Expectations are high for the 11th NORTEC Trade Fair for Manufacturing Technology that will be held at the new Hamburg Fair site January 23¨C26, 2008. Both the organizer, Hamburg Messe, and the newly constituted NORTEC advisory board, anticipate that NORTEC 2008 will draw more exhibitors and more visitors than the 2006 edition, when the numbers were about 400 and 15,000, respectively.

"Economic conditions have never been better," says Dr. Jörg Mutschler, chairman of the advisory board. "The industry is booming, with strong investment in new plant and machinery. The Eastern enlargement of the EU is opening up new business contacts, with mutual access to new markets.

"Hamburg is Germany's major hub for the metalworking industry in Northern and Eastern Europe," Mutschler continues. "Hamburg's new fair site is just the right setting for presentation of manufacturing technologies and production-related services. And there are numerous sunrise industries located in greater Hamburg, such as aerospace, medical engineering, automotive, and shipbuilding companies."

NORTEC 2008 will provide a presentation platform for manufacturers and specialist dealers in advanced manufacturing technologies and a meeting point for suppliers and purchasers of parts and components and production-related services. The exhibition is supported by an extensive conference programme, including a Logistics and Procurement Symposium giving buyers and suppliers an opportunity to discuss risk management in the supply chain. A VDMA (German Engineering Federation) Workshop will discuss methods for optimizing production along with the impact of manufacturing, logistics, energy input, and maintenance on overall economic performance. In addition, a Technology Forum will give technically minded young people insights into modern technologies, career profiles, and courses of study.

Another new feature is the Innovation Forum, where speakers from a variety of industries will report on advances in optimizing production quality, costs, and time; on robots and production automation in small and medium-sized companies; on the latest in measuring technology; and on laser innovations in cutting, welding, surface treatment, and laser generating. Discussions under the heading of "Efficient Cutting" will focus on making production in Germany profitable through the use of smart tooling and machine tools combined with the appropriate fixtures.

The trade associations VDMA, Nordmetall, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, and the German Association for Materials Management, Procurement, and Logistics will be actively involved in NORTEC 2008, providing information and advice.