ANNUAL REPORTS
IWMA CHAIRMANS REPORT 2009/2010
I would like to start by thanking all my colleagues on the executive board for their invaluable advice and for all the hard work they have put in during the past year. 2009 has been a challenging year for us all, and I’m sure that we all look forward to a better and more prosperous 2010.
We have lost some members and friends this past year with some member companies having to close down due to the recession and the financial burdens this has imposed. We also lost Bob Dayson who sadly died in November. Bob was a valuable member of the executive board for many years and his knowledge and wisdom will be greatly missed.
2009 has also been a challenge for the IWMA, attracting people to participate in the various exhibitions, conferences and social events as companies cut back their costs. But that said it has not been that bad a year with our finances in good shape for a non Düsseldorf year as you will see from the treasurer’s report.
We began the year as always with the “Meet the Industry Lunch” - a great way to meet both suppliers and customers in a pleasant social atmosphere with good food, entertainment and networking opportunities.
In April the Interwire exhibition, organised by the WAI, took place in Cleveland. The show was not that well attended, which was a pity, as once again the WAI had done a fine job but they are now re-thinking the structure and format of the show. This was followed all too quickly by wire Russia. This show has grown yet again and emphasises the growth in the Russian market.
The wire Southeast Asia exhibition was again a success. This was in Bangkok and attracted many visitors from around the Asian markets. Although the number of visitors was slightly down compared to 2007 many exhibitors were impressed by the number of senior management and decision makers that attended and reported increased interest. We finished the year in Istanbul for another successful conference, jointly organised with the WAI and ACIMAF of Italy.
2010 will be a big year for the IWMA with wire 2010 in Düsseldorf, which is of course the largest trade fair of its kind in the world. Wire, I understand, has maintained the amount of exhibitor space despite the recent economic crisis and is very well timed to coincide with the recovery of the global economy. The IWMA will again provide excellent facilities for our members and we hope to welcome as many of you as possible to the IWMA stand.
This year the IWMA is celebrating its 40th anniversary and will be holding a celebratory gala dinner during the wire Düsseldorf and we do hope that as many members as possible will attend this special occasion.
I would like to finish as I started, with thanks this time to the IWMA staff, Phillip Knight, Debi Coleman and Jacqui Dickinson, who have put in a lot of hard work this past year and have been a great help to me.
Stephen Wood, Chairman,
3 February 2010
Technical Sub Committee (TSC) Report 2009 - 2010
In my last report I advised you that the TSC was collaborating with overseas colleagues to prepare and present a further international conference. Together with the WAI, USA, ACIMAF, Italy and CET based in Europe the intention was to present a conference in Istanbul in November. The main theme was New Technology for Global Markets covering both ferrous and non-ferrous products.
Generally speaking the papers selected were of a very good standard and were well received by the delegates from the various countries. Although the prevailing market situation affected the number of delegates attending, the attendance was an improvement on Bologna in 2007. It was noticed that the local delegates attending were from larger organisations and under different circumstances we may possibly have had more delegates from the medium and smaller companies. Anyone interested in purchasing the conference CD-Rom of the excellent technical papers should contact the Secretariat.
In October the wire South East Asia exhibition organised by Messe Dusseldorf Asia and sponsored by the IWMA was held in Bangkok. We organised a one day conference which included, amongst other topics, the requirements of steel wire intended for the spring manufacturing industry. Unfortunately, despite the very high quality of papers the attendance was disappointing.
Our next major conference will take place in 2011 at a venue yet to be decided. Various locations are already being examined and a decision will made, once facilities have been studied and ease of access for delegates are known. In connection with international conferences, the TSC is of the opinion that we are very fortunate in experiencing the assistance given to us by our overseas contacts who provide valuable and much appreciated co- operation. We are also grateful to all of the organisations who are willing to provide speakers and the technical information, enabling us to prepare and present such excellent conferences.
In my opinion the IWMA and its members are fortunate to have the services of a TSC whose members work strongly and freely and I take this opportunity, as always, to personally express my gratitude to Terry Robinson, Peter Large and Geoff Church for the unflinching support during these somewhat difficult times.
On their behalf I also express our gratitude to the IWMA Secretariat team for their vital assistance.
Don Tucker, TSC Chairman
3 February 2010