NPE visitors in mood to buy

There’s positive energy flowing at NPE 2003, which continues to June 27 in Chicago. One machinery manufacturing executive was so encouraged by response of visitors to his booth on the first day of the show that he’s revised his sales estimate for 2003 upwards.
Walter Jungwirth, executive vice-president sales and marketing, North America, with Engel (Guelph, ON), said, “The first day was encouraging. We have noticed movement in the industry.”
Jungwirth estimates that total U.S. orders for injection molding machines in 2003 will be just below 4000. In contrast, that number peaked at 6271 in 2000, and dropped sharply to 3362 in 2001.
Similarly, Bruce Lecky of Drader Injectiweld, based in Edmonton, AB, has had good response from visitors to his booth. “People are here to buy. There may be less people, but there’s more focus.”
NPE organizers said on Monday they expected fewer visitors this year than the record 90,000 of 2000. As of Wednesday afternoon, the third day of the show, there were almost 62,000 registered visitors.