The Bright World of Metals on course for expansion: Messe Düsseldorf extends its portfolio to include GIFA Mexico 2024
By holding GIFA Mexico from 16 to 18 October 2024 in Mexico City, Messe Düsseldorf will not only provide enterprises from Mexico and the region with a new platform for the global metallurgy and foundry industry but also give international exhibitors and industry experts a unique opportunity to build their business relations and gain a foothold on the emerging Mexican market. Together with the world-leading trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST, held as “The Bright World of Metals” at the homebase Düsseldorf from 12 to 16 June 2023, and its satellite events in India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia, GIFA Mexico will become the hub for innovations, know-how and business opportunities in the metal-working industries next year.
Mexico is gaining in importance as an emerging market located between the USA and Latin America, and in this key position constitutes an important growth market for the global foundry and metallurgy industry. Demand for cast components is rising, especially strongly from the Mexican automotive industry. Worth a total of US$ 41.6b, cars are the country’s most important export goods, followed by car components (US$ 27.1b), computers (US$ 31.5b) and delivery vans (US$ 23.8b). This is why Mexico holds particularly high potential in the segments of die-casting technology and aluminium casting and is of tremendous importance to equipment providers and upstream suppliers serving die-casting companies. A major share of the metal die-casting production is accounted for by aluminium, grey iron (29% each) and ductile iron (20%). Far more than half of the output (63%) goes to the automotive sector, in which more and more international industrial groups are establishing production sites in Mexico. These are decisive reasons for Messe Düsseldorf to enter the Mexican market – initially as an investment business with GIFA Mexico held as part of the long-established Mexican trade fair FUNDIEXPO. GIFA Mexico is planned to run every two years from 2024.
“Mexico is a booming international location offering vast growth potential especially for the foundry industry. This is why we are consistently expanding Messe Düsseldorf’s “Metallurgy & Foundry Technology” portfolio to include GIFA Mexico. Following METEC India (2004), GIFA and METEC Southeast Asia (2022), GIFA and METEC Middle East Asia (2023), GIFA and METEC Indonesia (2023), GIFA Mexico forms the next milestone,” rejoices Malte Seifert, Director Portfolio Metals, Energy & Autonomous Technologies.
Since 1960 the leading trade fair for the metal and foundry industry, FUNDIEXPO, has been a firm fixture in Mexico’s event calendar. It is organised by the Mexican Foundry Society, A.C. (Sociedad Mexicana de Fundidores, A.C./ SMFAC), the internationally acting partner of Messe Düsseldorf.
Mexico’s appeal for foreign investors is reflected by the fact that 1,900 companies from Germany are already engaged locally. In addition, Mexico is a focal country of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). With its just under 130 million inhabitants, large crude oil and gas deposits as well as rich mineral resources such as gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper, Mexico is an attractive destination especially for European and German investors and is considered the USA’s extended workbench.
GIFA Mexico will cover a comprehensive spectrum of machinery, plant, materials and technological innovations ranging from additive manufacturing and foundry machines to castings for a variety of application industries – from the automotive industry, construction and the energy and gas industry to users from metal works and steel mills.