METALFORM Tops Charts in Music City

Nearly 2600 top executives, engineers and other metalforming industry professionals viewed the latest industry technology and networked with peers during Regional METALFORM Nashville on March 21-23. This year's show featured 328 equipment manufacturers, one-third of whom unveiled new products, services and technologies to meet the continually changing needs of the industry.

The show's sponsor, the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), has received positive feedback from many METALFORM exhibitors. Bob Konczal, president of 3DQuick Press/Solidworks in Buffalo Grove, IL, said, "METALFORM is the best show around for our industry-the die-making industry and the metalforming industry. We've had a lot of great leads at this show. This is our second year participating in METALFORM and we'll be coming back next year to Rosemont with double our booth space. We're looking forward to it!"

The Clamp Company in LaVergne, TN-one of 80 companies exhibiting at METALFORM for the first time-also had positive feedback about the show. "Coming to the Nashville show has been absolutely great for us," said Stephen Pirtle, sales manager. "We'll continue to do METALFORM shows-in fact, we'll probably try to do the show in Mexico. This particular show I believe we've gotten more leads-more rock-solid leads-than at our last two shows combined."

Another exhibitor who echoed these sentiments is Dennis Trestain, owner of Dura-Glider Co. in Charlotte, MI, who said about his experience at the Nashville show: "This is our fourth or fifth PMA show. We've had a great experience-it was one of the best shows that we've done in the last several years. We had a lot of leads; we plan on coming back to Rosemont next year."

Besides the exhibits, METALFORM Nashville featured an educational conference, the annual Awards of Excellence in Metalforming ceremony and a PMA Educational Foundation "night at the races" fundraiser. In addition, the show's opening on Tuesday, March 21 included remarks from Congressman Marsha Blackburn, who understands the importance of manufacturing in America. She represents Tennessee's seventh congressional district.

Next year, METALFORM returns to Rosemont, IL, on March 25-28, 2007 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Companies interested in exhibiting at METALFORM'07 should contact Roger Judson at 800-541-5336 or rjudson@pma.org. More information is also available at www.metalform.com.

Since its inception in 1981, PMA's METALFORM Exposition and Conference has been the most highly focused metalforming and fabricating event in the industry. Targeting metal stamping, tool and die, fabricating, metal spinning, roll forming, slide forming and other related manufacturing technologies, METALFORM is the one show for metalforming industry professionals.

PMA is the full-service trade association representing the $41-billion metalforming industry of North America—the industry that creates precision metal products using stamping, fabricating and other value-added processes. Its nearly 1200 member companies include metal stampers, fabricators, spinners, slide formers and roll formers as well as suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry. Members are located in 30 countries, with the majority found in North America-in 41 states of the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.