How powerful are our trade fairs for markets? See for yourself in our film – the year 2024 behind us was another year full of technological innovations, personal encounters and joint successes:

Control once again impressed as a stage for quality assurance, demonstrating that QA processes are becoming faster, more efficient and inline. Optatec and its inspiring CEO Round Table focussed on cutting-edge technologies in the optical industry. Stanztec showcased highly specialised high-end solutions in the field of stamping and forming technology in a great community. At Motek/Bondexpo, automation and assembly focussed on efficiency and change, while Fakuma once again set new impulses in plastics processing with the premiere of the Career Friday and the Fakuma Round Table.

Technologies are developing at a rapid pace, and so we are already moving full power ahead towards our upcoming events. We are looking forward to it, because Schall Messen stands for agile entrepreneurship, solid ideas and sustainable success. Together with our exhibitors, we move markets, create success and realise visions.

Thank you very much! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start to 2025.

P. E. Schall trade fair promoters have once again kicked off a bustling, event-packed trade fair year in 2024. “We make trade fairs for markets” is the company’s key maxim, which has been around now for 62 years. Five well-established international industry events are currently in preparation – including specialised exhibitions with world-leading trade fair character covering a diverse range of topics for a wide variety of target groups and sectors.

Control, which has established itself as an internationally significant marketplace for innovations in the field of quality assurance (QA), will get things started in Stuttgart from the 23rd through the 26th of April, 2024. Nearly half of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany. Control 2024 will build on the success of last year’s event, which the industry recalls as a highly inspiring get-together. The technical event with leading trade fair character focusses on vision technologies, image processing and sensor technology, as well as measuring and test technology, and showcases pioneering QA solutions which are continuously gaining in significance. QA measures are of fundamental importance for industrial production, all types of manufacturing processes, non-industrial applications, medical technology and in many other contexts as well. Measuring, testing, monitoring, evaluation and documentation, as well as end-to-end solutions for these tasks, are in demand everywhere. Software and intelligent evaluation algorithms are also playing an increasingly important role in this regard.

Anyone and everyone involved in the study of light will come together in mid-May for their highly specialised top event, namely the 16th Optatec. The international trade fair for optical technologies, components and systems will be held in Frankfurt from the 14th through the 16th of May, 2024. Manufacturers and users meet here to exchange ideas on optotechnology, image processing, modern manufacturing processes and machines. For three days, this small but exceptional and highly specialised, leading international trade fair will inspire optics fans from a diverse range of industries and countries. Nearly 60% of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany. Nowhere else in the world do international experts, manufacturers and users meet in such a focused manner as at Optatec.
Five weeks later, stamping technology experts will extend their invitation to the trade fair for stamping technology in Pforzheim from the 25th through the 27th of June, 2024. For the seventh time, the industry will deal with current topics covering all aspects of stamping and forming technology at this highly specialised expert event. Global players in the field of stamping technology are looking forward to the trade fair with great excitement and anticipation, for which they’ve had to wait six years. But the time has finally come! Expert visitors from all over the world will experience high-end technologies and concrete solutions for the efficient use of resources and functions integration at the CCP Congress Centre in Pforzheim. Stanztec’s exhibitors include world market leaders who have prepared themselves for the production transformation which is now in full swing. Visitors to Pforzheim will experience the industry’s high levels of innovative power and witness a host of future-proof technologies.

