The sixteenth BEIJING ESSEN WELDING & CUTTING registered new records: 27,888 trade visitors (35 percent more than at the preceding event) obtained information and placed orders at the leading trade fair in the field of joining technology in the Asian region. The 918 exhibitors presented the newest technologies to them on a once more enlarged exhibition area of over 92,000 square metres in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The organisers of the trade fair, Messe Essen, DVS - Deutscher Verband für Schweißen und verwandte Verfahren e.V. ("German Welding Society") and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES), reported strong demand, above all, on the Chinese market because of the good economic situation.

Companies from all over the world used BEIJING ESSEN WELDING & CUTTING in order to introduce their products and services in the boom region of Asia and to consolidate their foreign trade relations. Exhibitors from 29 nations presented themselves at the Chinese event affiliated to the world's premier fair in Essen (SCHWEISSEN & SCHNEIDEN); the proportion of foreign companies was 23 percent. In addition to DVS, other renowned international societies supported BEIJING ESSEN WELDING & CUTTING and organised cooperative booths for the participants from their countries. 26 German companies showed their newest trends and technologies in the "German Pavilion" in which the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technology was involved.

The exhibitors praised the course of the fair which was accompanied by a great visitor plus. BEIJING ESSEN WELDING & CUTTING welcomed trade visitors from 70 countries who obtained information, prepared investment decisions or signed contracts. A comprehensive supporting programme with 20 conferences, forums and seminars offered them valuable knowledge about the newest technical developments.