Marketing and Press Services for Exhibitors Latest EuroBLECH ...

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
Issue 3
Marketing and
Press Services for
Exhibitors
n EuroBLECH offers a whole range
of marketing and press services to
support the exhibitor’s participation
at the show. A large number of
marketing materials, such as posters,
leaflets, web-banners, stickers etc,are
available to all exhibitors
free of charge and
so is an entry in the
EuroBLECH Show
Preview. The printed
version of this
exhibition overview
will be sent out
world-wide this
summer and will
also be available
for download
from the internet.
E x h i b i t i n g
companies can book an
“Enhanced Listing” or “Online Press
Boxes” on the EuroBLECH website to
promote their participation. On-site in
Hanover, there will also be a range of
advertising possibilities for exhibitors
as well as a comprehensive offer of
services from the EuroBLECH Press
Office. In May, a folder with information
about the Marketing & Press Services
will be sent to all exhibitors. The folder
includes a check list so that nothing
will be missed when planning the
participation at EuroBLECH 2008.
www.euroblech.com
EuroBLECH visitor leaflet
available in May
n A comprehensive leaflet for
visitors to EuroBLECH 2008 in
Hanover will be available in
May. It includes important
details on the exhibition as
well as useful accommodation
and travel information. The
visitor leaflet will be published in
12 languages and can now be
ordered online.
www.euroblech.com/english/visitors/request- info/
Latest EuroBLECH Facts
n Some six months ahead of
EuroBLECH 2008, everything
looks set for yet another successful
exhibition, as the booking figures
from the beginning of April 2008
clearly show:
l 1310 exhibitors from 37 countries
l 85000 m 2 net exhibition space
l 8 exhibition halls
The largest exhibitor countries at
the moment are Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Switzerland,
Turkey, Spain, France, Austria,
Taiwan and the USA.
Demand for stand space at
EuroBLECH 2008 is constantly high
and the allocation of floor space is
21-25 October 2008 • HANOVER, GERMANY
20 th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition
www.euroblech.com
.
April 2008
almost complete. Stand bookings
should therefore be made as quickly
as possible with the EuroBLECH
team at email: info@euroblech.com

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
Strong demand for
stainless steel flat
products to continue
n According to the International
Stainless Steel Forum
(ISSF), global demand for flat
rolled products made from
stainless steel will continue to
increase in the current year,
approximately doubling versus
the year 2000.
www.worldstainless.org
Aluminal – pure aluminium
surface protection
n Aluminal Oberflächentechnik in
Montabaur, Germany, part of the
Friedhelm Loh Group, is using a
new galvanic process to apply a
coat of pure aluminium to metallic
n Following recent share
acquisitions, the international steel
group now holds a 49.95% stake
in the company, which is one of
the world‘s largest manufacturers
of laser-welded blanks and tubes
as well as rollformed products.
According to the industry‘s Metal
Production software:
ERP system provides economical
and closely production-related
functionality directly within SAP
n For industrial steel service
centres (SSC) and metal processing
companies which already use
SAP’s ERP (Enterprise Resource
Planning) software, OSCo now
supply the MES Manufacturing
Execution System. This programme
operates in the same software
environment as SAP and does
not require any additional Industry
Solutions (IS).
workpieces. The new system works
entirely without aqueous solutions.
Benefits are very good anti-corrosion
properties, temperature resistance
and no interference with the base
material.
