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 La BIEMH se despide de Bilbao con el cartel de completo

Twenty-second edition of the BIEMH

The BIEMH Bilbao goodbye with the sign of complete

Marta Torres01/02/2002

How will the industry evolve next year? We have the beginning of a crisis or is an illusion caused by the international situation? This edition of the Biennale of machine-tool has the responsibility to respond to these and other questions. The same National Association of machine tool (AFM), has described this show as "a good Observatory of the possible evolution of the expansionary and business investment this year".

So far, the show seems to respond well to these expectations. He is expected that the organizers (the own exhibition in Bilbao and the same AFM) hang this year the full poster. On the other hand, the sector has closed the year with increases in all economic indicators (production grew 6%, exports grew by 7 per cent and consumption amounted to 971,2 million euros (requirement million pesetas).) It is still provisional data, but enough so that this year the BIEMH opens its doors with moderate optimism.

This twenty-second edition of the Biennale, which organized the international fair of Bilbao and the Spanish Association of manufacturers of machine tools (AFM), is important, moreover, will be the last Biennale to celebrate in the current site of the fair. The next time that the biennial opens its doors will do so in Barakaldo, in a new enclosure, more and more competitive. With this edition you can say that the biennial closes a cycle that has become international, and begins another.

According to data of the exhibition in the month of February, the Biemh meet at 1,709 exhibitors in an area of 42.382 square meters: organizers speak of an increase of 26 per cent of contracting with regard to the latest edition of the year 2000.

64 percent of foreign companies

The participation of foreign companies exhibiting in the ' 02 BIEMH reached figures that confirm the international projection of the contest: 1,114 international exhibitors from 34 countries will be a showcase of sectoral representative of the global supply of machine tools, with the latest innovations and technological advances, in which more than half of participating companies, 64 per cent will be foreign.

Germany and Italy will be the countries that have greater representation, although in the sample will meet companies from as diverse sources as Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Israel, Denmark or France. The list of foreign exhibitors at the BIEMH'02 will cover a broad spectrum of areas, including the European Community, with a 45% participation, followed by Asia, America and non-EU European countries.

Boot still in head

Of all the 13 sectors represented in the exhibition, highlights the presence of machine tool by booting with a 43.3% of the total occupation, followed by tools by deformation, with a 17.9%, tools for machine tools, with a 8.9%, and accessories, with a 7.4%. The remaining surface shall be apportioned between the sectors of industrial robots and handling, electrical and electronic equipment, welding and flame cutting, measurement and control, CAD/CAM, and hydraulic and pneumatic equipment.

Change of cycle

The twenty-second edition of the Biennale of machine tools will be the last to be held in Bilbao. It closes a stage in which the contest has positioned itself among the seven most important fairs of the sector in the world, and that will give rise, in the 2004 Edition, to its revival in the new fair exhibition centre of Barakaldo.

The new infrastructure, designed to give the Basque trade fair institution of best and most advanced instruments of service to exhibitors and visitors, will improve the competitive position of the Bilbao international fair and, in particular, of their contests main, in addition to strengthening its international character. In total, the enclosure will have 7 pavilions, with an exhibition area of 117.700 m2, approximately 40% more than that to offer the current location.

In this way, the construction of the new international trade fair in Bilbao will contribute to relaunch a meeting which, especially in its two previous editions, has been due leave no space to companies and reduce the square meters of its exhibitors.

Table: 6th national prize of design

Design Center DZ presents the sixth edition of the National Design Prize in machine tools, award organised in collaboration with the Association of manufacturers of machine, AFM, and the Bilbao international fair.

Those products manufactured by Spanish companies exposed in the 22nd biennial of machine tools, whose appearance on the market has been in the 4 years preceding the holding of the contest and they have not been previously awarded may be submitted to the contest. The deadline for the submission of applications is February 8, 2002.

The jury will be composed of specialists in design, safety, ergonomics and technology, the four basic criteria of evaluation, as well as by representatives of the MINER and the Department of industry, trade and tourism of the Basque Government, sponsoring entities of the prize, in which the categories of machine tool by deformation and machine tool removal of material shall be distinguished.

Created in 1990 to encourage the incorporation of the design sector in the industrial and, more specifically, in the of capital equipment as a strategy of innovation, the award is unique in Europe for its monographic character, which restricts competition to machine tools for the processing of metals.

The winners of the last edition were the Gamei, S.A. companies in the category of deformation and Ona EDM in the boot of Material, paragraph in which FATRONIK, S.A was awarded a special mention.