Read the whole summary of TOOLEX Fair 2024.
5,500 participants and over 170 exhibitors from all over the world. On top of that, there were market novelties, leading producers and distributors of metalworking machinery and tools, as well as leaders in welding technology and solutions, combined with presentation of equipment in operation and an exchange of experience and an opportunity to establish new business contacts. The international TOOLEX and ExpoWELDING trade fair, which took place in Katowice from 15 to 17 October, offered a broad spectrum of opportunities to participants. The event was accompanied by the 65th International Welding Conference and the 3rd New Industry 4.0 conference, during which nearly 80 experts discussed current challenges in industries related to industrial production.
Held at the International Congress Centre, the fair is the most important national event aimed at the broadly understood machine tool, tooling, and welding industries, employing hundreds of thousands of workers and cooperating with many branches of the economy. By combining the two events, visitors to TOOLEX and ExpoWELDING had an even better opportunity to explore current market trends and learn about the latest solutions offered by exhibitors thanks to the synergy effect.
– The presence of exhibitors and representatives from both industries, important partners in many sectors of the economy, in one place provides an excellent opportunity to grasp the dynamics of the transformation that is taking place within them. Although our entire region is changing significantly, industrial production still remains an important element of the Silesian economy, and therefore also the national economy, as confirmed by the opinions of our visitors. Many of them work with companies operating in Silesia. The TOOLEX and ExpoWELDING fair provides both sides with an opportunity to learn about the changes occurring in the industrial sphere due to the ongoing fourth technological revolution, as well as an opportunity to establish business relations – notes Wojciech Kuśpik, CEO at PTWP Group.
The fair also served as a platform for discussions about the future and challenges facing the industrial sectors. One of the topics discussed was the growing competition, especially from Chinese companies. As emphasised by Rafał Budniok from Beboq Robotics, apart from the price pressure they exert on European producers, the slowdown and uncertainty on the market are also becoming a challenge, making it difficult to make firm and strategic investment decisions.
According to many participants, investing in new areas such as wind energy and the arms industry could be a key opportunity for development. In the face of global changes, there is a growing need to develop production based on domestic resources and technologies, which could strengthen the position of companies operating in these sectors. As emphasised during the event, local production and cooperation with domestic partners are important factors that could determine the success of companies in the coming years and enhance national security.
Special attention was also paid to the growing shortage of skilled workers, which is a major challenge for the welding industry.
– Faced with this shortage, many companies are investing in the automation and robotisation of welding processes, which is becoming a necessity in order to maintain productivity and production quality. This approach influences the behaviour of customers who are more open to the solutions offered by modern industries – says Igor Gembczyk from Valk Welding, a company specialising in designing and building robotic welding systems for small and medium-sized production runs.
Other participants at the Katowice event also stressed that the remedy for the shortage of specialists is the development of robotisation and automation of welding processes and accompanying services, such as software. Many Polish entrepreneurs can boast of success in this area.
Industry institutions have been drawing attention to the issue of personnel shortages for years. Among those addressing this challenge is the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Upper Silesian Institute of Technology, which has been actively involved in reintroducing welding classes at secondary education schools. Thanks to the efforts of the Institute and the welding community, there are already over 70 specialist classes in Poland, and by mid-2025 the first graduates of these courses will enter the labour market, as reported by Prof. Jacek Słania of Łukasiewicz – USIoT.
TOOLEX and ExpoWELDING are the voice of the industry
Exhibitors present at the fair also took part in Industry Talks sessions, organised as part of the “New Industry 4.0” conference. Journalists from the WNP.pl portal discussed major issues facing the manufacturing industries with invited guests, and one of the topics raised was automation. The factors driving it were highlighted by Andrzej Rudenko – The increase in energy costs and maintenance costs unfortunately lead to many companies losing their competitiveness. There is a great struggle. We know companies that are doing very well, but also those that are struggling. One of the solutions is automation” – as emphasised byCEO and Managing Director at ArcoTools.
This process is not only the domain of large enterprises, as emphasised Rafał Korfel – We are currently noticing that small and medium-sized enterprises want to be more and more competitive on the market and are reaching for very advanced solutions, and thus more expensive and complicated, as they require greater involvement not only from the sellers but also from the entities implementing a given technological process – says Regional Director at Dematec Polska. He added that automation is often accompanied by production diversification, which is a safeguard against the difficult situation in a particular sector.