In 2007 Aluminal was awarded the
Innovation Prize of the German
federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
www.aluminal.de
ArcelorMittal invests $50m in the
American automotive supplier Noble International
Forming Newsletter, the steel group
is the largest supplier, customer and
shareholder in Noble International
and with this investment is merging
its own laser welding business with
that of Noble International. Signs
in the laser-welded blanks market
still point towards growth, with 21
21-25 October 2008 • HANOVER, GERMANY
20 th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition
www.euroblech.com
Key benefits are rule sets for
automatic generation of basic
data and the calculation of quotes;
QM data based on standards and
material grades; materials flow;
feedback including product tracking;
detailed production planning with
supporting rule sets; capturing and
evaluation of production data.
www.osco.de
Photos: Aluminal
different applications expected
for such blanks in automotive
production (currently there are only
six).
www.nobleintl.com
www.metalformingmagazine.com

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
Dimeco develops Multi-Technology-System
for electric cabinet panels
n For continuous manufacture of large production runs
with variable workpiece lengths and identical coil width;
lengths: 50 to 750 mm; material: 0.8 mm sheet metal;
production rates: approx. 12 parts/min, depending on
dimensions.
The system: press feeding line for 2 coil widths (250 and
500 mm) plus a hydraulic punching bench for notching,
punching, cutting, forming, bending and separation. To
reduce bending time and enhance productivity, the line
includes two parallel bending units.
www.dimeco.com
Did you know …?
Argentina
2007 was the fifth consecutive year
of growth for the country (+7.5%).
According to the German federal
agency for foreign trade (bfai) this
indicates very good or even excellent
sales opportunities for export-
orientated companies in many
industries.
China
China‘s need for machine tools
exceeds all expectations. In 2007
Chinese factories installed machine
tools worth an estimated 11.2 bn
euros. This represents an increase
of 17% over 2006 and is by far the
biggest investment made by any
country worldwide, according to the
2008 World Machine Tool Output and
Consumption Survey conducted by
Gardner Publications.
Germany
Audi is modernising its forging press
shop in Neckarsulm. The luxury car
maker is investing over 100 mill. euros
in the partial redevelopment, which
will be carried out in parallel to running
production. By 2009, the plant should
have a new large-scale press and a
separate try-out press, with a new coil
slitting line scheduled for 2010.
Italy
Photo: Audi, Germany
Emma Marcegaglia, managing director
and finance chief at the steel group
Marcegaglia, has been appointed
as chairman of the powerful Italian
industrial organisation Confindustria.
She will be not only the first woman
to hold this position, but, at 42,
younger than all her predecessors.
Her appointment is seen not only as a
21-25 October 2008 • HANOVER, GERMANY
20 th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition
www.euroblech.com
generation change in Italian industry,
but also as a step towards globalisation
– Marcegaglia is one of the world’s
most successful companies, with an
annual increase in turnover of currently
just under 20 per cent.
Sweden
The Swedish steelmaker SSAB
recently introduced high tensile
AHSS steel grades which have been
optimised for rollforming operations.
The materials have a very high ratio of
yield to tensile strength and, thanks to
their high purity, permit bending at very
tight radii.
USA
Photo: Dimeco
Usage of AHSS steels is set to grow
swiftly in automotive applications,
according to market monitors Ducker
Worldwide. Ducker predicts that the
average amount of AHSS steels used
per car will rise from currently 67.5 kg
to over 181 kg by 2015.

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
Still a long way to go – growth markets
in the eastern part of the European Union
When the EU extended eastwards, this brought about
substantial developments, particularly for the sheet
metal working industry. Companies accessed the
enormous potential which had become available in
central Europe often far quicker than politics could
prepare the way. The major manufacturers from the
vehicle and household goods industries who set up
new factories or shifted production to this traditional
n Growth rates of 6 - 7 per cent in the
eastern part of the EU are far higher
than those in the established western
EU countries. One should however
bear in mind that this growth started
out at a lower level than in western
EU countries. But even Hungary,
which brings up the rear in terms of
economic development in the region,
expects a full 3% for 2008 and in the
light of the enormous and steadily
increasing demand in these markets,
the EU domestic market will remain
buoyant for many years to come.
Presence at the
new sites is a must
Attractive investment conditions,
a highly motivated and welleducated
workforce, and low wages
are the main arguments for OE
manufacturers to move to the new
eastern EU countries, which also
compete strongly with one another
and with other western EU countries
for investments. However, once large
factories have been established
for vehicles or household goods,
there are compelling reasons for
1st, 2nd and 3rd tier suppliers to
also invest at these locations - the
region’s infrastructure from Tallinn to
Bucharest leaves much to be desired.