The 42nd Motek international trade fair for automation in production and assembly, together with the 17th Bondexpo international trade fair for bonding technology, will dominate the fall trade fair calendar. The tried-and-tested trade fair duo will take place in Stuttgart from 8 to 11 October 2024 and will cover the entire process sequence for cost-effective production and assembly automation – from components and modules, right on up to subsystems and complete solutions. Anyone from the manufacturing industries looking to automate a process or function, regardless of the sector – for example machine building, equipment and systems manufacturing, automotive engineering and vehicle production, sheet metal working, plastics processing, metalworking and processing, woodworking, electronics and electrical engineering, laboratory automation, healthcare and medical technology – will find the right components and solutions at Motek/Bondexpo. The topics covered by the trade fair duo are in keeping with the maxim “future-proof, efficient automation” in four main areas: 1) networked, smart production components, 2) assembly assistance systems for manual and semi-automatic workstations and assisted order picking, as well as assisted, software-supported worker guidance, 3) solutions for easy implementation and commissioning including software and starter kits and 4) object recognition and image processing using sensors, identification systems for parts detection and AI systems. Motek/Bondexpo exhibitors are suppliers and manufacturers of components, products, modules and complete systems for economical and sustainable automation in production and assembly. They provide manufacturing companies with all the solutions they need to meet the challenges posed by industrial operations.
Last but not least, just one week later, the 29th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing will take place in Friedrichshafen the from the 15th through the 19th of October, 2024. Once again this year, the exhibitors will focus on topics covering all aspects of sustainable plastics production with an increased emphasis on digitalisation, efficiency and the conservation of resources. The establishment of closed-loop material flows, product optimisation targeted at recycling and the processing of recyclates for high-end applications will also be at the top of the agenda in the fall of 2024.

“As a matter of tradition, we create tailor-made platforms where suppliers and users can exchange information in a specialised and focused manner for their respective businesses,” explains Bettina Schall, managing director of P. E. Schall. “Our trade fairs are characterised by practicality and pragmatism. They focus on practical feasibility in everyday industrial operations and adapt to changes in industrial requirements and processes. This makes Schall trade fairs unique and invaluable for exhibitors as well as expert visitors.
Well-matched target groups meet up with each other here. We always keep up with the latest technological developments, because we want to foster good business in our respective sectors,” says the managing director. “We experienced a brilliant, lively and successful trade fair year in 2023 and will carry on in this spirit in 2024 with drive and vigour. We’re looking forward to it with enthusiasm and cordially invite all industry players to join in!”

Schall has developed successful business platforms with internationally recognised trade fairs for quality assurance (Control), optical technologies, components and systems (Optatec), stamping technology (Stanztec), automation in production and assembly (Motek), bonding technology (Bondexpo), plastics processing (Fakuma), sheet metal working (Blechexpo) and joining technology (Schweisstec). This has given rise to entirely new markets in various sectors, whose protagonists are distinguished by tremendous innovative strength, comprehensive systems competence and practical application solutions.

What a fantastic year full of innovations and inspiring encounters at our trade fairs lies behind us! In the midst of the pulsating heartbeat of technological change, we have once again experienced progress at first hand.

The success of the 2023 trade fairs reflects not only efficient technological innovations, but also impressive, sustainable top performance. And it is also the result of productive teamwork and intensive collaboration!
Meeting at eye level, discussing specific new applications with experts, launching innovative projects together, conserving resources, increasing efficiency and driving value creation forward – that’s trade fair time. And so the speedometer of change has once again continued to fly at our international industry get-togethers. See for yourself in our Christmas film.
On behalf of the entire Schall-Messen team, we would like to thank our exhibitors, trade fair visitors and mediapartners for your support and your trust in our events. We organise trade fairs for markets and are already looking forward to further trade fair years full of success and inspiring business moments with you.

Merry Christmas and a good start to the New Year!

Trade fair promoters P. E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG and Messe Stuttgart are continuing their long-standing partnership and extending it through 2030. As a result of the new contract, established trade fairs such as Blechexpo, Schweisstec, Control, Motek and Bondexpo will continue to be held at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre in the years to come.

P. E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG is one of Germany’s largest private trade fair promoters and celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. The long-term contract extension will make it possible for the company to develop innovative event concepts in order to meet industry requirements. Bettina Schall, managing director of P. E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG, is pleased with the partnership renewal and emphasises the importance of the collaboration for the successful implementation of high-quality trade fairs. “We’re proud to be part of the dynamic trade fair industry in Stuttgart and look forward to further developing our events and setting new accents.

