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FABTECH Opens Sunday With New Sessions, New Enhancements and New Location

14 November 1997

FABTECH Opens Sunday With New Sessions, New Enhancements and New Location

    CHICAGO, Nov. 14 -- FABTECH International '97, North
America's largest exposition for metal forming and fabricating, takes place
November 16-20 at Chicago's McCormick Place North.
    Bigger than two football fields, the exposition will showcase over 1,000
working pieces of metal forming and fabricating equipment weighing more than
eight million pounds in 350,000 net square feet.  More than 20 percent of the
over 700 exhibitors are Illinois-based and will be exhibiting alongside
companies from all over the United States and Canada, as well as the United
Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Philippines.
    Featuring a new Welding Pavilion, dedicated to all major welding
technologies, services and suppliers, the Exposition will be held in
conjunction with the world-class FABTECH International Conference, the TUBE &
PIPE International '97 and PRESSTECH International '97 expositions and the
TUBE & PIPE International Associations' (TPA) 13th Annual World Tube Congress.
    Exposition hours are November 16 from noon-5 p.m., November 17-19
from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and November 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  The FABTECH
International Conference hours are November 16-17 from 1-5 p.m. and November
18-19 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  TPA's 13th Annual World Tube Congress hours are
November 17-19 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and November 20 from 8 a.m.-noon.
    The new FABTECH Power Breakfast and Keynote, taking place November 17 at
the McCormick Place South Ballroom, will feature James A. McCaslin, vice
president of Continuous Improvement, Harley-Davidson Motor Company.  He will
discuss "Staying Competitive in Today's Marketplace: The Harley-Davidson
Story" and cover topics such as just-in-time, management issues, the three-man
team concept, and their forming and fabricating operations.
    Held concurrently with the exposition, this year's Conference is enhanced
by new Vendor Panels taking place November 17-19.  The three Vendor Panel
topics are: Laser Vendor Panel, Welding Vendor Panel and Comparative Cutting
Vendor Panel.
    More than 25,000 people are expected to attend FABTECH International '97
which covers the full spectrum of metal forming and fabricating technology:
sheet metal punching; cutting; bending and folding; coil processing; controls
and computer systems; lasers; roll forming; welding; and finishing.
    FABTECH International is co-sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing
Engineers (SME) and the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International
(FMA).

SOURCE  Society of Manufacturing Engineers