Swiss Exhibition is organising the Swisstech exhibition for the subcontracting industry for the 14th time, which will take place in Basel from 18 to 21 November 2008. More than half a year before the exhibition, more than 400 Swiss and European subcontractors for mechanical components and system solutions have already registered for the event. “Seven months before the exhibition opens we’ve already sold two-thirds of the area covered by the last Swisstech exhibition. We also have already a very high number of joint stands, which are a typical feature of Swisstech. We are pleased with the number of registrations and we’re assuming that we once again will deliver another high-quality exhibition for the subcontracting industry this year too,” says Claudia Käslin, Exhibition Manager.
The joint stands add to the diversity of Swisstech, offering small companies the chance to take part in the exhibition at an affordable cost. In addition to the Swiss joint stands, there will also be joint displays from companies in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Liechtenstein, Spain and the Czech Republic. The number of participants from Germany will be higher overall than at Swisstech 2006, which emphasises the good economic ties between Germany and Switzerland, as well as highlighting the strong number of registrations from companies abroad. Italy will be represented by two joint stands this year at Swisstech. The Lecco Chamber of Commerce is organising, in cooperation with the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Switzerland, a joint display from the Lombardy region. In addition, ASSIST, a service organisation run by the Bergamo Chamber of Commerce and the Bergamo branch of Confindustria (Italian employers’ federation), is also planning a joint stand with the involvement of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) from the Lombardy region. The strong participation from Italian subcontracting companies indicates the increased importance of Swisstech and of Switzerland as a major trading partner for Italian firms. “The high level of interest from Italian SMEs in the Swiss market will be reflected in a successful Swisstech event. Our strong presence at the exhibition will also be of interest to visitors,” adds Dr. Roberto Scala, Managing Director of ASSIST.
Once again, a Swisstech partner association is organising a joint display. Members of SWISSMECHANIC, the Swiss association for mechanical and electrical companies, are putting on a presentation in “SWISSMECHANIC-Land”. “The management at SWISSMECHANIC reckon on 30 or so exhibitors taking part, occupying an area of around 1,000 m2,” adds Exhibition Manager Claudia Käslin. SWISSMECHANIC, which organises the Swiss Skills Championship for young Polymechanics, will choose on the last day of the exhibition the three best technicians in the disciples of automation, CNC turning and CNC milling at its joint stand.
The Virtual Factory Nordwestschweiz/Mittelland is using Swisstech again as a marketing platform and will be on display, with 14 companies exhibiting at this event for the subcontracting industry. French-speaking Switzerland will also be represented again in Basel by a joint stand from the region.
In addition to manufacturing services for metal and plastic components, Swisstech also includes heat and surface treatment, materials, semi-finished products and components, along with tools and e-procurement. The exhibition’s organisers have further refined the concept for 2008. Exhibitors can now present their companies for the first time according to 17 clearly defined areas of application expertise, allowing them to target their customers in a more focused manner. These areas of application expertise indicate the sectors of industry to which the exhibiting companies supply their products, services and system solutions. It is clear from the exhibitors which have registered so far that mechanical engineering, plant construction, medical technology and the car industry are the main sectors represented.
685 companies exhibited at the last Swisstech event in 2006. The exhibition was visited by 22,967 specialists from purchasing, procurement, manufacturing, production, as well as by company managers, marking an increase of 7% on 2004. Prodex, the specialist exhibition for machine tools, tools and production measurement technology, is again being staged at the same time as Swisstech.
Swisstech 2008 - The important facts in brief