Continuation of the collaboration has considerable economic significance for the Stuttgart region. Not only do the trade fairs attract international exhibitors and visitors, they also help to strengthen the region’s economic base. They provide companies with the opportunity of presenting their latest products and innovations to a broad-based expert audience and establishing important business contacts. “The contract renewal is a great success for us as an enterprise, and even more so for the region. Together we’ll continue to strengthen Stuttgart as a trade fair venue,” says Stefan Lohnert, managing director of Messe Stuttgart.

• 10 to 13 October 2023: 41^st Motek/Bondexpo
• 7 to 10 November 2023: 16^th Blechexpo/ Schweisstec
• 23 to 26 April 2024: 36^th Control

Thank you very much for a fantastic anniversary year with great feedback on our Schall fairs. Highly motivated, we are now keeping the speedometer flying, because after the anniversary is before the next trade fair year! And that’s something to look forward to.
In the spring we’ll be taking off with the world’s leading trade fair for quality assurance for its 35th session: Let’s take the next level, with Control! Also on board in 2023 are Motek/Bondexpo with the “Arena of Integration”, Blechexpo/Schweisstec with its top-class “best Award” innovation prize and Fakuma with the latest and most important solutions for a functioning circular economy in the plastics processing industry.
Experience the know-how of technological change in 2023, too, in person. Always have the know-where in view! Our trade fairs take place where the specialised technologies are at home. And very important: Know-when! Just check the Schall trade fair calendar.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start to the New Year.

In Schall’s anniversary year, we visit partners of excellence at our international trade fairs. Today our anniversary tour takes us to the global system supplier of stamping and forming technology Andritz Kaiser, based in Bretten-Gölshausen near Pforzheim. Technical Managing Director Joachim Bolz and Deputy Sales Manager Wolfgang Wiedenmann give us exciting insights into the design and manufacture of state-of-the-art press installations.

Kaiser-Pressen – founded in 1945 – is a traditional company that has grown out of a family business and joined Andritz AG. The company stands for quality, passion and precision. Customer requirements have top priority. In the field of special machine construction, Andritz-Kaiser is an appreciated partner worldwide. This is because the Kaiser presses manufactured in Gölshausen are known for their efficiency and reliability. The portfolio ranges from the press itself to the complete production line including conveyor system and automation.

With a press force of 63 t up to 2500 t, the automatic presses from Andritz Kaiser punch components for the automotive and mobile phone manufacturing industries as well as for household accessories, for example. Around the world, more than 8,000 Andritz Kaiser automatic punching and forming machines produce parts of the highest quality. World market leaders from a wide range of industries rely on the technology of the company from Gölshausen, which sources its components and parts from manufacturers in the region. Special assemblies can only be produced in the company’s own special production. This includes plastic components developed and manufactured in-house using a customised 3D printing process and specially optimised materials.

Andritz Kaiser is one of the loyal supporters and exhibitors at the Schall trade fair Stanztec. Wolfgang Wiedenmann has also been involved in the Schall trade fair advisory board for many years.

Stanztec offers Andritz Kaiser a customised, flawless presentation platform directly in front of its own company gates. The focus at the compact trade fair at the Pforzheim location is on the transfer of technology, know-how and knowledge between local suppliers and customers, as well as interested parties from all over the world. What is on offer here is not a wide range of products from around the world, but high-end stamping technology for the strictly economical production of functional parts and assemblies.

In addition to their conviction for the Stanztec trade fair concept, the Andritz Kaiser and Schall companies are also united by their awareness of a decades-long company tradition that stands for solidity, precision and high quality. Added to this is a pronounced passion for technology, innovations and new products, as well as the courage to consistently fill new approaches with life.

Both companies know the value of a strong team spirit and smooth cooperation within the workforce. To this end, Andritz Kaiser has drawn up guidelines for joint activities and for appreciative, objective-oriented communication.

Among other things, they state: “Our hearts are in it” and “We generate performance through passion” – and it’s in precisely this spirit that the Schall trade fair company is setting sail together with Andritz Kaiser and many other illustrious names in the industry, and setting course for Stanztec 2024.

And so we’ll keep the speedometer flying and do what we’ve always been burning for: Trade fairs for markets!