Increasing competitiveness is one of the factors that entrepreneurs must consider when planning their strategy. This was mentioned by Bogdan Chłodek, CEO at Machine Tools International – Changes are taking place in the market and our role is to stay up to date. The key is listening to customers and being able to adapt to the situation.
A great interest and large attendance confirm the unwavering position of TOOLEX and ExpoWELDING as special events for the Polish industry.
This opinion is shared by Marcin Nowak from Technika Spawalnicza in Poznań – Silesia is an extremely important region for our company because many of our customers with whom we cooperate on a daily basis come from there. This makes ExpoWELDING one of the most important trade events, and I’m sure not just for us. We have been participating in the trade fair for more than 10 years and each time our visit is an opportunity to meet our current partners and establish new relations – says the representative of the company specialising in robotisation and automation of welding, pressure welding, and soldering processes.
– The Katowice trade fair is a great way to establish relations with customers. Direct contact allows us to present our offer and help them fully understand the sense and value of the presented solutions” – adds Marcin Antosiewicz, Technical Director at CAMdivision, a company providing advanced CAx/PLM solutions.
The opportunity to present offer in a traditional form – live meetings – is highlighted by most exhibitors as the greatest advantage of the fair. This is also one of the key elements contributing to the development of business relations. As noted by Karolina Dubicka, a representative of Teka, the location of the trade fair and its focus on various industries are particularly valuable given that the Silesian Voivodeship is the most industrialised region in Poland and a place where many of the company’s partners operate.
Among this year’s exhibitors were companies such as: Alpha Technology, AMP, Andrychowska Fabryka Maszyn DEFUM, Apweld, ARCO, Avalon, Beboq Robotics, Bohler Welding, CAM Division, Center-Gaz, Centrum Maszyn CNC, CHM, CLOOS, Comtec 3d, Cormak, DBR77, DEMATEC, Enrx, EURODIS, Fanuc, FIN, F.British, Filter Service, HANNSA PRECISION, Harms+Wende, HIFI Filter, Igoldenlaser, Interpoler, Isotec, Kalla, Kemppi, Keyence, Klimawent, Kovaco, Lasery.pl, Technic, Madora, Machine Tools International, Madler, Menegon, MITUTOYO, Messerschmitt- Schweißtechnik, Modula, NewTechnology, OKE, Pema, Perun, PIAP, POMET WRONKI, PRS, PSPG, SAP-Weld, QMTMACHINING, Rywal-Rhc, Siemens Digital Industries Software, SMZ Polska, Stigal, Stürmer Maszyny, Tajmac-Zps, Technika Spawalnicza, TEKA, TOCK Automatyka, TONEX, Ultron, Varnsdorf TOS, Valk Welding, Voestalpine Bohler Welding, Werkus, Witt, XYZ MACHINE TOOLS, and ZEISS.
– The TOOLEX trade fair and its accompanying events bring together leaders and innovators, facilitating not only the exchange of experiences but also the identification of new collaboration opportunities and synergies. This allows participants to better understand the dynamically changing market environment and effectively respond to new challenges of both economic and technological nature – says Agnieszka Miklas, Director of Expo Department at PTWP Group.
– The satisfaction of participants at ExpoWELDING and TOOLEX is a top priority for us, and feedback from our visitors and partners shows that we succeed in providing a convenient space, the highest standard of services, and a good atmosphere conducive to business development – adds Wioleta Błońska-Dudek, Project Manager of Expo Department at PTWP Group.
Complementary events at the fair, combining the theoretical and practical world of the industry, included the 65th International Welding Conference and the 7th International Adhesive Bonding Seminar prepared by Łukasiewicz Research Network – Upper Silesian Institute of Technology, the Environmental Tribologists’ Seminar, the TÜV Rheinland Poland Seminar, and the OILexpo Trade Fair For Oils, Lubricants And Process Fluids In Industry.
On 15-16 October, the 3rd edition of the “New Industry 4.0” conference was held, during which the opportunities, challenges, and limitations of the Polish industry were also discussed, and The Best of Industry 4.0 awards were presented. The competition jury recognised representatives of the industry who successfully implement state-of-the-art solutions and technologies of Industry 4.0. Statuettes in the “Production Plant” and “Technology” categories were awarded to 8 prize-winners.
All events were organised by Polskie Towarzystwo Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości SA.