Sepro Group “scaling back” plans for Fakuma 2020

France-based robotic automation maker Sepro Group is planning to “substantially curtail” its activities at the upcoming Fakuma 2020 plastics fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

In a July 8 statement, the company said it has “made the decision not to display any robot solutions or automation systems and will consequently reduce staff attendance on the fair”, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 13-17.

“Even if Sepro operates today at a normal level, the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to create a global atmosphere of uncertainty…[and] we think that the potential to endanger the health of our employees and customers remain,” Sepro’s chief sales officer Xavier Lucas said in the statement. “The global context can also limit opportunities for Sepro’s customers for travel and for face-to-face interactions. Already we have seen that many major industry players have announced they will limit their participation at Fakuma and we expect attendance, especially from outside Germany, will be substantially reduced.”

As an alternative, the company said it is looking into participating in e-meetings, webinars, and other socially distanced activities. “Information about on-line meetings and other ways that customers and stakeholders can engage Sepro sales and technical experts will be posted on the company website – www.sepro-group.com – on the near future,” the company said.

Among the “major industry players” – as Sepro put it – that won’t be participating in Fakuma 2020 are KraussMaffei and the Wittmann Group, both of which recently announced that they will not be exhibiting at the show due to concerns about the pandemic.