was founded in the beginning of the 70s and is exhibiting at METEC for the first time this year. Mr. Kunze states: "We would like to increasingly contact the steel industry, which is why METEC is a must-attend event for us." We offer 40,000 products and develop individualized processes throughout the entire process chain - from delivery, through production to storage. We see a lot of potential in the steel industry. " Ms. Holocher is particularly pleased with the international response. Already on the first day, 80% of visitors to the stand came from abroad.
Giuseppe Grasso, Managing Director, Vulcast, Messancy, Belgique The company was founded in 1984 and belonged until recently to the Magotteaux Group. The name "Vulcast" was launched after a new investor took over the foundry. Mr. Grasso states: "The name change brings us new energy and radiance, as we want to show at NEWCAST. Our core business is the production of parts for vertical milling, which is a niche. But our unique selling point is in the fact that we process the material ceramics during casting. The process allows a 10 times longer life compared to other processes. That has a high effect on efficiency and sustainability."