The relief is evident in the exhibition halls — at last, personal encounters are possible again. “It’s good to be back,” says Andrea Kiel, from Butting, happily. “Online meetings cannot replace an in-person fair like Wire & Tube.”
One quality of Wire & Tube is also being able to view the products on display in person. “Everything is hands-on,” says Andrea Kiel, Marketing and Communications at Butting. The company is taking full advantage of the opportunity. “It’s the biggest stand we’ve ever had here. Butting is on a growth course and expanding, and there are plenty of interested parties — on Tuesday, the stand was well-filled with visitors.
For KURRE Systems, the trade fair started rather quietly on Monday morning, but from noon onwards, visitor frequency increased significantly. “Tuesday was phenomenal. The visitors were literally swarming us,” reports Stefan Plaggenborg, owner of KURRE Systems. In contrast to the last fairs, the types of visitors at the stand has changed somewhat. There are fewer walk-in customers, but more specific, targeted interest. “The quality of the discussions has increased significantly.” Overall, the mood was very positive. “We are happy that networking and mutual exchange can finally take place again,” says Stefan Plaggenborg.
“It was a very good decision to be here again,” says Rita Krüger from Group Communications, Steel Processing Division, Salzgitter AG. “At the end of the day, nothing beats personal contacts. At the fair, everyone is in one place, and we can cultivate and make a lot of new contacts quickly. Everyone is happy that it has started again.” One focus of the Mannesmann stand is H2ready, and there is a lot of attention for hydrogen.
Hydrogen solutions are also an important point of the trade fair presentation for Potte+Potthoff. “We have attractive solutions and marketable products,” says Thorsten Ellersiek, Head of Sales. There have been some changes in the products, and Wire & Tube offers the opportunity to present them. “We are very busy at our stand and having valuable discussions.”
“In addition to drivers such as digitalisation and the green transformation of the steel industry, the steel sector is still shaped by the pandemic, global shifts in supply flows, raw material shortages and the Ukraine war,” explains Olga Demchenko, Head of Corporate Development and Communications at Heine + Beisswenger. “These are topics that concern our business partners and us in our discussions at Wire & Tube in Düsseldorf.” The company remains focused on offering customers and suppliers the best possible service from a trading house to serve as a reliable market partner, take advantage of new opportunities and tackle challenges together. “That is why we are pleased to be at the fair with a stand after a break and to meet our business partners in person.”
