CeMAT RUSSIA: a wealth of opportunities for the intralogistics industry

At the upcoming CeMAT RUSSIA intralogistics show, which runs in Moscow from 22 to 25 September, more than 170 exhibitors will showcase their products and solutions for the interconnected, efficient control and management of logistics processes. “Admittedly, that’s about 30 fewer companies than last year, but it’s still a very pleasing achievement, given the current economic sanctions,” commented Wolfgang Pech, the Senior Vice President responsible for CeMAT events worldwide at Deutsche Messe. “The Russian logistics market is a very challenging environment at the moment, especially as goods volumes are down 8.2 percent on last year. And yet this same weakness offers exciting opportunities for foreign companies seeking to enter the Russian market. For one thing, the costs of logistics real estate and labor have moved back down to affordable levels. This is where CeMAT RUSSIA comes in. It is the ideal platform for discussion on these trends and developments because it attracts the key players from all parts of the logistics industry,” he said.

CeMAT RUSSIA is Russia’s biggest specialist trade fair for intralogistics, and major international companies have been exhibiting there in large numbers for many years. Viastore systems is one such exhibitor. Its COO, Detlef Ganz, explains his company’s commitment to the Russian market: “Russia is a very promising market for us, and that’s despite the current economic woes occasioned by sanctions, the weak ruble and low oil prices. We are still seeing appreciable Russian demand for our integrated systems and logistics software. This tallies with German Engineering Federation (VDMA) figures, which show that Russia still ranks among the ten biggest and most important export markets for German providers of intralogistics solutions.” Ganz notes that a vital part of his company’s strategy for Russia revolves around having a local presence there – a presence the company intends to expand. “Having a showcase at CeMAT RUSSIA is an important part of this,” he said. “The trade fair has yielded a number of key leads and valuable information on concrete projects over the years, and we are confident that this year will be no different. At the end of the day, CeMAT RUSSIA is the most important trade fair platform for the Russian intralogistics industry.”
This view is shared by Thomas Fischer, Chief Sales Officer at the Hamburg, Germany-based intralogistics provider Still. “CeMAT RUSSIA is the only Russian trade fair where all the major industrial truck manufacturers and intralogistics providers have an exhibition presence. The visitors are of a very high quality and they come from all over Russia,” he said. “In many cases they are specialists from large companies of importance to Still from across a very diverse range of industries. Our showcase at CeMAT RUSSIA helps strengthen our presence and brand awareness in the Russian market. It is an excellent way for us to profile our products and services to existing and new customers and partners,” he added. Based on past experience, Fisher anticipates that this year’s show will yield many new customer leads.
The German industrial truck manufacturer Jungheinrich likewise sees the CeMAT show in Moscow as the most important intralogistics trade fair in Russia. As in previous years, Jungheinrich will use the upcoming show to further position itself as a leading brand in the Russian intralogistics sector and to showcase its latest products and innovations. Luuk Snijders, CEO of Jungheinrich’s Russian subsidiary, OOO Jungheinrich Lift Truck, explains: “Apart from offering us a wealth of networking opportunities and new leads, CeMAT RUSSIA is an excellent opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with existing and potential customers to discuss specific logistics projects and do business. And it’s an opportunity that the fair’s high-quality visitors have always welcomed because they know that Jungheinrich carefully tailors its products and services to their needs and gives them exactly what they need to meet their logistical challenges. That’s why our showcase at this year’s CeMAT RUSSIA will once again have a strong focus on integrated logistics solutions.”
SSI Schäfer, too, values CeMAT RUSSIA as one of the most important trade fairs for its activities in Russia. “The show gives us a good overview of the latest technological developments and systems in logistics services,” explains Georgiy Bekuzarov, CEO of SSI Schäfer Russia. “CeMAT helps us to accurately gauge the current situation in the Russian logistics market, to strengthen our local corporate image, and to gain an even better understanding of what our customers want,” he said.
Another Western European company that has been active in the Russian market for many years is the Austria-based Knapp Group. Knapp has successfully realized several warehouse logistics projects in Russia in a wide range of industries, including the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and office supplies industries. “We anticipate that CeMAT RUSSIA will put us in contact with a large number of visitors, including both existing customers and new prospects,” explains Knapp’s Head of Marketing, Margit Wögerer. “The show is also a good opportunity to meet up with potential local market partners.” Having set up a local branch in Moscow in 2013, Knapp is committed to building up its presence in the Russian market and further enhancing its position there as a leading partner for intralogistics solutions. “For us, CeMAT RUSSIA is the number one driver of growth in the Russian intralogistics market,” Wögerer said. “Given the show’s high visitor turnout, we’re expecting to generate lots of leads which will hopefully translate into promising new projects for us.” Wögerer also anticipates that there will be more visitors this year than last year. And while the visitors Knapp encountered last year tended to be somewhat cautious, the company anticipates that this year more visitors will approach them with concrete project proposals.
CeMAT RUSSIA 2014 attracted a total of 5,315 visitors. They came from a range of industry, wholesale and retail backgrounds. And they showed strong interest in integrated solutions for internal logistics processes.
CeMAT RUSSIA is organized by Deutsche Messe AG subsidiary OOO Deutsche Messe RUS in partnership with the ITE Group Plc., a UK-based trade fair company with offices in eleven countries.