On Saturday 15th October, BI-MU, the biennial exhibition of machine tools, robotics, automation, and digital and additive manufacturing closed its 33rd edition, held at Fiera Milano Rho from Wednesday 12th October.
Promoted by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, the Italian machine tools, robots and automation systems manufacturers' association, and organised by EFIM-ENTE FIERE ITALIANE MACCHINE, 33.BI-MU reported large numbers of visitors and achieved the full satisfaction of exhibitors.
33.BI-MU showcased the best international products of the sector, expression of almost 700 exhibiting companies, of which 37% were from abroad, occupying a total surface area of 65,000 square metres in the four halls set up for the event (9-11/13-15).
In addition to the over 42,000 professional operators registered at the turnstiles (5% from abroad), it is estimated that about 8,000 visitors came from Xylexpo. The number is calculated based on the intention expressed by 85% of the operators during their pre-registration for the trade show dedicated to woodworking technologies (held in the neighbouring halls). These data confirm that the organisers made a positive choice to organise BI-MU and Xylexpo in full conjunction because all this allowed free circulation of visitors from one event to the other.
Among the foreign visitors, there were also 100 operators, mostly end users, in addition to several journalists, coming from 13 countries - Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, India, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam - invited within the business mission organised by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE in cooperation with ICE-Italian Trade Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of International Cooperation.
Alfredo Mariotti, general manager of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, stated: “We haven’t seen such crowded aisles and such full exhibition stands for many editions. It is a sign that the proposal of this BI-MU met the approval of the public, despite the uncertainty of the context affected by many problems, first of all by the energy crisis”.
“The first exhibitors’ opinions we collected are definitely positive, with regard to the number, as well as to the quality of contacts collected. Considering the number of present operators - continued Alfredo Mariotti – if compared with the 2018 edition, the last one before the pandemic, 33.BI-MU was more successful”.
The 2018 edition had registered 65,000 visitors for over 1,000 exhibiting enterprises, i.e. 65 operators per capita, whereas 33.BI-MU recorded about 50.000 entries for 700 exhibiting companies, i.e. 71 operators per capita”.
These data confirm the appreciation of the public for the formula devised for this edition of the biennial, which, around machine tools and production systems, proposed 5 innovation areas for 5 technological themes. RobotHeart, sponsored by SIRI, the Italian Robotics and Automation Association, and dedicated to the world of robotics; piùAdditive, sponsored by AITA-ITALIAN ASSOCIATION OF ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGIES and centred on additive technologies; BI-MU DIGITAL, focused on the world of ICT and technologies for connectivity; METROLOGY & TESTING, centred on testing, measuring and quality-control machines and systems and finally, BI-MU LOGISTICS, dedicated to logistics for the mechanical industry.
Moreover, 33.BI-MU offered the present operators a full programme of in-depth cultural and thematic meetings, hosted within the BI-MUpiù arena. Over 60 speeches were arranged by the organisers and exhibitors and involved more than 1,900 attendees and about 12,500 users connected online thanks to the live streaming service available on the homepage of the website bimu.it. Among these 12,500, 3,000 users stayed online between 30 minutes and two hours.
About twenty meetings, organised in the piùAdditive area, also attracted hundreds of operators interested in learning more about additive manufacturing and its multiple and varied applications.
The Annual Conference of I-RIM, the Italian Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines, which has chosen the biennial to hold its two-day work session, gathered about one hundred attendees, including professors, scholars, researchers and experts, engaged in the academic and research activity focused on the world of industrial robotics.
With UCIMU Academy, about 3,500 students visited the exhibition accompanied by their teachers. In addition, 300 more students took part in the tours guided by tutors of the Association, who illustrated the features, values and strengths of the sector.
The interest in the event shown by the manufacturing world is proven by the lively activity on the website bimu.it and on the digital communication channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube).
From 1st January to 15th October 2022, the website bimu.it registered the visits of 70,558 single users (+22% versus 2020), totalling 356,070 page views (+36%).
Today, the social community of BI-MU has 8,753 registered followers. At the end of the last edition of BI-MU, in 2020, its followers were 6,420. Among all BI-MU profiles - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube - LinkedIn reported the highest activity, in the period 21st September/17th October 2022, showing an increase of 624 followers. This allowed the LinkedIn page to achieve a total of 2,545 connected users, almost as many as those on Facebook, which had however a much larger number of connected users in the previous years. There were over 8,248 page views on LinkedIn, and about 2,778 single users for 84,746 views of the posts published on the official profile of the trade show. Instagram is the second social channel in terms of growth rate, increasing its followers in two years, from 1,037 at the end of 32.BI-MU to the 1,598 followers reached by 33.BI-MU.
The BI-MU webApp registered over 2,400 downloads considering only the exhibition days.
The next edition of BI-MU will take place from 9 to 12 October 2024. Updated information on bimu.it
Cinisello Balsamo 20th October 2022
For additional information on the show, contact the following:
Claudia Mastrogiuseppe, External Relations and Press Office Manager, +39 0226255.299, +39 3482618701 press [at] ucimu.it
Massimo Civello, External Relations and Press Office +39 0226255.266, +39 3487812176 press2 [at] ucimu.it
Filippo Laonigro, Technical Press Office, +39 0226255.225, technical.press [at] ucimu.it