PaintExpo 2022 – High Levels of Satisfaction at the World's Leading Trade Fair for Industrial Coating Technology

 Exhibitors and visitors alike were highly satisfied with PaintExpo in Karlsruhe as it came to an end on 29 April 2022. There was excitement in the air on all four days as the trade fair finally took place again after a break of four years due to the pandemic. Promising new customer contacts, concrete project plans and signed business deals all contributed to the positive atmosphere at the world's leading trade fair for industrial coating technology. Around 430 exhibitors from 27 countries presented groundbreaking innovations and intelligent future technologies. A particular focus was placed on automation, digitalisation and improving efficiency, as well as on sustainability. As a global industry showcase, the event welcomed 9,180 trade visitors from 57 countries.

"We are very satisfied with the huge response PaintExpo has received from both national and international exhibitors and visitors. Our exhibitors have made this event into a global showcase of industrial coating technology with their attractive stands and their innovations and services", says a pleased Markus Geisenberger, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe. Now that Leipziger Messe has taken over PaintExpo, this was a very successful kick-off edition. Geisenberger continues: "The benchmark is set for coming events. PaintExpo is very well positioned in Karlsruhe and we intend to further develop it in the long-term."

Essential Get-Together Covering All Industrial Coating Projects

Products and services on show at PaintExpo covered the full scope of industrial coating. The spectrum ranged from surface treatment concepts, coatings and spraying lines, powders and the relevant powder coating lines to final quality assurance. From wet coating and powder coating to coil coating, this unique global showcase for industrial coating technology brought together coating solutions for all industries, applications and materials. "This concept ensures the trade fair remains the pivotal platform for all projects involving industrial coating. „Whatever project you are working on, here, you can meet all the necessary manufacturers and service providers in one place and in a short space of time", says Ivonne Simons. The Project Director of PaintExpo emphasises: "Trade fair participants made use of precisely this opportunity. On the stands, new business partnerships were formed, partners discussed new projects and even contracts were signed."

This assessment is shared by Dr Rainer Frei. For the Managing Director of coating manufacturer Emil Frei, PaintExpo was able to seamlessly continue the successes of earlier years despite the COVID-19 break. "We have the entire spectrum of industrial coating here at one event. For us, it's the biggest leading trade fair."

Markus Sonnenstatter, CSO Industrial Solutions at Wagner plant manufacturing offers very similar feedback: "It's simply important to be at PaintExpo. Here, it is possible to successfully gain new customers while also maintaining our existing customer relationships. Visitors came to us with a colourful mix of relevant interests and concrete project enquiries. It's precisely this combination that makes PaintExpo an essential industry get-together."

High proportion of International visitors

Visitor quality and visitor satisfaction were also remarkable. According to a survey, the number of top decision-makers as well as professionals and managers was very high. The poll revealed that around 88 per cent of visitors have a significant influence on investment decisions in their companies. Over 90 per cent are planning to come back to the next edition of PaintExpo in two years' time.

The proportion of international visitors was also very high. One in three guests travelled to Karlsruhe from abroad. Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria and Poland were the countries with the most trade visitors alongside Germany. "It was noticeable that the trade fair is growing in international significance. For us as an international company, the visitors from many countries in Europe and from the USA who were there directly represent our target group", happily reports Nicole Mihlan, Head of Marketing at Venakob.

High Exhibitor Satisfaction

The questionnaire for exhibitors also returned positive results. 95 per cent of the exhibitors praised the high quality of business contacts and the professional credentials of the visitors. 94 per cent of exhibitors reported that the trade fair had been a success.

"We are glad that we decided to participate in the trade fair for the first time. The bottom line is clear for us: PaintExpo is one of the most important gatherings in the industry and a place we need to be as an exhibitor. Here, the future is discussed", concludes Tobias Laxa, Head of European Marketing at Henkel, a specialist in surface preparations.

Speaking of the future: Thomas Rippert from the plant manufacturer RIPPERT has his sights set firmly ahead. His opinion: "This has been fun. It was a pleasure to see how much the trade fair visitors enjoyed the event after the long break. Despite, or perhaps even because of the current difficult conditions, a remarkable "now-or-never" mood could be felt. For this reason, many large investment projects will be realised rather than postponed and new innovations are appreciated.

Dates for PaintExpo 2024

The dates for the next edition of PaintExpo in 2024 are already set. The world's leading trade fair for industrial coating technology will take place from 9 to 12 April 2024 at the usual venue in Karlsruhe.

Exhibitor Statements 2022

Concrete projects in preparation
Ulrich Tautz, Head of Sales, Dürr Systems AG

This year's PaintExpo is an excellent trade fair for finally meeting our customers in person after such a long time. It gives us the chance to present our products. We're taking advantage of the opportunity and have therefore come here with an attractive stand. Our concept has worked out well. We are thrilled by the large number of professional visitors who have already approached us with concrete projects and to prepare their next steps with us here at the trade fair. There is palpable interest in our company and in a mutual exchange of experiences.

