IMTS Day One: New US manufacturing announcements set tone for growth optimism

Chicago, Illinois – With just under 100,000 people in attendance Monday, American manufacturing took the center stage at the International Manufacturing Technology Show with a machine tool company that soon hopes to move some production to the U.S. and an international trade show that partner with the U.S. in the future.

SMTCL, a producer that makes its various machine tools in Europe and China, announced that it has begun the site selection process for a U.S. plant. The company has already talked to state officials in California and Michigan, and hopes to move quickly to establish production here.

“You’re seeing a lot of reshoring, big business like Caterpillar and Whirpool moving work back to the U.S. from overseas… a lot of the companies that we sell machines to,” said SMTCL Chief Operating Officer Jerry McCarty.

He added that the company is in the very early stages of its decision making. It has not yet identified which tools it would make here or what volume levels it would produce – key decisions that will determine how many people the company will employ. McCarty said 100-to-150 jobs would be a ballpark estimate, but that figure could change radically if it decides to go with bigger, higher-volume machinery.

Early attendance figures show that 98,169 visitors attended IMTS on Monday, filling all four halls at McCormick Place. In addition to visiting booths and taking part in conferences, many attendees took some time for some fun during the show.

Welding and plasma cutting company ESAB won a social media contest for producing the best IMTS logo with equipment available at its booth. The metal cutout was an example both of the company’s technology and a good representation of the show’s block type logo.

Many visitors also attended partner events such as the Hannover Fairs’ Industrial Automation North America displays.

Hannover announced that India has been selected as the partner country for 2015’s Hannover Messe, a sign of that country’s growing manufacturing sector.

India’s most recent participation as Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE 2006 inspired some 350 Indian exhibitors and 5,700 Indian attendees to make the trip to Hannover, said Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of the Deustsche Messe managing board. Last year’s event attracted the participation of 122 exhibitors and 2,400 visitors from India. “Having India as the partner country will allow us to greatly expand those figures.”

Source: SMTCL, Hannover Fairs, ESAB, IMTS