JIMTOF 2016 to Benefit from New, Bigger Venue at Tokyo Big Sight and Lower Yen

Event now ranks 4th globally in visitor number

Compiled by STEVE CHUANG

With the Japanese yen at record-lows recently to make the nation's exports more competitive, coupled with its machine tool industry still commanding global respect for supplying some of the best, the 28th Japan International Machine Tool Fair (JIMTOF), a globally top-5 trade fair for machine tools, will be staged Nov. 17-22, 2016 at the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), to boast bigger size than ever to host more international exhibitors, who expect to attract more visitors to browse state-of-the-art technologies of Japanese origin.

To promote this globally leading machine-tool trade fair, JIMTOF organizers, Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association (JMTBA) and Tokyo Big Sight Inc., the operator of the eponymous venue, took advantage of TIMTOS (Taipei International Machine Tool Show) 2015, held March 3-8 at the TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, to hold an on-site international press conference on March 5, with Youji Ishimaru, JMTBA's senior managing director, and Yasuo Narita, head of Tokyo Big Sight's Exhibition Services Bureau, presiding over the conference to shed light on Japan's current economic situation and the features of the upcoming JIMTOF 2016.

Ishimaru first expressed gratitude to TAMI (Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry), the island's only trade association of Taiwanese machine tool and machinery equipment suppliers, and TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), a semi-official export promoter, for lending JMTBA a hand to hold the press conference during TIMTOS 2015, also alluding to steadfast partnerships of machine tool industries between Japan and Taiwan, reflected in the fact that 28 JMTBA members showcased products at TIMTOS 2015 (organized jointly by TAMI and TAITRA), which he stressed will likely further enhance exchanges between the two sides.

Upbeat Economic and Market Climate

On Japan's economic prospects, Ishimaru cited data from IMF (International Monetary Fund)'s report on the global economic outlook issued this January to say that Japan's 2014 real GDP growth is predicted at 0.1 percent compared to 2013, to reverse a downward trend due to the consumption tax hike from 5 percent to 8 percent last April, also show Japan's attempt to gradually shake off decades-long deflation, largely due to "Abenomics" that focus on the three goals of fiscal stimulus, monetary easing and structural reforms.

The senior managing director emphasized that Japan's 2015 real GDP growth rate is expected at 0.6 percent, primarily based on observations of local consumer spending and enterprise investment both gradually recovering, particularly when the Japanese government has just expanded its “Monozukuri (manufacturing craft)” subsidies to  JPY140 billion (US$1.17 billion) and continues the tax incentives to assist local firms to sharpen competitive edge and improve production equipment, which, in turn, will keep sustaining the domestic market. The steady uptrend in private capital investment attests to the positive effects of those policies, as the government's recent report shows such investment is predicted to surge to 4.4 percent in fiscal 2014, compared to 2.7 percent a year ago.

With Japan's economy showing growth momentum, Ishimaru reported that overall orders received by Japan's machine tool industry throughout 2014 totaled JPY1.5094 trillion (about US$12.58 billion), sharply growing the first time over the past three years by 35.1 percent year-on-year (YoY). Of the total, JPY496.4 billion (US$4.14 billion) were placed by local downstream manufacturers, and JPY1.013 trillion (US$8.44 billion) by foreign buyers.

The industry has also seen a promising start in 2015 by landing JPY121.1 billion (US$1 billion) of orders this January, up 20.4 percent YoY to set an all-time historical high for the month, including JPY38.5 billion (US$320 million) and JPY82.6 billion (US$690 million) from home and abroad, respectively, Ishimaru stated.

With the economic and market outlook increasingly brightening for Japanese machine tool suppliers to set a positive tone for JIMTOF 2016, he concluded that the trade fair is certainly to be a must-see event for the global machine tool industry, with the most advanced technologies and machines on display to meet the most demanding needs of operators worldwide. Also, he added, visitors will be able to experience the Japanese spirit of “Omotenashi” (literally hospitality), to be embodied by a slate of services to be provided during the show.

Features of JIMTOF 2016

Following decades of development, the biennial JIMTOF has evolved into the world's No.4 trade fair to trail only CIMT (the China International Machine Tool Show in Beijing), CCMT (the China CNC Machine Tool Fair in Shanghai) and EMO Hannover in term of visitor number, to which many features of the show are attributable.

