More than 100,000 delegates are expected to converge on the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) early next month when the venue stages the 11th China International Machine Tool Show (CIMT2009). This is the first time the CIEC has played host to the event and marks another milestone in the development of this prestigious international trade exhibition.

This year's event, jointly sponsored by the China Machine Tool & Tool Builders Association (CMTBA) and the CIEC group, will take place from April 4-11. Despite the internationally adverse trading conditions, the organizers remain confident that some 1,200 manufacturers, from 28 different countries, will be exhibiting this year.

Now firmly established as one of the four largest machine tool shows in the world, the 2009 event will feature an exhibition space of more than 100,000 sq m and will give visitors the chance to see tens of thousands of machine tools and accessories being demonstrated.

The move to the CIEC has seen the available exhibition area boosted by nearly 40 percent over previous shows. This increased floor space will see larger than ever installations on show from all of the top 20 machine tool-manufacturing companies. It also allows increased accommodation for smaller and mid-level companies to properly showcase their latest innovations and developments.

This year the event will feature 650 domestic companies and 550 foreign manufacturers. In total, some 60 different countries and regions will be represented at the event. This maintains CIMT's long tradition of facilitating direct interchange between many of the world's foremost manufacturers and end users in this field.

Further opportunities for interchange will be on offer from the 60 technical seminars that will take place as part of the show's extensive program.

One of the highlights of CIMT2009 is said to be its accompanying International Forum on Emerging Technologies in Manufacturing Industry. The forum will open shortly before the show proper and will feature a panel of 10 of the world's leading authorities on the machine tool industry. The10, drawn from both China and abroad, will deliver a series of speeches and presentations designed to give an insight into the emerging trends and technologies that will shape the future of the machine building and metalworking industries.

In addition to the international forums, delegates will have the opportunity to attend a number of other seminars and workshops. These include joints sessions with the CEOs and managing directors of many of the largest machine tool manufacturers, a panel discussion considering the application of machine tool technology within the defense industry and a chance for users to put their questions and suggestions to some of the leading equipment developers in the industry.

Aside from the more technical presentations, visitors will also have the chance to attend the event's grand opening ceremony and its annual gala dinner. The organizers have also arranged a special "activity day" around Beijing for delegates from abroad and for those that are first time visitors to the city. The program is completed by a series of awards honoring some of this year's most significant contributions to the industry, as well as the opportunity for more informal discussions on industry matters, including the intricacies of overseas mergers and acquisitions.

On the new product front, the attention of most visitors will be taken up by the latest generation of Computer Numerically-Controlled (CNC) machines on show. Both domestic and foreign exhibitors will be using CIMT2009 as an opportunity to show off their existing manufacturing lines and to launch new initiatives and equipment in this rapidly evolving-sector.

This year CIMT will display a greater variety of large, heavy-duty CNC machine tools than ever before. More than 100 full-scale working CNC installations will be on show - including a large number of large-scale and heavy-duty gantry machining centers, CNC heavy duty lathes, large CNC boring and milling machines and other heavy-duty CNC machine tools.

The quantity of multi-axis, high-precision, high speed and high-grade composition CNC machine tools is also expected to exceed the number on show at any previous CIMT exhibition.

This year the organizers have been at pains to ensure ease of access to the venue for all of the thousands of expected delegates. Two complementary shuttle buses will be running between the venue and the nearest two subway stations - Shaoyaoju (lines 10 and 13) and Tiantongyuanbei (line 5). The service will run throughout the course of the event.

For those wishing to make their own way to the CIEC, the organizers have made provision for substantial parking adjacent to the exhibition center.

(China Daily 03/16/2009 page8)