TIMTOS Trade Meetings: Facilitating Relationships, Building Contacts

TIMTOS organizers help you stay on top of the major themes in the machine tools procurement and supply chain management.

In the afternoon of the opening day about 189 trade meetings were held to link foreign buyers with producers. You could hear and feel the buzz of anticipation that surrounded Room 402a at the Nangang Exhibition Hall. Decision makers who have specifically flown in from Germany, Turkey, USA, Brazil, France, Bulgaria, Romania, UK, Ukraine, Czech, Finland, Australia, Mexico, Slovak, Russia and Spain could only mean that business in machine tools continues to be felt.

Taiwan’s machine tools industry has evolved significantly over the years. From its initial traditional machinery and tools designs, evolving and transforming to serve global markets.

From a supplier's perspective, the TIMTOS 2015 trade meeting is extremely beneficial from an expense and time perspective. In one venue, attendees are able to meet with multiple existing customers and several potential new customers. In the economy today, we all have to be aware of expenses and this was an efficient approach. There is also the ability to meet clients in person and develop stronger relationships. Conference calls are great but in person meetings are still an integral part of the equation. From a buyer’s standpoint, it does mean time out of the office. Daily tasks do not get put on hold for you to attend a trade show. And of course there is the expense of travel. However, it can be valuable use of time as well. Many suppliers are all in one location. In addition is the networking value with peers in other organizations.

“This is my third time to visit TIMTOS. I am looking for new machine tool concepts and new suppliers that I can bring back to Ukraine. I have already found a lot of manufacturers in the past and have brought their machines and tools back home. I am sure that I can find a few more potential suppliers after attending TIMTOS business matching meetings,” says Mr Volodymyr Ignatolia, General Director, WEBER COMECHANICS UKRAINE.

“I have visited Taiwan in the past years even before I came to this company. I have found a lot of quality machine tool components and machines made from Taiwan. This time, I’m looking for new suppliers, new designs, and new materials. TIMTOS is a specialised trade fair with a good concentration of machine tool equipment and component suppliers, which makes our sourcing easier. I plan to explore cooperation with new suppliers,” comments Mr Mustafa Kemal Celik, Purchasing Manager at AKYAPAK.

Some of the key buyers are: DOOSAN INFRACORE– Korea’s top machine-tool CNC maker. KOVOSVIT – Czech Republic’s leading high-level digital lathe manufacture. FAGOR – Spain’s renowned automation control manufacturer. FINVAL – Russia’s vanguard industrial group. WEBER- Ukraine’s famous machine manufacturer. HEMAQ – Mexico’s leading machine tool importer; and TEZMAKSAN- Turkey’s key machine trader.

Target procurement items: vertical machining tools, double-column machining tools, electro-discharge machines, multiple-axis machining tools and CNC metal machining lathes.

Obtaining a face-to-face meeting with a prospective buyer is hard to secure, painful to schedule and expensive to attend. But nothing really beats an in-person meeting with a new prospect. The power and purpose of TIMTOS Trade Meeting in this rapidly connected machine tool world continue to grow with each year. Far from being a relic of a bygone age, today’s tradeshow remains the premier event to learn, interact and maybe even strike a deal with Taiwan’s next generation of innovators. So get on a plane. Go to TIMTOS. Think outside the box. Be open to new ideas. And have a bit of fun along the way.