Tokyo Big Sight's exhibition service department chief Narita noted that one of the show's distinct features being the high proportion of foreign exhibitors. For instance, he said, the 2014 edition witnessed 254 foreign exhibitors out of 865 from 25 countries, including Taiwan, from which 33 exhibitors were present to account for 13 percent of the total.

Another attraction of JIMTOF, Narita continued, is the simultaneous activities and workshops held during the show to demonstrate the world's most advanced technologies and techniques originating in Japan. Among such events arranged in the 2014 edition was a seminar focusing on Japan's “extra-super duralumin forged wheel,” which underscored the country's globally leading production technology for processing such material, as well as a workshop where several  Japanese mechanics showed deft scraping technique that also drew a constant flow of visitors interested in such craftsmanship that is essential in reducing dimensional deviation of parts and components of machine tools to greatly enhance precision.

Visitors are less likely to miss out on industry-leading, trendsetting products and technologies from all over the world at JIMTOF, Narita said, for this show is recognized by global machine tool builders as the ideal platform for unveiling newest products and technologies, and a survey by Tokyo Big Sight shows that around 80 percent of total exhibitors chose the show for product launch in the past. This tendency has helped to build a sound reputation for the trade fair to lead others worldwide.

The Biggest Ever

With JIMTOF having recorded a new high of 130,000-plus visitors in 2014, JIMTOF 2016, Narita confirmed, is set to break new ground literally by constructing a brand new exhibition building spread over 16,000 square meters in the Tokyo Big Sight complex, to further expand the total indoor venue from 82,000 square meters as seen in 2014 to 98,000 square meters. With the construction scheduled to be completed prior to mid-2016, he stressed that JIMTOF 2016 will be the biggest ever in size, and the new venue will be open mainly to foreign exhibitors.

With Tokyo Big Sight being expanded and retrofitted for more purposes, including an international media center for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Japan's economy and machine tool industry steadily showing buoyancy, Narita emphasized that JIMTOF is entering a new era of growth and will most likely witness a bigger turnout in 2016.

Review of JIMTOF 2014

JIMTOF 2014 hosted 863 exhibitors, compared to 815 in the 2012 edition, who occupied 5,083 booths over 82,660 square meters in 10 exhibition halls and Atrium Hall.

Retaining its tradition of boosting exchanges among industrial associations from all around the world, the show also saw brisk participation of local associations of forming machinery, solid cutting tools, optical measuring instruments, and many others, as well as foreign machinery and machine tool builders associations from Germany, Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, the U.S., Europe and so forth. Such turnout and representation show the importance of this trade fair in the eyes of machine tool trade groups.

During the six-day run, the show attracted 136,196 visitors, including 10,213 from overseas, compared to 128,674 and 8,347, respectively, in the 2012 edition. Notable was that the overall visitor number on the first day surged over 40 percent to 25,304 from 18,000, while foreign buyers also increased to 3,265 from 2,688 as seen in the previous edition, suggesting again the benchmark standard of the event among buyers worldwide to see new technologies.

Wide-ranging exhibits in systematic organization and layout were also among factors behind resounding success of JIMTOF 2014. Metal forming and cutting machines were concentrated in East Hall 1-3, while control and related software for computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing, and other associated machinery and equipment were displayed in East Hall 4-6. The West Hall 1-2 were full of cemented carbide tools, high speed steel tools and machine tool accessories, with West Hall 3-4 accommodating exhibitors of precision measuring machines and instruments, optical measuring instruments, testing machinery, diamond and CBN tools, grinding wheels and abrasives, oil hydraulic and pneumatic machinery, gears and gear devices. The Atrium Hall displayed tools and accessories along with trade magazines.

To boost added value for participants, JIMTOF 2014 staged lots of support events, including exhibitors' workshops and expert seminars for visitors to update knowledge of the latest technological development and market trends.

The seminars included the keynote speech titled “Manufacturing Innovation Driven by Additive Manufacturing” by Dr. Tohiki Niino from Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo; the lecture given by Mistuo Hitomi, managing executive officer of technical research from Mazda Motor, about development of SKYACTIV engines; that by Dr. Mamoru Mitsuishi from Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Tokyo about machine tool technology which contributes to and is used in healthcare and many others.

As is typical of other trade fairs, the organizers believed in mixing a bit of pleasure with business by showing Japanese hospitality, in the form of throwing dinner parties which not just enabled participants to sample Japanese gourmet cuisine and traditional culture, but eased the mood to enhance networking among the guests from all over the world that often help to sow seeds of opportunity.