SurfaceTechnology 2022

After its cancellation in 2020, SurfaceTechnology Germany experienced a successful relaunch from June 21 to 23 with around 3,000 visitors. 220 exhibitors, every third of them from abroad, showed the current trends in the surface industry with solutions, products and services.

2022 is a very exciting year, especially because for the first time after such a long time, larger events can be held again. Thus, in Stuttgart at SurfaceTechnology Germany, it was a boon that there was no longer a mask requirement. Even though the first day got off to a relatively slow start, a surprising number of exhibitors were already quite satisfied with the quality and interest of the visitors at this point. On Wednesday, the second day of the fair, things got really busy. On Thursday morning there was also once again a lot of activity. "This was a successful re-start. Exhibitors and visitors were very satisfied with how the event went," said a delighted Hendrik Engelking, Global Director SurfaceTechnology at Deutsche Messe AG. "We are very satisfied with the number of visitors under the given conditions, especially since the quality was extremely high," Engelking added. After Germany, the strongest visitor countries were Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Austria, India, the Netherlands, France and Slovenia. For the first time, the event recorded a one hundred percent share of trade visitors, with one in three coming from top management and one in four from department head level. About one third of the visitors came to the Stuttgart trade fair center with concrete investment intentions. Asked what the aim of their visit to the trade fair was, most of them stated: the search for innovations, the market overview as well as the search for suppliers and new business contacts. After a compulsory break of two years, the need to maintain contacts was very pronounced. Further training and knowledge expansion were also frequently mentioned goals of the trade show visitors.

Specific visitor interests and high-quality contacts

According to the survey, most visitors to the trade show came from the metalworking and processing industry, closely followed by the automotive, mechanical and plant engineering, electronics and plastics industries. Users from the aerospace, medical technology, semiconductor and precision engineering sectors also used the trade show to find out about solutions, products and services from the surface treatment industry. The major associations such as the ZVO and the VDMA also drew a very positive conclusion. The ZVO, for example, was optimistic that exhibitor and visitor numbers from the pre-Corona era could be matched again in 2024. The ZVO joint booth traditionally represents an important area of SurfaceTechnology Germany. With its approximately 60 companies, the joint booth provided an impressive presentation of electroplating technology. "Business contacts, whether existing or new, are based on trust, the basic prerequisite of which is personal contact. This was finally possible again here in Stuttgart after a four-year break due to the pandemic. The broad spectrum of visitors enabled exhibitors to make countless contacts and hold discussions for which they would need several weeks in traditional sales," said Christoph Matheis, ZVO Managing Director. "It was a pleasure to note how seamlessly SurfaceTechnology Germany followed on from the last event in 2018, and how visitors embraced the new start amid disrupted supply chains, skyrocketing energy prices, inflation and climate change." Dr. Martin Riester, General Air Technology/Surface Technology Officer at VDMA, also expressed his satisfaction with the event, saying, "Deutsche Messe AG has staged an attractive and international event despite difficult economic conditions. Exhibitors and trade visitors to the show benefited from the wide range of surface technology products and services on offer. On this basis, we are very positive about the future development of the event and look forward to SurfaceTechnology Germany 2024."

Knowledge pool specialist forum

The technical forum as a contact point for knowledge transfer and exchange of experience was consistently well attended. A total of 48 presentations offered an insight into the current world of surface technology. Among other things, it became clear that coating companies are working on using the possibilities of data processing, which are on everyone's lips under the abbreviations AR, VR or AI, in daily practice and thus making their processes more efficient. The transformation of the automotive industry was another important topic.

Author and images: Carsten Blumenstengel