The Assembly Show Attracts an Increased Number of Exhibitors and Attendees to Third Annual Event

ROSEMONT, IL--(Marketwired - Nov 9, 2015) - The 3rd Annual ASSEMBLY Show, the only event exclusively focused on assembly products and services, which was recently held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, was a tremendous success according to the exhibitors, attendees and event organizers. BNP Media, publishers of ASSEMBLY Magazine and producers of the Show announced that the exhibit hall floor had 247 exhibiting companies occupying 59,000 net square feet, a 16% increase over 2014. With over 6,700 industry professionals registered, The ASSEMBLY Show also experienced a 10% increase in attendance over 2014. The exhibitors responded enthusiastically with 70% of the 2015 show exhibitors renewing their booth space on-site for the 2016 Show, which will take place October 25-27 back at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

"We are thrilled with the response from the industry and thank the exhibitors, attendees, speakers and press who made this such a worthwhile event for the third year in a row," said Tom Esposito, Publisher, ASSEMBLY Magazine. "The ASSEMBLY Show offered a comprehensive educational program with expert speakers, exhibitors showcasing their latest products and solutions that met current challenges, and an expanded networking environment that provided the valuable opportunity to exchange valuable ideas with colleagues, friends, and peers. It is my sincere hope that the show left our attendees better informed, better connected, and better prepared to meet the challenges they face as assembly professionals."

The trade show floor offered 247 exhibitors, representing the very best from the vendor community, showcasing the latest solutions to current challenges. There were twenty educational sessions that were held in theaters set up on the exhibit hall floor. Many of the presentations were broadcast live, and all of the session recordings are available on www.theassemblyshow.com. Presentations were given by Panasonic Assembly Tools, Desoutter Industrial Tools, Henkel Corp., 3M Industrial Adhesives and Tapes, LACO Technologies, Inc., Nordson EFD, Festo Corp, RedViking, DE-STA-CO, Flex Craft LLC, Panduit Corp, Balluff, Inc., Afag Global Feeding Technology, Staubli, Master Pneumatic, The Arthur G. Russell Co, and OPS Solutions, LLC, as well as ASSEMBLY Magazine, who presented the Capital Equipment Spending Outlook Report, The 2016 State of the Profession Report and the Assembly Roadshow.

During his presentation of the 2016 Capital Equipment Spending Outlook, John Sprovieri, Editor in Chief of ASSEMBLY Magazine, said, "The good news for the industry is that manufacturing employment is at its highest level since February 2009 and manufacturing operations are running at 75.9% capacity. Assembly factory output is up 0.4% from September 2014 to September 2015, and through July 2015, U.S. manufacturing employment stood at 12,345,000, according to the BLS." 

On Tuesday afternoon the event kicked off with three pre-event workshops, which were well attended. The Additive Manufacturing Workshop featured panelists who discussed the true capabilities of additive manufacturing technologies and how they can improve products and processes. The Design for Manufacture and Assembly Workshop featured panelists who discussed how to analyze and reduce design costs. The Methods for Mixed Material Assembly Workshop featured panelists who discussed new innovative technology for mixed-material assembly. The show floor opened at 4 pm with the Taste of Rosemont, where local area restaurants offered delicious food and beverage while attendees had a chance to network and get a sneak peak of the show floor.

Many exhibitors deemed the show a huge success. Phil Sponslor, president of Orbitform, said, "We had a great show; the attendees were plentiful, interested and motivated. This is the only trade show we invest in due to its continuous success." Micah Durham, National Sales Manager, Schleuniger, Inc., said, "This year's show was better than last year. There was more energy on the first day and there were clearly more attendees on the show floor." 

The event kicked off with a thought provoking keynote speech by Richard Morris, Vice President of Assembly and Logistics, BMW Manufacturing Co, on Leading Sustainable Improvement. Morris discussed how to effectively guide organizations through process change and lean manufacturing's continuous improvement. Morris also discussed how BMW's plant in South Carolina has achieved remarkable success over the past 20 years through its renewed commitment to profit before growth relating to economic, environmental, and social stability.

Preceding the keynote, Austin Weber, senior editor for ASSEMBLY Magazine, presented the Assembly Plant of the Year Award to Polaris Industries Inc., a leading manufacturer of off-road vehicles, snowmobiles and other power sports products. The company is a leader in combined flexible production processes and lean manufacturing principles in its state-of-the-art factory in Spirit Lake, IA.

"Whether we create markets and trends or simply stay ahead of them, we expect to set the standard rather than follow it," says Scott Wine, chairman and CEO of Polaris. "We strive to deliver the next big thing that is and will be hot, rather than what was desired. Being honored as the 2015 Assembly Plant of the Year is a testament to the success of the Polaris way."

The ASSEMBLY Show 2016 will be held Tuesday, October 25 - Thursday, October 27 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The Show is sponsored by ASSEMBLY (www.assemblymag.com), a monthly trade magazine read by 56,000 engineers and managers responsible for manufacturing and designing cars, computers, catheters, coffee makers, etc. ASSEMBLY covers the processes, technologies and strategies for joining discrete parts into finished products. The event is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving professionals across 50+ industries. For more information, visit www.theassemblyshow.com.