So for companies wanting to retain
their customers and possibly even
extend their business relationships,
being present at the new sites is
a must, because proximity to the
customer means the ability to deliver
- just-in-time supplies over greater
distances are virtually impossible.
To abandon this sales potential to
others is commercially not tenable,
even if the old sites in the West show
little appreciation of the need to move
eastwards.
The Steel Service Centres, which
supply semi-finished products to
customers over many hundreds
of miles away in western Europe,
for example, need to be much
21-25 October 2008 • HANOVER, GERMANY
20 th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition
www.euroblech.com
industrial region were accompanied by numerous
suppliers and service companies - this was particularly
true of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In
certain sectors the Baltic states and Hungary now
also play a larger role. With Romania and Bulgaria
joining the EU, this has opened up further options for
the sheet metal working industry and these are now
being readily used.
smaller and more widespread in the
new EU member states in central
Europe to be able to ensure reliable
deliveries to their markets. Similarly,
manufacturers of sheet metal working
machinery have to accept that their
service engineers will need to cover
long distances to their customers if
they only maintain a central base.
The higher costs thereby involved
cannot always be passed on.
To overcome the infrastructure
problems, one answer is the
formation of clusters of companies
within one industry at specific sites
with short distances to cover - these
then gradually grow together to
form an industrial region. Thanks to
the Schengen Agreement, national
borders are now less relevant in this
context - what counts is efficiency.
One example of this is the industrial
region which stretches from southwest
Poland to Germany, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia, and uses
the relatively good infrastructure
available there.
To link up these clusters and
encourage companies to settle in

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
undeveloped regions, the individual
countries and the EU spend
substantial funds on creating the
necessary infrastructure, particularly
the building of railway lines,
motorways and power stations. It is
however a slow process that will take
several decades.
Examples of important industrial
settlements in eastern EU states
in the field of sheet metal working
can be found mainly in the vehicle
construction and household goods
industries, whose products are
currently mostly exported. Domestic
markets for products manufactured
in eastern EU states, where they
are quite expensive under the
circumstances, are developing only
gradually as general prosperity there
increases.
The construction industry is also
benefiting noticeably from the spirit of
optimism in the eastern part of the EU,
so in this sector sheet metal working is
also enjoying a real boom – with huge
demand for structural components for
buildings, as well as curtain walls and
equipment for heating, ventilation and
sanitary installations.
Extra demand for machine
and plant manufacturers
The shift in production from western
to central Europe provides substantial
sales opportunities for suppliers of
the sheet metal working technology
that can be seen at EuroBLECH
2008, because these new production
facilities require the very latest
equipment to be able to hold their own
in global competition. Moving existing
production facilities lock, stock and
barrel from western Europe to the
eastern EU states is economically
not viable, and therefore the new
machinery and plant, including the
quality assurance systems and
logistics, are all budgeted as part
of the relocation costs. As a result,
for the foreseeable future there will
be a steady sales market within
Europe that will continue to be fed by
the strong growth in the newer EU
states as the population’s income
increases.
The situation in the main
countries in the eastern EU
From a sheet metal working point of
view, the situation in the main countries
in the eastern EU is complex, but
largely positive:
Bulgaria
Apart from trailers, there are currently
virtually no vehicles being built in
Bulgaria, although some automotive
suppliers have relocated there;
however, sheet metal working (e.g.
for coachwork/chassis components)
plays a minor role in this context. The
German federal agency for foreign
trade (bfai) does, though, forecast
substantial growth rates between 15
and 25% in this sector for 2008 and
2009. In the mechanical engineering
industry, the growth trend has been
21-25 October 2008 • HANOVER, GERMANY
20 th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition
www.euroblech.com
fluctuating for several years, with
double-digit growth rates expected
for 2009.
