The Shows Must Go On

Westec

Westec takes place Sept. 24-26 at the Long Beach (California) Convention Center, which is a new location for the event. The show is expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees, who come for a variety of industries, including aerospace, medical, industrial machinery, automotive and fabricated metal. According to the show organizers, 77% of the attendees have a role in purchasing decisions with 30% having manufacturing equipment budgets of more than $200,000.

Each day the event features a keynote presentation. Tom Wujec, chief disruptor at Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, California, will present “The Future of Making” Sept. 24. Brian Beaulieu, CEO and chief economist of ITR Economics, Manchester, New Hampshire, will headline the second day with “Economic Outlook for Manufacturing Through 2023.” On Sept. 26, STEM educator Fredi Lajvardi’s keynote will be “Embracing New Technology, Empowering Teams: How Creativity and Teamwork Can Inspire Your Manufacturing Process.”

Cutting Tool Engineering is one of Westec’s media sponsors. For more information, visit www.westeconline.com.

Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show

Heading north of the border, the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show is scheduled for Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 at The International Centre in Toronto. The show organizers report that more than 9,000 attendees will experience more than 3 million pounds of manufacturing equipment in action from more than 700 exhibiting suppliers. Three-quarters of past attendees had a purchasing role and a fifth had equipment budgets that exceeded $500,000.

Besides exhibits, the event will feature a conference, keynote presentations, industry panels, networking, a student day, workshops, tours of local facilities and the Knowledge Bar. The latter involves small group discussions that provide the opportunity to ask industry experts questions about specific manufacturing challenges.

More information is available at www.cmts.ca.

Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show

The Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis near Milwaukee is site for the 16th biennial Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show, which takes place Oct. 8-10. The exhibits from over 200 suppliers will cover more than 140,000 sq. ft. of space and attract over 4,600 attendees. For the first time, the WMC Foundation Business & Industry Luncheon will be part of the WIMTS program. The luncheon will be held Oct. 8.

For more information, visit www.wimts.com.

Southtec

Like Westec, Southtec is part of the Manufacturing Technology Series produced by the trade associations SME and AMT. The trade show is set for Oct. 22-24 at the Greenville (South Carolina) Convention Center. The organizers expect the show to draw more than 6,300 attendees, 75% of which play a role in purchasing decisions with 36% having manufacturing equipment budgets of more than $200,000.

New for this year’s show is the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion. This dedicated space on the show floor will allow AM suppliers the opportunity to meet Southeast manufacturing professionals to discuss their design and production challenges.

Cutting Tool Engineering is also one of Southtec’s media sponsors. More information is available at www.southteconline.com.

Fabtech

Billed as North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event, Fabtech returns to Chicago’s McCormick Place Nov. 11-14. More than 48,000 attendees and over 1,700 exhibiting companies are expected to participate, according to the organizers.

The event kicks off with a keynote presentation titled “FABx Tech Talks” that includes “a powerful lineup of visionary veterans.” The presentation’s featured speaker is Chad Hennings. The organizers report that through a nine-year NFL career, which included three Super Bowl championships, and 45 successful combat missions with the U.S. Air Force, Hennings will present the philosophy that he lives by—that excellence is not a destination, but an identity.

For more information, visit www.fabtechexpo.com.