We will meet at Stanztec 2024 in the Congress Centrum Pforzheim!

During Schall’s anniversary year, we’re visiting excellence partners associated with our international trade fairs. TRUMPF in Ditzingen, Germany, has opened its doors to us today and is providing us with exciting insights into the globally active high-tech company with more than 16,000 employees We’re welcomed by Joachim Silber, Director of Corporate Marketing, Sales + Services.

As international technology leaders and longstanding Blechexpo exhibitors, TRUMPF has played a significant role in shaping Blechexpo’s success story thanks to their active association with Schall and their valuable involvement in the trade fair advisory board. Blechexpo is held once every two years in Stuttgart along with its companion trade fair Schweisstec. Today, Blechexpo presents worldwide offerings for products and solutions for the industrial processing of sheet metal, pipe and profiles. TRUMPF’s portfolio covers practically the entire spectrum in this regard. As technology leaders in the field of machine tools and lasers for industrial production, TRUMPF’s products have an impact in virtually all spheres of life. From delicate hands in wristwatches to turbine blades in aircraft – there’s hardly a component in the manufacturing industry that hasn’t been processed with the help of a machine, a laser, a power tool or a generator from the company in Ditzingen. TRUMPF works in partnership with manufacturers in numerous cutting-edge sectors, making special, innovative manufacturing processes possible in the first place. And thus with software and services from a single source, customised turnkey packages are created for industry customers.

TRUMPF showcases its comprehensive range of products and services at Blechexpo, including the latest technical developments and forward-looking solutions. TRUMPF also presented a fascinating preview of the opportunities opened up by the smart factory for the first time at Blechexpo by programming a production process in Stuttgart and running it directly on a machine located in Chicago. Blechexpo visitors were able to witness order processing live in the USA on monitor screens.

TRUMPF’s targeted mission is to further develop and digitally network production technology, making it even more economical, precise and future-proof. Special focus is placed on the objective of making production more efficient – together with its upstream and downstream processes. Consequently, TRUMPF is working towards the industrial world of the future, to which contributions are also being made by software solutions which pave the way to the smart factory, as well as industrial electronics that facilitate high-tech processes. The issues of energy and sustainability also play an important role in these processes.

Within the framework of their cooperative partnership, TRUMPF and Schall are united by their enthusiasm for putting visionary ideas into practice, for advancing future technologies and for always staying a step ahead of technical progress. Both companies pursue cross-industry approaches and think in broader contexts. For example, the presentation of complete process sequences also plays an important role in the conceptualisation of Schall’s trade fairs. TRUMPF and Schall are also united by their clear focus on the needs of their customers. Both companies strive towards process optimisation, while at the same time enhancing quality for the customer. This is exemplified at TRUMPF by the EdgeLine Bevel process which automatically prepares components for welding. It eliminates the need for a separate production step. And post-welding results satisfy the most stringent requirements.

The corporate culture cultivated under the umbrella of the global player from Ditzingen is undoubtedly unique as well. The family-run company with a history dating back roughly 100 years regards its employees as an essential key to its success. This sense of appreciation is reflected in a broad range of offerings and programmes for the advancement and well-being of company employees.

At TRUMPF too, preparations for Blechexpo 2023 are already running at full bore, so that customers and business partners, as well as Schall trade fair promoters, can already look forward to experiencing the latest technologies and ground-breaking advances at TRUMPF’s trade fair booth.

This is precisely why we don’t slack off on the tempo and do what we’ve always been passionate about: making trade fairs for markets!

People will connect at Blechexpo 2023!

In Schall’s anniversary year, we visit partners of excellence at our international trade fairs. Today our path leads us through the picturesque Black Forest to an internationally renowned company in the plastics industry, ARBURG, based in Lossburg in Baden-Württemberg. We will be welcomed by Dr Christoph Schumacher, Director Global Marketing.

