DEARBORN, Mich., November 13, 2006 ? The first FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show to take place in the Southeast recently concluded at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center after three full days of impressive crowds and bustling exhibits. The show represented the largest showcase of metal forming, fabricating, tube & pipe, and welding equipment and technology in North America this year. More than 21,000 attendees from around the world visited the show to evaluate, purchase and explore innovative technologies. A total number of 873 companies exhibited at the 2006 event, taking over 300,000 net square feet of exhibit space. This represents a more than six percent increase in the total number of exhibiting companies over the 2005 FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show in Chicago, Illinois.

Mark Hoper, FMA Show Manager, stated "the move to Atlanta from a traditional Midwestern region was a culmination of many factors, including input from exhibitors and extensive research to determine new markets of metal fabricators and welders that had previously never been to our event." "We are very pleased with the turnout in Atlanta, which far exceeded our expectations,” said John Catalano, SME Show Manager. "The positive response and high level of excitement at this year’s event clearly indicates the strength of manufacturing not only in the Southeast but also around the globe," added Jeff Weber, AWS Show Manager.

Thousands of qualified buyers, from CEOs and job shop owners to manufacturing engineers and welders, shopped the show floor. The show’s sponsors have already received positive feedback from many exhibitors who were highly satisfied with the decision to move the show to Atlanta. "All three days gave us solid leads. We were very pleased with the quantity of people we saw in our booth and we talked to a lot of principals and decision makers," said Rick Wester, Vice President of RAS Systems, LLC. "The booth traffic and quality of attendees at the Atlanta show was excellent," added Debbie Doench, Marketing Manager of Hobart Brothers.

New Technology and Show Highlights

Attendees actively sought the more than 300 new products on display at the show. The Innovation Theater attracted hundreds of attendees for a series of over 20 different free presentations on new technology. Other show highlights included a new Automated Manufacturing Laser Cell, Skills USA Open Weld Trials, AWS Job Fair, and the Miller Welding and Cutting Exposition featuring a custom-built semi-truck trailer complete with an on-board classroom and space for live welding and cutting demos. More than 300 people attended the Opening Keynote on Tuesday to hear John Engler, president of NAM, discuss the future of manufacturing in North America. For visitors seeking education and other training opportunities, the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show offered a comprehensive line-up of more than 100 conferences, seminars, professional programs, and other technical sessions. Topics covered the best practices, latest trends and new commercial developments in forming, fabricating, welding, and related technologies.

Plans Already Underway for 2007

Next year, the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show returns to McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The show is scheduled for November 11 – 14, 2007. More than 90% of the available exhibit space for 2007 has already been sold. Over 900 exhibiting companies and nearly 30,000 attendees are expected. More information will be available in the coming months.

The FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show is cosponsored by the American Welding Society (AWS), the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). To obtain more information about either the 2006 or 2007 show, call 800-443-9353 (AWS), 800-432-2832 (FMA) or 800-733-3976 (SME).

About AWS:

The American Welding Society is the largest organization in the world dedicated to advancing the science, technology, and application of welding and allied processes including joining, brazing, soldering, cutting, and thermal spray. Visit www.aws.org.

About FMA:

The Fabricators and Manufacturers Association Int’l, headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, is the world’s largest non-profit educational association dedicated exclusively to the needs of companies engaged in metal forming and fabricating and the professionals they employ. Visit www.fmanet.org

About SME:

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is the world’s leading professional society supporting manufacturing education. Through its member programs, publications, expositions, and professional development resources, SME promotes an increased awareness of manufacturing engineering and helps keep manufacturing professionals up to date on leading trends and technologies. Visit www.sme.org