Assembly Technology Expo 2005 earns rave reviews

Citation

(2006), "Assembly Technology Expo 2005 earns rave reviews", Assembly Automation, Vol. 26 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2006.03326aab.004

Assembly Technology Expo 2005 earns rave reviews

Assembly Technology Expo 2005 earns rave reviews

Keywords: Assembly, Trade fairs

The recent Assembly Technology Expo has been receiving rave reviews with exhibitors saying they were happy with the quantity and quality of the attendees. The event held September 27-29, 2005 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, was co-located with the biannual International Robots & Vision Show. With two of the world's leading manufacturing trade shows held side by side, the event brought together some 850 suppliers of automation technology including automated and manual assembly equipment, adhesives, robotics and machine vision equipment designed to help manufacturers improve product quality, reduce costs, and shorten time to market.

One exhibitor, David Upton, Regional Manager of Fluid Research Corporation, summed up the show by saying, “The show was awesome. It was the best show in four years. There was an enormous traffic increase with new prospects that we have never heard of. We had as many leads in the first day then at last years show. The right people are here and they're knowledgeable of what they need.”

With 560 exhibiting companies, ATExpo had approximately the same number of exhibitors as in 2004, but with an increase of average exhibit space as many exhibitors were launching new products. The 2005 event was the first ATExpo to be larger than the year before since the onset of economic decline in 2001. With the help of the IRVS co-location, ATExpo 2005 drew 12,629 industry professionals looking for new technologies and ideas.

Highlights of the event included three entertaining and industry relevant keynote presentations from senior managers of NASA, Boeing, and Ford. The exciting, multimedia opening keynote, “Robonaut and Future Assembly of the International Space Station,” was presented by Michael Lutomski, the NASA Risk and Mission Assurance Manager for the International Space Station. Day two began with Scott C. Strode, Vice President – Airplane Production, 787 Program, Boeing Commercial Airlines sharing the latest air travel and assembly technologies in, “Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Creating the Future of Flight.” The third keynote presentation, “Flexible Manufacturing Comes to Life,” given by Bruce Hettle, Director – Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering for Ford Motor Company demonstrated how Ford responds quickly and efficiently to changing customer needs.

Dedicated technology pavilions made it easy for ATExpo attendees to locate the specific products and suppliers they wanted to see. The Electronics Assembly Pavilion showcased more than 200 top suppliers offering state- of-the-art solutions for every phase of the electronics manufacturing process. The pavilion also featured the EASi Line, a live electronics assembly line manufacturing a working digital clock. And, in the Wire Harness Pavilion, supported by WHMA (the Wire Harness Manufacturers Association), ATExpo was the place to find wire- processing solutions. The pavilion also featured the Wire Processing Assembly Line, which demonstrated manufacturing processes for monster cables and harnesses.

Industry-developed conference program

Developed by the industry's leading associations, the ATExpo Conference offered over 30 in-depth sessions. The highly-respected organizations that presented conference sessions in the ATExpo Conference included: the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), the Edison Welding Institute (EWI), the Wiring Harness Manufacturers Association (WHMA), ASSEMBLY magazine, ASI magazine, and RFID News & Solutions magazine. Sessions focused on a variety of high-interest topics, including the human side of lean, lean sigma, nanotechnology, error proofing, and many more. Electronics manufacturing professionals updated their technical skills with over 40 sessions and special events at the annual co-located SMTA International Conference presented by the Surface Mount Technology Association.