WIR SIND DA – ARBURG’s brand promise to customers, partners and employees also characterises the beginning of the cooperation between the innovative injection moulding machine manufacturer from the Black Forest and the Schall trade fair company. Trade fair promoter Paul Eberhard Schall had the following to say about the premiere of Fakuma in 1981: “Without the commitments and innovative ideas of the first exhibitors, led by Eugen and Karl Hehl as managing partners of ARBURG at the time, the success story of Fakuma would not have come about as it did.” At the first Fakuma, ARBURG was already flying the flag at a 120 square metre exhibition stand in Friedrichshafen. In more than four decades, the productive partnership between the two companies has steadily deepened. ARBURG values Fakuma as one of the most important trade fairs in its worldwide strategic trade fair planning and as a practical platform in the tri-border region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ARBURG also supports Fakuma with heart and soul through its participation in the trade fair advisory board. A pioneering spirit, enthusiasm for technical innovations and the willingness to make courageous decisions not only united the Hehl brothers with Paul Eberhard Schall, but also characterise the spirit of both companies to this day. ARBURG is currently presenting itself at Fakuma with a 1700 square metre, two-storey exhibition stand, which makes the company motto impressively tangible: WIR SIND DA.

The family-owned company ARBURG can look back on a history of around 100 years and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of machines for plastics processing. Around 2,800 employees work at the company’s headquarters in Lossburg – around 3,400 worldwide. The company has its own organisations in 25 countries and at 34 locations. With ARBURG ALLROUNDER injection moulding machines – 100 per cent “made in Lossburg” – customers from all over the world produce high-quality plastic parts, e.g. for the automotive and packaging industries, communications and consumer electronics, medical technology and the toy and white goods sectors. The products created on Arburg machines range from so-called micro parts weighing just a few hundredths of a gram to plastic parts weighing four kilograms – including numerous everyday objects from toothbrushes to car switches. The ARBURG portfolio is supplemented by the freeformer for additive manufacturing for batch size 1 and small series. In addition, there are robotic systems, customer- and industry-specific turnkey systems and other peripherals. ARBURG thus covers the entire spectrum: from individual one-off parts to large-scale production in quantities of millions. The promise WIR SIND DA therefore also applies when it comes to efficient and innovative solutions for plastics processing. It also applies to dealing with future issues. For example, ARBURG is committed to being a pioneer in the areas of energy and production efficiency as well as digitalisation and sustainability. The digital products and services are combined in the “arburgXworld” programme. These enable customers to achieve measurably greater efficiency and more transparency in production.

The arburgGREENworld programme encompasses all aspects and activities relating to sustainability, resource conservation, CO2 reduction and the circular economy. With this programme, in addition to producing cutting-edge technology in plastics processing, ARBURG is also assuming responsibility for the future of our planet. And where could this message be conveyed more impressively than in a high-tech company surrounded by the unique natural landscape of the Black Forest?

And so customers and business partners, as well as the trade fair company Schall as the organiser, can already be excited about the sustainable and efficient solutions for plastics processing with which ARBURG will once again confirm its brand promise to the industry at Fakuma 2023: WIR SIND DA.

“Because it’s in our genes, we can’t help but dedicate ourselves to the further development and perfection of injection moulding with uncompromising consistency and devotion,” says ARBURG. The same attitude motivates the Schall trade fair company to continuously develop and optimise its trade fairs – for ARBURG, as for Schall, the highest goal clearly remains the best possible success for the customer.

And that’s exactly why we keep the speedometer flying and do what we’ve always been passionate about: Trade fairs for markets!

We’ll meet again at FAKUMA 2023!

