Linde (China) showcased its diesel trucks and 1.6T electric forklift at LogiMAT China.

Nearly 2,500 industry decision-makers attended the inaugural LogiMAT China, which made its début at the Nanjing International Expo Center (NIEC) from 10-12 April.

The international trade fair for distribution, materials handling and information flow attracted 2,394 visitors from the industry, trade and services sectors from the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, Singapore, China and Taiwan.

Organisers say a "professional on-the-spot survey" among the visitors showed that 95% came to LogiMAT China for professional reasons. About 82% of visitors are involved in purchase and procurement decisions, with 78% of these decision-makers intending to invest and place orders.

About 61% of the fair's Chinese visitors came from the Jiangsu province, reflecting the huge demand for intralogistics equipment in the area.

The 75 exhibitors from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Singapore, China and Taiwan displayed their intralogistics products, solutions and services in 7,000 sqm (75,347 sqft.) of exhibition space.

Forklift companies present at the show included Linde Material Handling, Jungheinrich, Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co Ltd and KION Baoli.

The next LogiMAT China will be held in Nanjing on 17-19 March 2015.

Zhou Qui, product manager of Jungheinrich Lift Truck (Shanghai) Co Ltd, says the show was a good opportunity and platform for the company to interact with customers and showcase its technologies. "Many people (were) very interested in this conference ... Visitors (were) very professional, and the questions they (asked) are very professional. I think it is a very good conference."

Uwe Dopf, director at WITTENSTEIN motion control GmbH says his company started exhibiting at LogiMAT Stuttgart two years ago. "Considering this is the first show of LogiMAT China, I am ... surprised that there (were) so many visitors. In my opinion, it is a good place to start business in China. Therefore, the decision to come here was completely right, and we will certainly come back to LogiMAT."

Chelsea Yao, regional marketing manager for Linde (China) Forklift Truck Corp Ltd, says her company met "a lot of customers with serious ordering and purchasing intentions".

"We are satisfied with the outcome of the show," she says. "The visitors to the show have shown great professionalism as well as purchasing power. Moreover, we found that exhibitors from neighbouring booths were true experts in their fields, so we were able to learn from each other. We are looking forward to further co-operation with other exhibitors and LogiMAT China."

Ulrich Freiss, a logistics consultant for IndustrieHansa Consulting & Engineering GmbH, says his company was well acquainted with LogiMAT in Germany and was investigating the value of participating next year. "I'm looking for different kinds of forklifts, different kinds of transport equipment and different kinds of vertical conveyer solutions. In my opinion, it is worth(while) to be here."

The show organisers are Munich-based EUROEXPO Messe- und Kongress-GmbH and Landesmesse Stuttgart GmbH.