Last month, 5,250 engineers and executives responsible for assembly manufacturing converged at the 5^th Annual ASSEMBLY Show, held Oct. 24-26 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

​​​​​The trade show and conference, which focuses on assembly technology, equipment and products, boasted a 12 percent increase in attendance and a 15 percent increase in exhibit space, compared with 2016, according to BNP Media, which produces the show.

The bustling event drew 295 exhibiting companies occupying 76,800 net square feet of expo space, with nearly 8,000 industry professionals from 48 states and 28 countries registered to attend.

In response to this uptick, more than 75 percent of the show’s exhibitors renewed booth space onsite for the 2018 event, according to show officials.

“For five consecutive years, we have stayed focused on assembly manufacturing and each year we bring together more and more vendors who are offering the latest advancements in products and services with more and more buyers of these solutions,” explained Tom Esposito, publisher of ASSEMBLY Magazine, which is published by BNP and sponsors the show.

The show’s conference program paid particular focus to top-of-mind industry topics including automation, robotics and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), with industry experts sharing their knowledge in educational sessions ranging from Industry 4.0 and Creating the Future of Manufacturing, to Beyond the Edge of IIoT and Operational Excellence.

In addition, a dozen educational sessions presented by leading exhibiting companies were held in theaters set up on the showfloor, covering topics including smart and cyber safe production environments; the starting point for robot automation; the future of intelligent pneumatics; finding leak testing success, how to choose the right transfer system and solving the OT-IT system conflict.

During his keynote speech, Gene Hopkins, director of applications, information technology of Faurecia North America focused on his company’s initiative to transform itself into a digital enterprise and how they looked at every area where digital technology could enable gains in efficiency including applying simulation tools in R&D, capturing data from every machine and process and deploying collaborative engineering technology.

Preceding the keynote, Austin Weber, senior editor for ASSEMBLY Magazine, presented the Assembly Plant of the Year Award to AGCO of Jackson, Minn.

Making its debut at The ASSEMBLY Show this year was TASTV, which featured exclusive interviews, show highlights and presentations that were broadcast onsite as well as online.

The show also featured a host of networking opportunities including the popular “Taste of Rosemont” Networking Reception, which kicked off the event and attracted hundreds of attendees that had a chance to enjoy food and refreshments while visiting with the exhibitors on the showfloor, as well as a fun and lively Pub Night on the second evening.

“We are so pleased that this year’s event had the most demonstrations of the latest robotic equipment as well as a comprehensive educational program and valuable networking opportunities,” Esposito said.

He added, “We are thrilled with the response from the industry and thank the exhibitors, sponsors, attendees and speakers who made this such a worthwhile event for the fifth year in a row.”

The ASSEMBLY Show will return Oct. 23-25 to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

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