MTDCNC Global were invited to cover the recent Toolex exhibition in Poland. Having been under travel restrictions for the last 6+ months, the team were excited to be hopping on a plane and heading to Krakow before taxiing to the final destination in Sosnowiec. The 3 day show has been a regular fixture in Polish calender’s for many years and would normally attract around about 600 exhibitors and thousands of visitors. The World looks very different than it did 9 months ago but the message has been clear from industry that we need to get back to some semblance of normality and Toolex is the start of that. Located just a 40 min drive from Krakow this exhibition is an opportunity for both end users and distributors, with Poland being one of the lowest cost economies easily accessed from neighboring European business the logistics of selling their products across Europe and beyond can be extremely attractive.
MTDCNC Global spent two days at the event visiting the 60 exhibitors that took the opportunity to showcase their products. It was apparent that this years show was slightly scaled down and footfall was less due to the current climate however, what was encouraging was the feedback from those exhibiting, they reported on average a dozen enquiries a day and it was evident that potential purchasers were keen to take this opportunity to explore new technology.
Its hard to measure the market after visiting the show as it wouldn’t be fair to judge the Polish economy or supply chains on what we saw, however, there were some interesting trends, which included seeing minimal retrofittable automation, no 3D printing and very few of the industries big names but more locally made equipment.
What wasn’t a surprise was the acceptance and hospitality extended to the team by all of the exhibitors and event organisers and on that note MTD would like to say thank you to all those we met. This simply has to be the start of industry pushing back against COVID 19 and beginning to get back to what we are used to. Keep tuned to the MTDCNC Global channel in the coming weeks as we visit more events in Italy and Germany.
