Daifuku Webb Holding Company's booth was organised by Daifuku China

Nearly 500 logistics companies exhibited at CeMAT Asia 2014, which was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on 27-30 October.

The materials handling show was held concurrently with PTC Asia, ComVac Asia, Heavy Machinery Asia and Industrial Supply Asia 2014. The four-day event, combining the fluid power transmission, compressed air and vacuum, intralogistics and supply chain, heavy machinery, industrial subcontracting and lightweight construction industries, drew 73,079 visitors from over 80 countries. A total of 2,013 exhibitors presented their products and services over a 139,500 sqm (1.5 million sqft.) display area.

Chinese forklift manufacturer Heli was located in Hall W1 with its flagship products.

Organised by Deutsche Messe AG and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd, CeMAT Asia exhibitors included Heli, Jungheinrich, Crown, Ruyi, VITA-WHEEL, BYD, Goodsense, Daifuku, Swisslog, TGW, Beijing Materials Handling Research Institute, Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machinery Industry, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, NTI, Formosa, KENMEC and Siasun, gathering in a display area of 40,000 sqm (430,556 sqft.).

Besides the traditional logistics exhibits, this year's CeMAT Asia introduced a special display area for logistics robots. Industrial robot companies, including Siasun, Triowin, Himan and Dalian Jialin, exhibited solutions for materials handling, warehousing automation, transportation and sorting in distribution centres, and automation packaging in factories.

Forklift industry giants including Jungheinrich, Heli and Crown gathered in Hall W1 with their flagship products.

Hans-Georg Frey, chairman of the board of management for Jungheinrich, says: "We have participated in CeMAT Asia for years and [are] very happy to see the market leaders here."

Frey adds that the company was kept busy with "dozens of meetings requests" from its clients and is very satisfied with the show.

Martine Cormier from Camoplast Solideal says it was important for the tyre manufacturer to be a part of the show because it "gives us the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our current dealers and original equipment manufacturers".

Cormier says Camoplast Solideal showcased its products and boosted brand awareness at the Asian expo, and considered its participation "successful".

Daifuku Webb Holding Company's marketing director, Sarah Carlson, from the US says the company's booth was organised by Daifuku China. "I was very impressed with the number and diversity of the attendees. The traffic in our booth exceeded our expectations, and we received a lot of interest in our new shuttle, which we demonstrated in our booth."

The show was "interesting and busy" for Trelleborg Wheel Systems.

James Pick from Trelleborg Wheel Systems' industrial tyres business unit says the show was interesting and busy. "(It) was great to meet up with customers and show them the additions to our product line for China. (The) show was very well laid out with some great features."

ID Systems exhibited at CeMAT Asia for the first time this year to showcase its patented wireless vehicle management systems (VMS) for materials handling equipment (MHE) fleets, under the theme "Reduce MHE costs, Increase MHE Safety".

According to Alexander Glasmacher, ID Systems' managing director for Europe, Middle East and Asia, the event was worth attending. "It was evident over the four days of the show that the Asian logistics sector is buzzing with activity, especially in China. CeMAT Asia was a timely and ideal opportunity for us to raise awareness of our products in a market that is full of potential. Our sales team welcomed a large number of visitors to our booth, where we provided them with Chinese language brochures and product demonstrations."

Bolzoni Auramo, which has two plants in Longhua and Wuxi manufacturing forks and forklift attachments, was the only global attachment producer at the Shanghai expo.

Bolzoni Auramo was the only global attachment maker at the expo.

Export manager Vittorio Lucchini says his company has made "outstanding" investments into the Chinese market and saw the expo as a good opportunity to not only showcase its most important products but to improve Chinese perception of the group as a global supplier "able to satisfy all possible logistics demands".

"The feedback from the customers was extremely positive. We had the chance to meet some important logistics operators interested in testing the quality of our products and I am very proud to see the first results of the ... company's efforts," Lucchini says. "I am also convinced that the gradual localisation of production (more and more items are completely assembled in the Chinese plants) will lead Bolzoni Auramo to (achieve) the same leading position that the group has in Europe."