Visitors at CeMAT ASIA 2013, China’s leading continental intralogistics event. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

About 500 logistic-related companies will gather in the annual International Exhibition for Materials Handling Automation Technology Transport System and Logistics (CeMAT ASIA) to demonstrate the cutting-edge technologies and achievements in the logistics sector in Shanghai from Oct 27 to 30.

The 2014 annual fair will focus on sectors such as online businesses, tobacco logistics, manufacturing logistics, clothes logistics and bulk commodity logistics to cope with the changing situation in the automation sector and e-commerce sector.

The fair, with an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters in the Shanghai New International Expo Center, was organized by the China Federation of Logistics Purchasing, the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, the Deutsche Messe AG and the Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd.

Opening under the slogan “Smart, Integrated and Efficient”, the exhibition is expected to welcome visitors from eight main sectors, which are system integration and solution, conveying equipments, automated guided vehicles, forklifts and accessories, auto ID, hoisting equipments and parts, pallet and storage racks, auto-ID and machine vision and logistic machines. Established in 2000, CeMAT ASIA has become a barometer in the logistics industry and has witnessed solid growth in the number of visitors from different industries. In 2013, the total number of professional visitors reached 77,076, an increase of 12.5 percent year-on-year.

Main participants

More equipment manufacturing giants will showcase their products in the 2014 CeMAT ASIA to capture emerging business opportunities.

Hannover said equipment manufacturing giants are keen on exploring logistic sectors amid the recession in equipments production sectors. In 2014 CeMAT ASIA, some companies will launch storage forklift and power-driven forklift products which are suitable for e-commerce operators.

In the W1 pavilion, visitors will see many global giants including Heli Forklift, Jungheinrich, Crown, BYD, Goodsense Forklift, Vita-wheel and Ningbo Ruyi.

In addition, the second-hand forklift businesses operator Xingwang will be presented in CeMAT ASIA to offer visitors more choices.

The W2 pavilion will see leading intelligence and automation focused businesses gathering for the four days’ display. Daifuku, Swisslog, TGW, CSIC, the Beijing Materials Handling Research Institute, the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machinery Industry, NTI, Formosa, KENMEC and many other global leading integrated system development companies will show up in CeMAT ASIA to demonstrate their cutting-edge technologies and achievements. The new generation of shuttle vehicles to be used in logistic warehouses will make their debut in CeMAT ASIA.

Organizers of CeMAT ASIA have allocated conveyors, AGV and robots to the W3 pavilion. The exhibition area of conveyors increases by 20 percent to reach more than 3,000 square meters from 2013.

The newly established robots area will welcome many developers including Siasun, Shanghai Triowin, HiMan Robot and Dalian Jialin.

CeMAT ASIA’s innovation salon

First held in 2013, CeMAT ASIA’s Innovation Salon attracted great attention from logistics-related business operators and received positive comments from participants. The salon has become a key information sharing and distributing platform in the logistics sector.

In 2014, the salon is expected to bring more up-to-date industry ideas and research results to inspire participants. According to organizers, six topics will be discussed during the four days’ session, which are Global Logistic Markets, Food Supply Chain and Safety, “Backyard of E-commerce: Logistics and Supply Chain, Third Party Storage and Cross-border e-commerce, Retail: Online to Offline and Offline to Online and Future Development of Forklift Industry”.

During the four days’ discussion, organizers will invite insiders from leading e-commerce operators such as Amazon, Tmall, 360buy, Gome online, DHL and CNSS to tell the stories behind the companies.

Apart from this salon, organizers also arranged nearly 20 professional events including new product demonstrations, conferences and forums and organized group buyers to visit CeMAT ASIA. The professional visitors from automotive, food and beverage, medicine, tobacco and other sectors will visit the exhibition and negotiate trade opportunities.

Improving services

CeMAT ASIA has long committed to improve service quality and keeps on exploring new marketing channels.

Organizers of CeMAT ASIA launched “Buyer Plans” in early 2014 to ensure buyers better match sellers. They have visited many leading companies including Alibaba and CP Lotus Corporation to better understand what services are required by participants and improve exhibition quality.

“CeMAT ASIA is not only a four-day exhibition, but also a long-term platform serving exhibitors and buyers,” said James Fu, general manager of Hannover Milano Fairs China.

New media channels including WeChat, Weibo, and mobile apps were launched to enhance the impact of the fair.

Visitors are welcome to login to the WeChat platform to browse exhibitors’ information and make registration. A WeChat registration desk is provided at the exhibition venue. Visitors can print their badge from the machine and then enter the venue directly. The registration procedure is greatly simplified, and exhibition services are significantly improved.