The Italian Aerospace Information Web
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ILA 2010 in Berlin Attracts the Supply Industry
ILA 2010 will take place in Berlin from the 8th to the 13th of June, 2010. This edition will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the very first German Air Show.
From their inception and for almost a century, international air shows have been where aircraft manufacturers exhibited their wares to potential customers. It is a matter of fact these shows always attracted crowds of enthusiasts and the whole specialized press.
In the last few years - especially after the spate of exhibitions dedicated to specific sectors such as helicopter, business aircraft and general aviation - the heritage European air shows (Le Bourget, Farnborough and Berlin) are struggling to find a new and effective market position. Most of the civil airliners and military aircraft in flight and in static display over the last few years had their maiden flights decades ago. To make things worse, US manufacturers are no longer keen to show their top prototypes to European spectators.
It is now evident that "the Big Three" are shifting from the pure "air show" mode to a less spectacular, US-style "convention" configuration, with less emphasis on the final products (aircraft) but an increasing function as a stage for B2B transactions and venue for specialized conferences.
The first three days of the ILA 2010 air show (8-10 June) will be reserved exclusively for trade visitors. On these professional days, the International Suppliers Center (ISC) at the ILA will be open. ISC is a dedicated area of about 5,000 square metres in Hall 11, in the southern part of the Berlin/Schönefeld Airport, where aerospace suppliers will be exhibiting their products and services. Approximately 250 companies from 16 countries will be hosted there, roughly half of them coming from outside Germany (ILA 2008 figures were 146 companies from 9 countries).
With each successive ILA, the International Suppliers Center continues to grow. Currently it is able to report the highest number of bookings from the components and supply industry since its introduction in 2006. Conceived as a “fair within a fair”, this sector of the world’s longest running aerospace show has bookings from 60 per cent more exhibitors compared with 2008.
It is the first time that companies from Belgium, Finland, India, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan and Tunisia will be represented. In marked contrast to ILA 2008, associations representing the supply industry have expressed a much greater degree of interest. In addition to a larger number of German organisations, national associations from Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, Hungary, India, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan and Tunisia will also be represented at the ISC.
Against the backdrop of a worldwide trend towards globalisation and rationalisation of supplier chains, the ISC provides international component manufacturers in the aerospace and defence markets with an outstanding platform for demonstrating their technological expertise. Not only – it provides an opportunity for networking and meeting companies (and their decision-makers) from all around the world. The fact that the event is an integral part of the ILA gives the supply industry an ideal occasion to meet not just the leading international companies exhibiting there but also the vast number of trade visitors from all parts of the globe (ILA 2008: 120,000 visitors).
The International Buyers’ Day on the 9th of June is a new feature at ILA 2010. It aims to give exhibitors at the ISC an exclusive opportunity for direct B2B talks with buyers from leading international OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and first-tier suppliers. Around 60 leading procurement specialists representing OEMs and first-tier suppliers have already announced their intention to be at the ISC and their participation in the International Buyers’ Day.
Appointments for these B2B talks can be scheduled in advance over an internet-based matchmaking platform. An event debating the topic of “Best Value Country Sourcing – successful global sourcing approaches” will open the International Buyers’ Day. The speaker is Christian A. Rast (BrainNet), who will also take part in the subsequent panel discussion, along with Dr. Klaus Richter (EADS/Airbus), Josip T. Tomasevic (Claas) and Robert S. Anthony (Rolls Royce Germany).
The ISC Forum in Hall 11 represents another important event among the wide range offered by the International Suppliers Center. Leading experts will be answering questions from exhibitors and trade visitors on current issues concerning the entire supply chain. At the same time exhibitors at the ISC will have an opportunity to put their products and services on display. On the opening day (8 June) papers and a panel discussion are scheduled which will discuss issues surrounding the topic of ”Globalisation of the Supply Industry”. On the second day of the event (9 June) the ISC Forum is reserved for the International Buyers’ Day. On 10 June representatives of various associations and clusters will discuss the key topic of “Cluster Initiatives in Europe“. Other papers to be held include “Financial Support for SMEs”, “New Rules for the Aerospace Industry in Quality Assurance” and “The International Engagement of DLR in Aerospace”.
The International Suppliers Center ISC augments the Berlin Air Show by adding an attractive platform for demonstrating the large potential of the national and international supply industry with its wide range of products and services for the aerospace and defence sectors.
In the picture: Some 300 aircraft will be exhibited at ILA 2010, from giant Airbus A 380 to ultralight models. (Aeromedia)
