More than 58,000 trade visitors from 130 countries attended the five-day event held last week in the German city of Frankfurt. Some 949 companies – 41 more than three years ago – were showcasing their products and services. The proportion of trade visitors from outside Germany rose from 47 per cent in 2007 to 59 per cent this year – with manufacturers detecting an increase in global demand.
“This means full order books for manufacturers of meat-processing and packaging machines and a sector distinguished by a much greater willingness to invest following a very difficult year,” said IFFA.
The top ten visitor nations were Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Poland, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, the USA, Belgium and Australia.
Consolidation and other trends
Consolidation in both meat processing and the butchery sectors in Germany over the past three years was the reason behind the declining number of German visitors – accounting for a 3,000 fall in attendance compared to 2007 - said the organisers.
“The results and the mood in the exhibition halls at IFFA 2010 leave no doubt that the crisis is over,” said Detlef Braun, Messe Frankfurt board management member.
Major trends at this year’s show were increased automation, safety, traceability and hygiene.
Berthold Gassmann, chairman of the Meat Processing Machines Department of the Federation of German Machine and Plant Manufacturers (VDMA) said: “IFFA 2010 has more than fulfilled our expectations. We are very pleased with the number and, in particular, the quality of trade visitors. Our customers were very impressed by the breadth of the spectrum to be seen, as well as the large variety of new products for automation, hygiene, process documentation and traceability.”