Upcoming Trade Show Offers Tooling Companies Guidance Into Energy
The first-ever mega trade show between Fabtech, AWS, and Metalform is about one month away at the McCormick Center in Chicago. Here’s a release from David Greenfield touting the show’s opportunities for domestic manufacturers to break into the alternative energy market–something many of you are trying to do.
FabTech 2009 focuses on alternative energy potential for manufacturers
Opportunities for metalforming, fabricating, and welding manufacturers to be highlighted at Chicago event.
David Greenfield — Control Engineering, 10/13/2009
With the wind energy market setting aggressive goals to supply 20% of U.S. energy by 2030, coupled with record-setting growth levels by the U.S. solar energy industry in 2008, the opportunities for metalforming, fabricating, and welding manufacturers are expanding. But many are not fully aware of the new business potential these emerging sectors offer to more established manufacturing industries.
To address this knowledge gap, organizers of the upcoming FabTech International & AWS Welding Show (Chicago, November 15-18, 2009), will offer free sessions for manufacturers on growth opportunities in the energy sector.
Relavent sessions include:
- A keynote panel presentation titled "Energy: The Outlook is Bright, But Where Will It Lead Us," will connect experts from both the wind and solar energy sectors to discuss trends and forecasts, government issues, and what it all means to current and future suppliers in the fabricating industry.
- A presentation on the wind energy market, featured at the event’s Solutions Showcase Theater, will discuss opportunities for investment and growth in the sector, including utility-scale and small wind turbine component manufacturing, tower fabrications, installation, and grid tie-in.
- Another Solutions Showcase Theater presentation will highlight opportunities for metalforming, fabricating and welding in the solar energy industry supply chain and will focus on how solar energy is converted, stored, and distributed within a home and along the smart grid.
"In the past four years, the share of wind power parts manufactured in the U.S. has grown from 30% to 50%, and a single wind turbine includes more than 8,000 precision parts," said Brad Lystra, manager of economic development partnerships for the American Wind Energy Association. "In addition to creating new jobs, the wind industry is positioned to replace some of the manufacturing jobs that have been lost in other sectors during the economic downturn."