Czech Republic
The economic mood in the country is
overall positive and the bfai expects
that in 2008, the Czech Republic
will for the first time produce over a
million cars, whereby domestic sales
will also be of increasing relevance.
Currently the main manufacturers
are Skoda, TPCA (Toyota/Peugeot/
Citroën) and Hyundai. Czech
mechanical engineering is seen as a
booming business, with growth rates
in double figures (2007: +19.6%).
By now workers are becoming
scarce and wages are rising, making
further investments in productivity
necessary. The country therefore
remains an important import market
for manufacturers of sheet metal
working machinery.
Hungary
The overall economic situation in
Hungary is not quite as bright as
in other eastern EU countries - in
2006 growth was just under 2% and
in 2007 only managed to recover
to 3%, according to the bfai. It is
expected to pick up, though. The
automotive industry is an important
factor in the economy and its results
are outstanding. Audi and Suzuki
manufacture very successfully in
their assembly plants (‘local content’
under 25%), export sales in this
industry rose by 18% in 2007 and the
order books are full.
Poland
Poland’s economic growth slowed

EuroBLECH Bulletin • Issue 3 April 2008
down somewhat last year, although
with a plus of 5.9%, its GDP outlook
is still positive. In the vehicle industry,
where car manufacture is already
well-established, the commercial
vehicle sector is now also gaining
in importance. MAN, Scania, Solaris
and Volvo already manufacture
in Poland, where demand greatly
exceeds supply, so the prospects for
this sector are very good, especially
on the domestic market. In 2007
consumption of steel products rose
by just under 30% in Poland and,
apart from the automotive sector, the
main customers were manufacturers
of household goods, plus mechanical
engineering and shipbuilding.
Romania
Whilst the construction of commercial
vehicles and buses will stagnate and
may even shrink, the car industry is
generally expected to see substantial
growth. Ford alone is expected to
EuroBLECH
on Info Tour
n In the run up to EuroBLECH
2008 there will again be a series
of information events in selected
target markets in central, eastern
and south-eastern Europe. The
relevant media, associations and
important industry representatives
will be given extensive information
on the leading technology
exhibition for sheet metal working.
EuroBLECH Bulletin
is published by the
EuroBLECH Press Office
© 2008 Mack Brooks Exhibition Ltd
invest 675 mill. euros. Dacia/Renault
is already successfully manufacturing
and launched a new model just
recently. For suppliers, therefore,
the situation is accordingly positive.
In Romania mechanical engineering
is likely to remain largely an import
market in the future.
Slovakia
Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd
Romeland House, Romeland Hill,
St Albans, Herts AL3 4ET,
United Kingdom
Here again the car industry is
the driving force for economic
development and is founded on a
solid basis with the presence of the
manufacturers Kia Motors, Ford,
Opel, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault,
Skoda and Suzuki. There are also
commercial vehicle manufacturers
in Slovakia, but they produce only
components, not complete vehicles.
Mechanical engineering is also
enjoying an upturn with doubledigit
turnover rates plus robust
investments, mainly from abroad.
Such events are scheduled
for Russia, Poland, the Czech
Republic, Slovenia and Turkey.
Tel. +44 (0)1727 814400
Fax +44 (0)1727 814401
Email: press@mackbrooks.co.uk
Website: www.euroblech.com
Good solution
Graphic: Nord-Lock
Tension replaces
friction in bolt
securing system
n Vibration or other
dynamic loads can cause
bolts to loosen, often with
unpleasant consequences in
terms of warranty claims or
maintenance.
The Nord-Lock bolt securing
system comprises a pair of
specially designed washers
which prevent inadvertent bolt
release thanks to two cam
faces, where the cam angle α
is greater than the tread pitch
β. These cams interlock and
securely block any rotation
through the wedge effect of
the cams. In addition, there
are radial teeth on the outward
facing sides.
www.nordlock.de