I have recently returned from a two week trip to Germany which coincided with the Hannover Fair. Part of the trip involved visiting several suppliers and part walking the halls of the fair. It was my first visit to the fair and it was an experience to behold. Interestingly, exhibitors had very different motives for being there: some to show new products to the world, some just because their competitors were there, and some to maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers. Whatever the reason, or combination of reasons, the cost to exhibit was huge. I heard figures of R1 to R5 million for the week. It just shows the commitment these companies have, especially during troubled times. There were of course several hundred Chinese stands across all industries.
What was more impressive though were the factory visits; unless you actually see it for yourself, the concept of First World technology cannot be grasped. Examples include:
* An unmanned forklift driving up and down a factory picking up pallets and dropping them off elsewhere.
* A completely automated plating facility on about 500 m², with not a person in sight.
* Automatic pallet pick and place for over 2500 pallets.
I could go on for a long time giving examples of jaw-dropping moments, but they will be lost unless personally seen.
SAFPA feedback is as follows:
AGM
By the time that this has gone to print and been distributed, the SAFPA AGM will have passed already. I trust that those that made it learned something on accumulators, and enjoyed the interaction with the other member companies. If there are any member companies that did not get the invite to the AGM, please let the secretariat know at ctr@safpa.org.za.
Market survey
SAFPA has also begun the market survey for the 2012 calendar year. The more companies participating, the better the results will be. It costs nothing to take part and all participating companies will receive a personalised copy of the results. For any other company that wishes to get a copy, the results will be for sale at a fee of a few thousand rand.
Regards
Norman Hall
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