AMB exhibition set to break records in new home

The new Centre is “very impressive thanks to its filigree, clear and bright archi-tecture, its functionality and its aesthetics”, say the organisers. AMB 2008 also completely fills the new Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre, which has a gross exhibition area of 105,200 m2 - twice as much as the old Trade Fair Centre in Killesberg. More than 1,180 companies from 26 countries are already registered - just under 400 exhibitors more than at AMB 2006. AMB concentrates solely on metalcutting and metal removal. Manufacturers of precision tools (32 per cent) will form the largest group of exhibitors and will occupy 28 per cent of the available exhibition space. They will be closely followed by machine tool manufacturers – 30 per cent of all exhibitors, but 48 per cent of exhibition space. The software section, which has expanded due to the integration of CAT.PRO, will account for 6 per cent of exhibitors. Exhibitors will also present products and machines from the areas of quality assurance, ro-bots, workpiece and tool handling technology, computer systems, peripherals, parts, components and accessories. Some 20 per cent of exhibitors come from abroad. Including Germany, 26 coun-tries are currently represented. Switzerland is traditionally the leader when it comes to foreign exhibitors – 81 at present - followed by Italy (26 exhibitors), the USA, Austria, Japan, France and Spain. Compared with AMB 2006, the amount of exhibition space occupied by foreign exhibitors at AMB 2008 has increased by 119 per cent - it has more than doubled. The halls at the new Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre are also planned thematically. In the past this was not possible due to structural engineering reasons – some halls had a cellar and could therefore not support heavy machines. Halls 1 and 2 will be reserved for precision tools while Hall 4 will accommodate software, engineering, control systems and other equipment such as accessories. Visitors to Hall 6 will find sawing machines, drilling machines and gear cutting machines. Hall 8 will be home to grinding machines and deburring machines while Halls 9, 7, 5 and 3 will be reserved for lathes, milling machines, physio-chemical process machine tools, machining centres and second-hand machines (clockwise hall arrangement). AMB 2008 is expected to attract around 60,000 visitors from home and abroad, primarily from the neighbouring countries of Switzerland, Italy, France and Aus-tria, but also from Eastern Europe and countries outside Europe.