Records were broken at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) and Hannover Messe USA Sept. 10 in Chicago riding a wave of optimism.
North Central Illinois EDC (NCI) worked the huge show, which occupied all of the McCormick Place. “These shows are an opportunity to learn about new products, growth firms, and generate leads,” said Ivan Baker, NCI President.
“Manufacturing technology is in a good place. It’s in a growth place. It’s changing so rapidly that you need to get down to the emerging technology centers because it may change before the show ends,” said Peter Eelmen of the Association for Manufacturing Technology.
The rosy outlook for manufacturing is matched by record numbers for IMTS 2018. The show already had more exhibiting companies (2,563), more booths (21,23) and more square feet used at Chicago’s McCormick Place (1,424,232 sq ft) than at any previous IMTS. Final attendance numbers were 129,415 – a new record.
Part of the growth of IMTS has been the inclusion of industrial automation as a main exhibit area for IMTS. Hannover Messe USA, which stages the industrial automation area at IMTS, has exported the global Hannover Messe brand to the U.S. for the first time for this year’s event. Since joining forces with AMY in 2012, Hannover Messe’s exhibit space at IMTS has grown more than 400% to 114,000 sq ft at the 2018 Hannover Messe USA.