In Schall’s anniversary year, we visit excellence partners at our international trade fairs. Today we are guests at Werth Messtechnik GmbH in Gießen. We meet the managing partner Dr.-Ing. habil. Ralf Christoph and gain an exciting and inspiring insight into the company.
Werth Messtechnik GmbH traditionally presents its technical innovations at Control every year. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ralf Christoph appreciates Control as the world’s leading trade fair for cutting-edge technology for his company and has been involved in the trade fair advisory board for many years.
“Trade fair is structural development and promotes the economy – many a business idea is born directly at the trade fair” knows Dr.-Ing. habil Ralf Christoph. His passion for trade fairs has linked him to the Schall trade fair company for decades.
Founded in 1951, the name Werth has stood for the highest quality and precision in the field of dimensional measurement technology for over 60 years.
At the company’s headquarters in Giessen, a team of more than 350 employees is at work. Werth Messtechnik GmbH focuses on the development, manufacture and sales of coordinate measuring machines with optics, probes, computer tomography and multi-sensor technology, as well as the measurement of micro features. The company’s global technology leadership in these market segments is reflected in a number of world firsts and patents on instrument technology and sensor technology.
Since the introduction of the TomoScope in 2005, the first device with X-ray computer tomography (optionally with multi-sensor technology) developed specifically for coordinate measuring technology, this has also applied to this powerful sensor technology. The devices in this series enable complete, precise and non-destructive measurement of workpieces.
More than 10,000 Werth coordinate measuring machines are installed worldwide in a wide variety of industries. Examples of application fields include aerospace, automotive, electronics, jewelry, watchmaking, toolmaking, plastic injection molding, medical technology, turbine manufacturing, and aluminum and plastic extrusion.
Werth Messtechnik GmbH cultivates the values of a family business, focuses on customer orientation and long-term company development. Werth sees its well-trained and motivated team of employees as an important prerequisite for the company’s success.
Diverse cooperations with universities, colleges and institutes complement the company’s own development work and provide new ideas. By participating in national and international committees such as DIN, VDI and ISO, Werth Messtechnik employees contribute their know-how to professional standardization in the field of coordinate measuring technology.
Innovative developments, outstanding product quality, user satisfaction and international orientation are corporate goals of Werth Messtechnik GmbH, which also have top priority at Schall, the private trade fair company. They are the driving force behind the continued successful development of Schall trade fairs in general, and the 35th Control in particular.
And that’s exactly why we keep the speedometer flying and do what we’ve always been burning for: Trade fairs for markets!

We’ll meet again at Control 2023!

In a wonderful location, surrounded by vineyards, the company, which has been owner-managed since 1982, produces customized assembly and automation solutions for customers from a wide range of industries. The enthusiasm for technology and innovation is immediately tangible for the visitor. This enthusiasm has also linked URT with the Schall trade fair company for decades. URT has been a Motek exhibitor from the very beginning and has now been a highly committed participant for four decades.
At the reception of the modern new company building, our team is welcomed by Managing Director Thilo Utz and his son Alexander Utz. With the next generation at the start, they see themselves well equipped to lead the medium-sized company into the future of automation. Together with its sister company FMT Flexible Montagetechnik GmbH near Chemnitz, URT is Bosch Rexroth’s largest Certified Excellence Partner in the field of assembly, transfer, linear and screwdriving technology. The products of the market leader form the high-quality basis of URT’s designs and solutions. Depending on the customer’s requirements, the URT range of services offers different levels: Starting with single components, refined applications, manual workstations as well as interlinked manual workstations up to comprehensive automation solutions – first-class quality always has top priority.
In manufacturing technology, flexibility in particular plays a central role. It is essential to adapt machines and systems quickly, safely and easily to rapidly changing requirements. Utz Ratio Technik places a special focus on this. Customers appreciate the good support from consulting to service beyond the completed project. They come from a wide range of industries such as medicine, packaging technology and food, but also mobility, renewable energies, electrical engineering and textile technology. Thilo Utz and Alexander Utz are particularly looking forward to Motek 2022.
They feel they are in exactly the right place here with their range of services. Because their company not only finds and maintains contact with existing and future customers here, but also meets its suppliers. URT is celebrating the diverse networking at Motek at the upcoming anniversary trade fair with a special promotion at its booth: Motek visitors will not only find the perfect mix for their assembly and handling tasks there, but also a perfect mix in the literal sense! The team will show you how at Motek 2022. Thilo Lutz sees Motek as the leading trade show for his industry. He considers its annual cycle to be positive and looks to the future with confidence, as the next generation has already taken up the mission of “automating the future”.