“These figures, compared with those of the previous edition, confirmed the interest of the sector operators in this trade show and highlighted the positive situation of the metal forming field and non-conventional technologies,” said Luigi Galdabini, president of Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre, the Italian machine tools, robots and automation manufacturers’ association.

As part of the exhibition, an area dedicated to the supply chain of steel, metal alloys and non-ferrous materials was set up called Blech Italy, first held in the previous edition of Lamiera. It was conceived in order to better enhance the two industries: the machine tool sector and the machinery for processing steel and other alloys.

Running concurrently was Lamda 4.0, a conference where R&D and industry players shared their know-how, experiences and practical needs. This year’s conference involved 400 participants and illustrated the commitment of the sector to the study of industry 4.0.

The workshops in the conference surrounded the theme of smart factory and machines for laser processing. There were also numerous discussions and meetings focusing on economics and technologies, one of which was a presentation concerning the results of a survey carried out by Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre on the total machine tools and production systems of the Italian industry. The association also shared the results of the competitiveness study, which compared systems and industries between Italy and Germany.

There were also 500 bilateral meetings organised between the Italian exhibitors and foreign delegates, who were invivted by Ucimu-Sistemi per produrre, the Ministry of Economic Development and the ICE-Italian Trade Agency. The foreign guests came from Austria, Germany, India, Iran, Poland, Russia, Spain, United States, Switzerland, Turkey and Mexico.

Lamiera will return at a new venue next year. The next edition will run from 17 to 20 May 2017 at fieramilano-Rho in Milan, in an attempt by the organisers to attract more foreign visitors.