Fastener Expo Shanghai 2013 Moves Toward Becoming One of the World's Big Three

Growing size gives fastener show added global impact

With a bigger turnout that included key decision makers, managers, and experts, Fastener Expo Shanghai 2013, held on June 20-22 in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, again proved to be one of the most influential exhibitions for the global fastener industry. It was also the only event in China that presented exhibitors representing the entire industry chain, including materials, equipment, molds, fasteners, testing devices, trade, and services.

According to statistics compiled by the show's organizer, the Shanghai Ebseek Exhibition Co., this year's exhibition attracted 21,128 visitors, including 1,637 professional buyers from 57 countries, up more than 10% compared to the 18,212 visitors at the 2012 edition. The numbers of exhibitors and booths grew to 568 and 1,381, respectively, up from 480 and 960. This year's improved turnout in the face of global economic uncertainty reflected the attendees' confidence in the show's ability to bring them business opportunities.

Brighter Prospects
Market observers expect that following the decline of 2012, China's fastener industry faces brighter times this year. This optimism helped bolster the success of Fastener Expo Shanghai's 2013 edition.

According to official statistics, the industry's output declined about 1.5% in 2012, due partly to weak market demand and partly to anti-dumping sanctions imposed by certain countries. China's fastener exports dropped by 4.8% in volume and 2.4% in value that year, to 2.46 million tons and US$2.892 billion, while imports slid 4.7% in volume to 252,4000 tons and 2.2% in value to US$2.892 billion.

Industry insiders report that thanks to growing trade with ASEAN countries and the vigorous development of overseas markets, especially in emerging nations, the industry's overall production in the first half of this year grew by 2.64% to RMB155 billion (about US$2.583 billion). For the year as a whole, the country's production may reach around 7.3 million tons.

A Diversity of Exhibits in a Systematic Layout
The 4th Auto Fastener Expo Shanghai was held simultaneously with Fastener Expo Shanghai, and together the two shows occupied an area of some 34,000 square meters, Fastener Auto Shanghai offered a complete line of fasteners and related equipment in a systematic layout that made it easy for buyers to find what they needed.

Hall 3 of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center displayed a variety of fasteners and stamping parts, including auto fasteners, construction fasteners and fixings, high-precision fasteners for aerospace craft, electronic fasteners, fasteners for railway construction, and other fasteners for special purposes. Since China has developed into the world's largest stainless steel manufacturer, the hall also featured a large number of stainless steel fasteners.

Globally known Chinese manufacturers represented in the hall included Koking Stainless Steel Rivet Nuts Manufacturing, Suzhou Jinyuan Fastener, Dongtai City BSC Metal Products, ZheJiang Tenglong Stainless Steel Products, Shanghai Chengtai Hardware Manufacturing, Chun Yu (Dongguan) Metal Products, Wenzhou Yili Machinery Development, Shanghai Autocraft, FAWER Auto Parts, Morgan Hardware (Kunshan), Eagle Metalware (Dongguan), and Bralo Industrial (Ningbo).

Hall 2 was filled with fastener production and inspection equipment including multi-station forging machines, threading machines, turning machines, heat treatment machines, wire drawers, CNC machining centers, projectors, micrometers, stamping machines, salt spray testing machines, optical sorting machines, wires, molds, materials, and a comprehensive line of hand and power tools such as torque wrenches, riveting tools, screwdrivers, pneumatic tools, and welding and soldering tools.

The hall accommodated such high-profile exhibitors as Bao Steel, Ningbo Tenggong Precision Machine Manufacturing, Changyan Machinery (Shanghai), Shanghai ChunZu Machinery, NEDSCHROEF Machinery, WAFIOS Umformtechnik, Carlo Salvi S.p.A., Nakashimada Engineering Works, Hyodong Machine, Jern yao Machinery (Shanghai), Manzoni Machinery, Kunshan Quan Ying New Automation Equipment, Helmut Fischer Holding AG, Accuvision Technology, Tianjin Yuzhen Mold, Kingwin Precision, Hebei Chaoyue Fastener Tools, and Taicang Yibiao Precision Dies.

Growing Global Influence
Few would question that, after years of development, Fastener Expo Shanghai is today one of world's most internationally influential trade fairs for the fastener industry thanks to technological improvement by manufacturers, the rapid growth of China's economy, and efforts by the show's organizer to partner with major foreign fastener associations.

At a press conference prior to the opening of Fastener Expo Shanghai, Wang Yanbo, general manager of the show's organizer, commented, “We strengthened overseas promotion for Fastener Expo Shanghai this year. We invested great amounts of manpower, materials, and money to invite overseas buyers and solicit exhibitors.”

The efforts paid off, as such globally famous enterprises as WAFIOS AG, NORMA, Videx, and Simufact attended the show for the first time this year, along with exhibitor groups from South Korea, Japan, India, and Russia. “We are closer and closer to our goal of being one of the three largest fastener exhibitions in the world,” Wang stated.

This year's exhibition was given extra depth by the 2013 Global Fastener Industry CEO Summit and 2013 Five Regions Fastener Association Conference, which attracted a great number of industry heavyweights and experts.

The 2013 Global Fastener Industry CEO Summit, jointly organized by ChinaFastener.com and the Shanghai Fastener Industry Association, opened on June 20. With an agenda centered on the theme of “Establish New Order for the Global Fastener Industry,” the event featured eight speakers: Yang Junfeng from ChinaFastener.com, Jim Barker from Trifast Plc, Phil Matten from Fastener + Fixing Magazine, Gian Marco Dalpane from BULLONERIA EMILIANA srl and SAPPINO srl, Feng Jinyao from Shanghai SQB Automotive Fasteners Ltd., Robert Shieh and Xu Jun from Brighton Best International, and Wilhelmus Romijnders from NEDSCHROEF HERENTALS N.V. The speakers offered educational and motivational lectures on a variety of topics.

About 150 industry leaders, mostly decision-makers from different companies and organizations working in fastener production or trade, attended the summit, and reported after the event that it provided an opportunity for them to not just learn about the newest market trends, but also to meet, strengthen communication and cooperation, and exchange views with counterparts from other countries and regions including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Russia, Italy, Israel, Brazil, Belgium, England, America, Turkey, and India.

As a kind of warm-up for Fastener Expo Shanghai, the 2013 Five Regions Fastener Association Conference opened on June 19 with around 180 attendees. The annual conference is hosted alternately in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

At this year's meeting, five representatives from the host nations reported on the industry's latest developments and reviewed the market changes of the past year. The five: Feng Jinyao, chairman of the China Fastener Industry Association; Thompson T.H. Chang, vice president of the Taiwan Industrial Fastener Institute; Lin Zhi Ming, chairman of the Hongkong Screw & Fastener Council; Yu Zhenshan, president of the Korea Federation of Fasteners Industry Cooperatives; and Katsuyoshi Okawa, chairman of the Fasteners Institute of Japan.

To help boost the exposure of Taiwan's quality fastener manufacturers to global buyers, CENS also participated in the show with a booth from which it circulated its informative publications, including Taiwan Industrial Suppliers, CENS Hardware, and Guidebook to Taiwan Hand Tools. The publications proved highly popular with foreign buyers, impressing them with the superior R&D and production capabilities of Taiwanese suppliers.

The next Fastener Expo Shanghai will run for three days, beginning on June 19, 2014, at the same place. It will have an expanded exhibition area of 42,000 square meters, filled by an expected 700 exhibitors and some 23,000 visitors.