Very significant for international business
Norman Lamb, Managing Director, Eisenmann GmbH

PaintExpo is absolutely the most important trade fair for our company. We can present ourselves here to industry professionals, meet other market players and our customers, and demonstrate our new technologies. That's why we are introducing three new innovations at once at this event. They have been very well-received. Many visitors know what we can do and come to our stand to directly express an interest in planning future projects. The trade fair is a great platform and is also very significant for our international business. To give a concrete example, we were able to hold an intensive conversation with a well-known Italian company. We will be expanding on that. We'll definitely be back again for the next event.

Answers to important questions
Dr Rainer Frei, Managing Director, Emil Frei GmbH & Co. KG

An industry get-together at long last! Finally a chance to meet regular customers again and establish new contacts. Despite the break due to the pandemic, PaintExpo is seamlessly building on old successes. For us, it's the biggest leading trade fair. We have the entire spectrum of industrial coating technologies here at one event. It all fits together. As an exhibitor right from the very start, we especially appreciate that we can find appropriate answers to our questions here as well. We also value the excellent infrastructure and the fact that many of our customers take this opportunity to come and talk to us. The international reach of the trade fair also plays a significant role. We've had the opportunity to welcome customers from Switzerland, France, Turkey and even Singapore.

Transformation of established processes into new structures
Dr rer. nat. Volker Wegmann, Coating Process Engineering Team Leader, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA)

PaintExpo has been a fixed date in our calendar for years, and we are all the more delighted to finally be able to meet together with the industry again after a four-year break. As a research institute focused on industry topics, the trade fair is an excellent platform for us to accelerate the transfer of knowledge from research into practice. Since we are able to depict the entire industrial coating value chain in our institute, there was a correspondingly high level of interest at our stand. We were able to have good conversations here in Karlsruhe and lay the groundwork for future research projects with the industrial firms. There is a particularly high demand for the transformation of established processes into new structures. Here, the topics of efficiency and digitalisation play a vital role. PaintExpo is exactly the right place to shape the future of the industry.

Ideal platform for presenting solutions
Claudio Merengo, President Worldwide, Gema Switzerland

For us, PaintExpo is the most important trade fair in Europe. That's also why we are represented by such a significant and attractive exhibition stand. We are very happy to finally be able to present our company and our achievements again, and we're delighted by the excellent reception from visitors. We sold some of our products directly at the stand. We were also able to discuss concrete projects as well as initiate new ones. We're a solution provider, and PaintExpo is the ideal platform for presenting our concepts. We're very satisfied with how the trade fair has gone and we'll certainly be taking part again.

Coating with maximum protection against corrosion and coronaviruses
Heike Grimm-Bareiss, Managing Director, Grimm Pulverlack GmbH

We are very satisfied with the volume of visitors and the quality of conversations. We had a number of initial talks that we will definitely be continuing when following up after the fair. Our solutions for protection against heavy corrosion, which achieve the highest class of corrosion protection, were in very high demand. The advantages are obvious. If rust can be prevented for longer, fewer resources are needed. Sustainability is as easy as that. But trade fair visitors were also very excited about our special coating that protects against coronaviruses. Our innovation makes it possible to kill viruses and thus prevent the transmission of illnesses. This was a successful trade fair for us. We'll be back.

International team for international customers
Thomas Querfurth, Sales Director Germany, HangOn GmbH

PaintExpo is the leading world trade fair. We've known that for a long time, and our international customers confirm it again and again. We deliver our products to 40 countries worldwide and meet our international customers here in Karlsruhe. That's why we also have colleagues from Poland, the UK, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland on our stand. An international team for international customers. The topic of sustainability plays a significant role in our company. Our solutions ensure more coatings are possible per pass. This lowers our customers' energy use by up to 87 per cent. That's an enormous competitive advantage, especially in light of rising energy costs. The reception we got for this at our exhibition stand was thoroughly positive. We were able to have outstanding conversations with high-quality visitors. PaintExpo is always a fixed date in our calendar. It's the only place where we can meet the entire spectrum of the industry. No matter what project is in the pipeline, here I can talk to all the necessary suppliers within a short space of time. Without the trade fair, that would take me several weeks.

An essential industry get-together for exhibitors
Tobias Laxa, Director of Marketing Europe, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Successful business transactions are the result of mutual trust, and personal interaction is the best way to build that. PaintExpo is the ideal place for this. We are glad that we decided to participate in the trade fair for the first time. The bottom line is clear for us: PaintExpo is one of the most important gatherings in the industry – a must for exhibitors. Here, the future is discussed. Visitors to our stand were especially interested in the topic of sustainability. Our product portfolio for more process transparency and remote control was very well received. The international scope of the trade fair is also a huge positive. We had the opportunity to speak with customers from Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Italy. PaintExpo isn't an event where people just give presentations. Here, real work gets done. We see that as an absolute mark of quality for this event.

