Realignment on the trade fair market for production engineering

Messe Stuttgart and the VDW pooling their expertise in north Germany / NORTEC under new responsibility

NORTEC is now in new hands: Messe Stuttgart and the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW), Frankfurt am Main, will jointly assume responsibility for the established event for production engineering in Hamburg. The final discussions with the previous organiser, i.e. Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, have just been concluded.

“For Messe Stuttgart, the future orientation of NORTEC is another important milestone in the expansion of the company’s portfolio in the industrial sector,” said Roland Bleinroth, President of Messe Stuttgart. “We are pleased to be able to contribute our trade fair experiences from the successful industrial events in Stuttgart, which were successfully developed with our long-standing partner, the VDW, to the expansion of NORTEC as the leading platform for industrial production technology in north Germany. This proven formula for success will now also be implemented with total commitment in Hamburg.”

The VDW also welcomed this development: “The takeover of NORTEC by two highly competent organisers, i.e. Messe Stuttgart and the VDW, will open up new opportunities to further strengthen NORTEC and extend the platform for production engineering in north Germany. As both a long-standing organiser of trade fairs in production engineering and a trade association, we are convinced that we can make a valuable contribution to the further development of NORTEC with our expertise and our international network,” said Dr. Markus Heering, Managing Director of the VDW.

Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH: “Hamburg is one of the most important industrial regions in Europe. This industry has found an important platform with NORTEC in our exhibition halls. Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH continually examines how events can be maintained and, above all, expanded at the venue. Since Messe Stuttgart has been staging a very successful exhibition, i.e. AMB, on the same topic in its halls for many years, we believe that a large number of synergies can be exploited for NORTEC. We are very confident that the VDW and Messe Stuttgart will enhance the event with their experience, their network and their innovative capacity, and will offer everyone involved in NORTEC a first-class trade fair. NORTEC is and will remain in Hamburg and in good hands. That’s important.”

Lars Reeder, Managing Director of Hein & Oetting Feinwerktechnik and Chairman of the NORTEC trade fair advisory board, also made some positive comments about the change: “As the trade fair advisory board, we have monitored and shaped NORTEC over a period of many years. The decision to hand over responsibility for NORTEC to Messe Stuttgart and the VDW was taken carefully and offers great opportunities for the further development of the trade fair. As the trade fair advisory board, we will also naturally continue to play our part.”

Pooling of the nationwide offering

The joint objective of Messe Stuttgart and the VDW is to extend the topic areas of NORTEC and enhance its profile in the medium term. The VDW is therefore bringing METAV (International Exhibition for Metal Working Technologies) into NORTEC. “A large number of exhibitors want to see consolidation on the trade fair market so that they can pool their products and services. We are very pleased to support this through the new constellation,” said Dr. Markus Heering.

The handover of NORTEC will take effect on 12 July. Messe Stuttgart, Hamburg Messe und Congress, and the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW) are working together to ensure a smooth transition.

The next NORTEC will be held at the Hamburg Trade Fair Center from 23 to 26 January 2024.

About NORTEC

NORTEC, Trade Fair for Manufacturers and Campus for SMEs, is the first industry meeting point in the year and is held at Messe Hamburg. The focal points of NORTEC are the needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers, and face-to-face discussions with industrial experts. The concept of a trade fair and a campus for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provides for every level of knowledge practical solutions, network formats and workshops which help SMEs on their path to Production 4.0. In the exhibition halls decision-makers meet renowned companies from metal working, plastics processing, mechanical engineering and the areas of components, processes and production engineering. In combination with the campus, the know-how transfer hotspot and networking with pioneers of Industry 4.0 and electronics production, NORTEC is the place to be for all SMEs who want to secure their business success in future.

About Messe Stuttgart

Messe Stuttgart is one of the leading trade fair companies in Germany. With its first-class infrastructure and unique location next door to Stuttgart Airport, the public transport network and the A8 motorway, Messe Stuttgart is an international meeting point for different industries and markets. The trade fair grounds have an indoor and an outdoor area of 120,000 square metres and 40,000 square metres respectively, and provide an ideal setting for successful events. The connected ICS International Congress Center Stuttgart complements the facilities with 33 rooms which can be used on a flexible basis. Messe Stuttgart also organises trade fairs and exhibitions at home and abroad, e.g. in Hamburg, Leipzig, Vancouver and Nanjing. It has a presence in 48 countries with three subsidiaries, 15 international representatives and a large number of sales partners. The events in Stuttgart include CMT, R+T, INTERGASTRA, AMB, hy-fcell and Quantum Effects.

About the VDW

The VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), Frankfurt am Main, has acted as the mouthpiece for the German machine tool industry for more than 130 years. It represents its members towards the general public, politicians, business partners and science both nationally and internationally. In addition to providing numerous valuable services for its members, the VDW has been organising trade fairs for the machine tool industry for more than 100 years. With the quality symbol “A trade fair of the VDW”, it organises on behalf of the European machine tool association Cecimo EMO (World’s Leading Trade Fair for Production Technology) in Hanover (next date: 18 to 23 September 2023) and GrindingHub (next date: 14 to 17 May 2024) together with Messe Stuttgart. The VDW also organised METAV, International Exhibition for Metal Working Technologies, in Düsseldorf up until 2022.

About Hamburg Messe und Congress

Every year, Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) organises, manages and stages many large national and international events in Germany’s second largest city: important trade fairs, world-class congresses, party conventions, annual general meetings, cultural performances and sports events find a suitable setting here. Located between the university and the Reeperbahn, and between the lively city centre and spacious parks, the eleven exhibition halls of Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) cover an exhibition area of more than 87,000 square metres. Up to 50 rooms are also available in the Hamburg Congress Center (CCH), which is situated just a few metres away.