Exhibition News

On 19^th – 20^th October 2022, representatives of nearly every industry met at the International Exhibition and Convention Centre EXPO Kraków for the 5^th edition of FASTENER POLAND^®. This year, as many as 65% of exhibitors came from abroad, including China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey and the USA.

“This year's FASTENER POLAND^® Trade Fair was attended by 2,306 people – with 24% of them coming from outside Poland, mostly from the Czech Republic, Germany and Romania. These were very specific visitors who, according to exhibitors, came for a specific purpose. As a result, lucrative contracts were already being signed at the fair. In this respect, FASTENER POLAND^® always rises to the occasion and is appreciated by the industry community,” states Beata Snopkiewicz, project manager, FASTENER POLAND^®.

Described as a ‘rarity’ on a European scale thanks to the current appeal of the Polish market, FASTENER POLAND^® has manufacturers and distributors of fasteners from the farthest corners of the world coming to Kraków for two days. 

“This year's edition of FASTENER POLAND^® Fair has been very successful for me. I gained a lot of valuable business contacts in Poland. We had a few customers from Poland before, but now we see that Poland is still a growing market for us, and we see that production that up to now took place in East Asia is now moving to this region, and our parts are as suitable as possible for this type of production process" said Joel Alexandersson, CEO, REHOBOT Rotex AB.

Domestic companies also used the trade fair to expand their contact base. “Personal contacts have been significantly reduced over the past two years. We rarely met face to face, whereas today, thanks to the fact that the restrictions have been reduced or removed altogether, we can meet and refresh our relations. With some clients we have the opportunity to get to know each other or meet for the first time and I think this is very positive. Many of us have been waiting a long time for the opportunity to organise a trade fair and exhibit," added Tomasz Karwowski, sales director, Dromet Sp z.o.o.        

The last two years, which have been difficult for many industries due to pandemics and broken supply chains, has actually improved the situation for Polish companies in the fastener industry. European manufacturers, faced with a lack of product availability from Asia, sought suppliers located closer to their plants. This benefited Polish companies.

"Over the past two years, the transportation system has shifted, breaking down completely from China and Taiwan, making the Polish market the biggest winner in Europe. We increased exports by 30% for two years. A number of challenges lie ahead for the industry. In February, an anti-dumping duty was imposed on China; for importers, this is a very big challenge to find new suppliers and manufacturers need to fill a gap in the European market,” explains Marek Łangalis, CEO, Olfor.

According to Maksymilian Krzysztoń, sales and supply chain manager, Eurofix Polska, the disruption of supply chains is a problem on the one hand, and an opportunity for Polish companies to develop on the other. “The need and opportunity to produce in Poland has emerged. The anti-dumping that the European Union has imposed on products from China has left Polish producers with their hands full, which means they can invest. The industry’s revival could be felt at FASTENER POLAND^®.”

FASTENER POLAND^® was a combination of a trade show exhibition and a training programme. The scope of the exhibition included industrial fasteners and fixings, construction fasteners, advanced assembly and installation systems, as well as fastener manufacturing technologies and fastener storage and distribution equipment.

The conference ‘The challenging world of manufacturing: from supply chains to distribution’ was poplar among visitors. Knowledge and experience was shared by well-known experts who spoke, among other things, about Poland's prospects for 2022 – 2026 under the current market perturbations; flexibility in the context of the bidding process; anti-dumping and the associated threat to importers; as well as whether the crisis is an opportunity or a threat.

The role of the trade fair is to respond to the needs of the industry, to learn about its problems and expectations. Rising prices and widespread uncertainty; the cost of raw materials; commodity availability; supply chain problems from Asia and the slowing economy – all of which were primary topics for FASTENER POLAND^® this year.

“One of the challenges is the cost of raw materials and the change in all other costs. But we also have an opportunity – because of the current situation and the fact that manufacturers from China and Taiwan have higher expenses, we as manufacturers from Europe have a better chance to grow as our delivery times are much shorter,” clarifies Ayza Akmut, trade manager, ISB Fasteners.

Given the positive feedback of the 5^th FASTENER POLAND^®, there is strong intent for the trade fair to be held again in the future.