How will Tube/wire Düsseldorf 2012 compare with this year’s event?

Drama is the only word that can sum up the final two days of the 2010 Tube Düsseldorf exhibition. During the course of Thursday 15 April details of the Icelandic volcanic eruption and its implications for air travelers became known and many visitors and exhibitors alike turned their thoughts to the problem of returning to base.

The ITA has always considered Tube Düsseldorf to be the very best organised industry trade fair and has great respect for the professionalism of the organisers.  Having masterminded what by common consent was an excellent exhibition Messe Düsseldorf worked hard in its last two days to assist stranded participants as much as possible by encouraging car sharing for overland travel in Europe as well as facilitating the extension of visas.

Many tales of epic return journeys and considerable delays spent waiting for flights reached the ears of the ITA.  All concerned are to be commended for their patience in the face of an uncontrollable event of Mother Nature. Despite this nothing should detract from the undoubted success of the 2010 exhibition.

Unquestionably Tube goes from strength to strength and even the fallout from the global economic crisis was unable to curtail the growth of the trade fair. There were 1,181 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, an increase of 13.1% over 2008.  As well as this rise the amount of exhibition space was nearly 45,000m2, a further significant increase over the 2008 figure.  Visitor numbers were down slightly with the organisers reporting a total of 69,200 from over 100 countries for wire and Tube combined.  This was to be expected, given the economic background with a fragile recovery underway.

However, the most important fact was that a very high proportion of visitors came with serious intent to review and purchase equipment once again as the world economic situation improves.  Several ITA board members reported that Tube 2010 had greatly exceeded expectations. The ITA itself secured more than 80 new membership applications during the event.

Once again the ITA’s facilities in hall 4 were well patronised by members.  The stand was the venue for several important meetings: a meeting with MC-CCPIT China, co organisers with Messe Düsseldorf of Tube China 2010; with representatives of the Tube & Pipe Association, International (TPA) to update plans for the Pipe & Tube Pittsburgh technical conference in October this year and a meeting of the ITA’s Indian Management Board.

Away from the ITA stand other gatherings during Tube 2010 included a meeting of the ITA’s senior board, the International Executive Management Board (IEMB) on 11 April and the ITA’s annual general meeting and members’ lunch at the Congress Centre on 14 April which attracted 80 members and VIP guests.

Newly elected ITA chairman Tsutomo Nakata receives the chain of office from
retiring chairman Albert Sedlmaier at the ITA AGM and lunch at Tube Düsseldorf

Important changes at the top of the ITA resulted from the annual general meeting. Dr Gunther Voswinckel became ITA president in succession to Professor M Kiuchi whilst Mr T Nakata succeeded Albert Sedlmaier as ITA chairman and thanked him on behalf of all members for his dedicated eight years service.  Albert Sedlmaier remains on the IEMB as vice president (Europe).  Mike Bull was elected honorary treasurer. A full listing of the officers and IEMB members can be found on the ITA website.

Three lady members of the ITA: Marina Lozovaya (left), Nataliya Koryaka (centre)
and Viktoria Proskurkina at the ITA lunch

Technical Management Committee (TMC) chairman Steve Loynes presented the 2010 Professor Hugh Sansome speaker award and the speaker’s shield respectively to:
Winfried Heinemann of AWS Schaefer, Germany for his paper at Pipe & Tube Istanbul last year: “New generation of induction bending machines”
Hans-Joerg Braun of Reika, Germany for his paper, also at the Istanbul conference: “The latest generation of tube straightening machines - cost and quality improvements in tube finishing lines”

Winfried Heinemann of AWS Schaefer receives the Professor Hugh Sansome paper award
from ITA Technical Management Chairman Steve Loynes

A highly commended award was being sent to R Shahandeh, Urmia University, Iran, who was unable to attend the lunch, for his Istanbul paper: “Experimental and fem investigation on influence of ring stiffeners on buckling behaviour of subsea pipelines under hydrostatic pressure”.

Professor M Kiuchi was honoured with the prestigious John C Hogg Lifetime Achievement Award for 2010 for his outstanding service to the ITA and at the same time was made honorary life president emeritus.

Professor Manabu Kiuchi, recipient of the ITA’s John C Hogg Lifetime Achievement Award
and newly created honorary Life President Emeritus

Newly elected ITA president Dr Gunther Voswinckel (right) in discussion with Friedrich Kehrer (left), Project Director of Tube Düsseldorf and Udo Schuertzmann, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf India.

ITA International Executive Board members Peter Byroslawsky (left) of Sektor and Michael Cottin of SMS Meer at the ITA Düsseldorf lunch.

Düsseldorf 2010 was a very eventful exhibition is more ways than one.  The next edition, Tube/wire Düsseldorf 2012, will be held slightly earlier in the year from 26-30 March 2012. 

Within days of the end of this year’s trade fair the ITA was already receiving requests for reservations of space in the association’s exhibitor group area, clearly demonstrating the continuing importance of this exhibition and that it would take much more than volcanic dust to diminish Tube Düsseldorf’s reputation as the pre-eminent show.