This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Entrevista a Josep Jodàs Cortès, director de Maquitec 2002
Interview with Josep Jodàs Cortès, director of Maquitec 2002
Josep Jodàs15/05/2002
We hope to overcome the 25,000 trade visitors
Since 1984 the career of Josep Jodàs, 38 years Barcelona has been linked to the activity of Fira de Barcelona. Josep Jodás has assumed the responsibility of leading Maquitec, the industrial fair of Barcelona, position he combines with the function of Deputy to the director of the Construmat fair. In this interview, Josep Jodàs advances the State of preparations for the fourth call for this event which has become a reference for the entire metallurgical industrial sector of the peninsular Northeast - that concentrates 40% of the market - and the Europe of the Western Mediterranean area.
They hoped for to expand the fair exhibition area?
The high rate of recruitment that is registering Maquitec has been a pleasant surprise for the entire organizational team. It will be recalled that last year Maquitec had to perform a rethinking of the gross area of the Pavilion nº 1 of the fairground Montjuïc 2 to absorb the increase in the number of exhibiting companies. That is why, from the outset in this Edition, we are committed to move the celebration of the Hall to the Pavilion No. 2, with a greater exhibition area, which allowed host almost 21,000 net m2 of stands. However, the dramatic increase in the number of companies that have confirmed their participation in Maquitec has forced us to redistribute the available surface and also open the Pavilion nº 1. In this way, with two open halls, is underway to ensure to all the companies exhibiting the classification more favorable to their interests and we can continue responding to new requests for participation that continue to arrive. Lack of three months and a half for the celebration of Maquitec confirmed direct participation, with booth, 333 companies seeking more than 24,000 m2 net exhibition.
We are in a somewhat delicate economic moment what role should play fair in the circumstances? It can be turned into a shock, it's a simple Observatory?
The pace of growth in the industrial sector has slowed in recent months, and has fallen considerably the degree of utilisation of production capacity, although it is expected some recovery of the portfolio of foreign orders and an increase in selling prices. I believe that the sector during the period of continuous growth that began in 1995 has been able to develop their own mechanisms of adaptation to economically less favourable circumstances, as where we live. Precisely, is at the moment when you have more to encourage the promotion of products and activities of a company and Maquitec is the appropriate framework for doing so, because 40% of the market of the Spanish metallurgical industrial sector is concentrated geographically in the Mediterranean area and the industrial fair of Barcelona opens its supply to markets of interest for our sector as the South of France, North of Italy and Portugal.
Until that point is in their interest to the machine-tool biennial has been reasonably well?
Each fair demonstration works to create a business platform that would serve the interests of the participating exhibitors and professionals that visit. A fair works if you get the support of these agents, supply and demand, and management that the organizing team be able to retain and expand the participation and assistance, always in line with the demands of the sector. Maquitec is a profitable market for companies in the industrial sector, as is has been demonstrated with the evolution that has experienced in recent years, bringing together a wide range of metallurgical industry.
Our contest traditionally
is considered to be a very profitable trade fair
is considered to be a very profitable trade fair
The economic situation general is not all the good that went in the previous edition Contemplate a descent of the number of visitors? They receive comments in this sense of the display units?
No, on the contrary. We hope to increase the Maquitec convening power and overcome the 25,000 trade visitors. Spanish metallurgical industry has put their expectations in Maquitec, its evolution and staff data guarantee as well, because our pageant is traditionally considered a very profitable market. We are carrying out a campaign for attracting visitors to national and international level and we are confident that we will get a very good response from the professionals from the industrial sectors, automotive and robotics, among others.
Do you think that there is more optimism in the industrial world after beginning of the year? Perhaps neither went before as well things or are now so bad?
There are signs of recovery and that means some optimism. The international circumstances can cause that this year the industry does not reach levels of growth which were used. If we take into account the high level of export that keeps the sector it is logical that it has been affected. The US economy, one of the main markets, had been already accusing before the 9 / 11 an important cooling; the same is true in Germany, and Latin America is suffering the effects of the Argentine crisis. I.e. the international situation is not the most favourable for a sector which exports more than half of the total value of production. However, it must be noted that during the 2001 sector got some very good economic records and that the commitment to quality, specialization and the training carried out by the metallurgical industry are the bases to continue in this trend of growth, albeit minor.
Which sectors will be represented in Maquitec?
Traditionally, the machine tool sector is that more representation harvest in Maquitec, followed by the welding. In this edition it has its own identity to the sector of cutting tools, which has had a good acceptance between exhibiting companies that comprise. Furthermore are present in the offer of the pageant sectors of accessories, heat and surface treatments; and will have enhanced others as the CAD/CAM, measurement and control, tools, automation, hydraulic systems and pneumatics. In this sense, the Maquitec aims to reflect the offer of all the segments included in the metallurgical industry.
The international situation
is not the most favourable
for a sector which exports
more than half of the total value
its production
is not the most favourable
for a sector which exports
more than half of the total value
its production
In his opinion, how will affect the introduction of the technologies of the information to the activity ferial?
I think that new technologies will be an excellent ally for the activity of industrial fairs such as Maquitec in which numerous business contacts are made and formalises a lot of orders. First I would like to emphasize that Maquitec has launched an interesting website, www.maquitec.com, in which not only includes practical information on the event for exhibitors, visitors and press, they allow previously know the offering of the participating companies and that includes contact information and direct links to their webas well as the location that each exhibitor will have during the pageant. Thus, the visit can plan in advance. Maquitec will also, as a novelty, the first Hall of the Fira de Barcelona that will introduce a new system of accreditation of professionals that will offer many benefits, all designed to facilitate trade relations between exhibitors and trade visitors.
Can you explain the issues to be dealt with in the Maquitec Forum?
At the same time our industrial fair held Forum Maquitec, a space that allows professionals to discuss issues and exchange experiences of interest to the development of industrial activity. Two editions of the Maquitec Forum and, in addition to the technical aspects have already been held, has been dealt with the introduction of new technologies in the industrial sector, r & d in the industry, the emergence of new materials and processescaring for the environment... that is, items that can contribute to decision-making in the future in the short term. At the moment we are defining the contents of the next edition of the Maquitec Forum in which we are going to continue deeper into some of these themes as soldadura-chapa; steels and new treatments; quality; and trade, among many others, on the basis of interests expressed by the sector itself.
Number of national and international promotion activities are being to increase the capacity of the Hall call. Do you can specify in quéacciones is about?
In recent months we are putting up different lines of action to start the internationalization of the supply of Maquitec, as well as to increase the dissemination and capacity of call of the Hall in areas of interest for the Spanish sector such as PortugalSouth of France and the North of Italy. To this end, Maquitec, Fira de Barcelona delegations in these countries through, has initiated various actions aimed at attracting foreign exhibitors and visitors, including contact with sector associations, chambers of trade and technical pressas well as the presentation of the Hall in international industrial fairs or direct mail advertising to companies and professionals of the sector. Also, is being carried out promotional activities at the national level, to publicize the important offer of the event to other regions of the country.
What future plans does Maquitec as fair?
Looking ahead to future editions, Maquitec is going to continue to work to achieve the maximum representation of the Spanish metallurgical industrial sector and to strengthen the internationalization, which we started right now, coming to those foreign markets of commercial interest to exhibiting companies. We have a constant commitment to the sector and our mission is to design the fair most appropriate, according to the situation at any time, to respond to the needs that arise within the metal industry and reflect the changes that are taking place within the sector.