A dramatic increase in international participation
Thomas Schneider, Sales Director, Krautzberger GmbH

PaintExpo is a performance exhibition for the entire industry. We measure ourselves against our competitors here. The quality of visitors at the trade fair is also high. There are no unimportant conversations. Customers are genuinely interested in our solutions. We are especially pleased that the event has grown significantly in international appeal this year. Due to the numerous pandemic travel restrictions, we had modest expectations, so we were even more positively surprised. An estimated 75 per cent of our conversations were with visitors from abroad. That was very good, and we would love to continue in this direction.

A platform for meeting new companies and customers
Christian Mathiak, Managing Director, POMA Systems GmbH

We are positively surprised by the number of people we have been able to meet here at PaintExpo after a four-year break due to the pandemic. As an exhibitor right from the very start, we consider PaintExpo an important platform for meeting new companies and our customers. This is why we have also kept our traditional spot in Hall 1 for years. It has paid off very well again this year. We have experienced targeted demand for our products and have already been able to have a number of very concrete conversations. It has worked wonderfully. We are very happy to be here and can also sense the excitement from the other exhibitors about PaintExpo finally returning.

Many investment projects will become a reality
Thomas Rippert, Executive Partner, RIPPERT GmbH & Co KG

This has been fun. It was a pleasure to see how much the trade fair visitors enjoyed the event after the long break. Despite, or perhaps even because of the current difficult conditions, a remarkable "now-or-never" mood could be felt. For this reason, many large investment projects will be realised rather than postponed and new innovations are appreciated. This was reflected directly at our stand. As a plant manufacturer and systems supplier, we cover the complete portfolio and place a particular emphasis on sustainability. We had a number of profitable conversations about our solutions. Thanks to our high level of automation, we contribute significantly to making the profession appealing to young people again and counteracting the shortage of specialists. We're also one of the leading suppliers when it comes to efficiency. Our plants work with thermal recovery, avoid waste and are designed to conserve resources. This way, we can optimise our carbon footprint. We received a great deal of interest from trade fair visitors and are optimistic about post-fair business following PaintExpo.

Leading world trade fair with post-fair business
Sebastian Scholz, Sales Director Germany/Austria, SATA GmbH & Co KG

Industrial applications are one of our mainstays. That's why PaintExpo is one of the most important trade fairs overall for SATA. Here, we meet industrial users who are looking for concrete solutions and who come to us with specific questions about our application technologies. You can really feel that everyone is ready for action and enjoying the fact that PaintExpo is finally happening again. The extremely varied audience and the increase in international participation – there were even visitors from India and the USA at our stand – make PaintExpo an ultimate leading world trade fair. We were able to establish many new industry contacts and are certain that the majority of them will lead to post-fair business.

Exactly our target group
Nicole Mihlan, Director of Marketing, Venjakob Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG

After the four-year break, this PaintExpo has felt like a new beginning. We were very pleasantly surprised that so many visitors came to the trade fair. We welcomed many new potential customers to our stand who came to us with specific requirements and price enquiries. It was also very noticeable that the trade fair has grown in international significance. For us as an international company, the visitors from many countries in Europe and from the USA who were there directly represent our target group. There was particular demand for our fully automatic coating lines that offer instant improvements in energy efficiency. We also have a very innovative position with regard to optimising our customers' existing technology. In some cases, it only takes a new aggregate to achieve measurable savings in resources. This approach was convincing for many of the visitors who came to our stand. PaintExpo has been profitable for us and we will gladly return.

Indispensable industry get-together
Markus Sonnenstatter, CSO Industrial Solutions, J. Wagner GmbH

It's simply important to be at PaintExpo. We really stepped on the gas and presented our whole portfolio here. This was received very well by our visitors. Especially because we were able to demonstrate most of our products and systems live at the fair. This means we were successful in gaining new customers, but also in maintaining our existing customer relationships. Visitors came to us with a colourful mix of relevant interests and concrete project enquiries. It's precisely this combination that makes PaintExpo an indispensable industry get-together. After the break due to the pandemic, you could feel it everywhere that people were excited about finally being able to meet together and discuss coming trends again. As one of the global leaders in the surface preparation industry, we're the right people to talk to. Accordingly, there was great interest in our coating solutions for complex challenges, which also partly work with 3D scanners. There was also a lot of demand for our digital services, such as our online academy, for example, which contains a wide variety of training content on various coating topics. All in all, PaintExpo worked brilliantly for us once again. We look forward to coming back.