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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 completely new markets in various sectors, whose protagonists are characterised by a high level of innovative strength, comprehensive system competence and practical application solutions.

Preparations for the 30th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing have been launched: together with event promoters P. E. Schall, the trade fair advisory board is gearing up exhibitors and expert visitors for the industry highlight. The anniversary trade fair promises a five-day celebration of the plastics industry in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance from Monday the 12th through Friday the 16th of October, 2026. Roughly eleven months before the trade fair opens, Schall is already reporting impressive floor space occupancy and the usual high levels of international participation.

The 30th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing will take place in Friedrichshafen from Monday the 12th through Friday the 16th of October, 2026. The trade fair is regarded around the world as an exceptional meeting place for the plastics processing industry. It’s a trailblazing event in the fields of injection moulding technology, extrusion and thermoforming. Its leading position in the European market makes it the industry event for all plastics processing and distribution companies. “The anniversary edition of Fakuma is currently the number one topic within the industry, about eleven months before the trade fair opens,” says Annemarie Schur, Fakuma project manager at trade fair promoters P. E. Schall. “We’re delighted with the strong interest and the impressive levels of floor space occupancy we’re currently enjoying. Current registration figures provide an excellent basis for everyone involved to once again stage a world-class, vibrant trade fair with an outstanding supplementary programme.” New exhibitors are coming on board all the time, says the project manager, and thus Fakuma 2026 will build on the successes achieved in 2023 and 2024, with nearly 1700 exhibitors on hand in Friedrichshafen in each of those years.

“We want to celebrate the 30th Fakuma,” assures Bettina Schall, Managing Director of the trade fair company P. E. Schall. “Fakuma can both look back with a broad chest and look to the future, because it demonstrates practical relevance and innovative strength in a unique way.” With its holistic solutions, complete systems and integrated technologies, Fakuma is a trade fair with great benefits for anyone looking for answers to their day-to-day plastics processing operations. “Fakuma started out very small,” says Prof. Werner Koch, Managing Partner of Werner Koch Maschinentechnik GmbH and member of the trade fair advisory board. “The first Fakuma in 1981 was the start for me. Back then, 39 exhibitors met in one room, 39 pioneers. After that, things took off for our company. This is where I got the right orders and long-term business relationships were formed.”

The international trade fair for plastics processing can look back on 30 outstanding industry meetings with the leading minds of the plastics industry, summarizes Bettina Schall the success story. “Our slogan as organizer ‘Trade fairs make markets’ is particularly true for Fakuma,” emphasizes the trade fair director. “As a communication and technology platform, it is extremely important for the industries because suppliers and users talk about specific projects and discuss solutions. The practicability and operational relevance is a clear advantage and a clear distinguishing feature of Fakuma.”

Together with the promoters, the trade fair advisory board kicked off preparations for an exciting, thematically diverse and technically advanced Fakuma 2026 at a work meeting in mid-November. Attending Fakuma is a must for anyone in Europe who sells plastics, because it’s the definitive trade fair in Europe for everyone involved in the plastics industry, according to the unanimous recommendation of the trade fair advisory board. “Fakuma brings the world of plastics to life,” notes Dr. Friedrich Kastner, owner of Dr. Kastner GmbH and CEO and managing partner of NGA, COLLIN and BritAS. “Fakuma is a hands-on trade fair in the truest sense of the word. Its holistic approach and integrative solutions for complete systems inspire expert visitors, who receive the special attention they need from the exhibitors. Direct contact with customers and face-to-face problem-solving discussions lead to constructive and lasting business relationships.” Furthermore, Fakuma is an event with strong experiential and emotional factors, emphasises Dr. Christoph Schumacher, director of global marketing at Arburg: “Key players in the plastics industry gather at Lake Constance to celebrate their industry festival as a family.”

A working trade fair and a hands-on exhibition where practical expertise is transferred from suppliers to users and solutions are discovered, answers are provided and projects are implemented through a mutual exchange of expertise – this is how the anniversary edition of Fakuma will showcase its unique advantages. “Things get done here,” sums up Rüdiger Dzuban, head of communications and marketing at ONI-Wärmetrafo GmbH. “A trade fair is really the only way to show what a company can do. This is where expertise is presented. Companies can take the lead here and provide new impetus.”

Fakuma showcases the entire world of plastics – from injection moulding, forming and extrusion technology, as well as 3D printing, masterbatches and raw materials, right on up to tools, process technology and recycling. Whether raw materials, processing machines, peripherals or automation solutions are involved, the portfolio of topics supports the plastic processing industry in mastering today’s and tomorrow’s challenges and remaining economically successful on the market. The 30th Fakuma will take place from Monday the 12th through Friday the 16th of October, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each day, once again transforming the Friedrichshafen Exhibition Centre into the home of a major family celebration. Press conference to mark the opening of the trade fair, presentation forum with world-class speakers, round-table discussion and Career Friday – Fakuma 2026 will be accompanied by an attractive and exciting supplementary programme on all five event days.

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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 completely new markets in various sectors, whose protagonists are characterised by a high level of innovative strength, comprehensive system competence and practical application solutions.

A special milestone! Blechexpo – the international trade fair for sheet metal working is taking place for the tenth time at Messe Stuttgart. The management of P. E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG and Messe Stuttgart took the opportunity to officially congratulate the event with a clear focus on the future.

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!