Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Berlin cleaning trade fair sets new attendance record
The International Cleaning Trade Fair CMS Berlin 2017 - Cleaning.Management.Services. ended on a bright note. From last Tuesday to Friday, the 23,000 industry representatives from more than 70 countries - including 18,300 trade visitors from every branch of the cleaning sector, were able to network whilst obtaining information about the commercial cleaning products and services on offer.
This represents an increase of more than 10% compared with CMS 2015.
The 429 exhibitors from 24 countries provided a complete overview of the market on an area of 29,000sq.m in the halls and outdoor display areas.
In the exhibition and conference sections the topic of the moment was digitalisation. This was also reflected at the trade fair, which featured a wealth of innovations, including some cleaning machines and cleaning products that were making their world debut.
There was an excellent response to the introduction of the Mobility Cleaning Circle on the subject of 'Railway Cleaning'. Some 80 representatives of the rail industry and the cleaning sector from a number of countries, including Germany, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Hungary and Russia, accepted the invitation from Messe Berlin to attend. The Mobility Cleaning Circle is organised jointly by the transport technology trade fair InnoTrans and the CMS Berlin cleaning fair. CMS 2017 provided an opportunity for rail industry experts to obtain a complete view of the market for a wide variety of cleaning machinery and products that the cleaning industry supplies in order to meet the special requirements of the railways.
Markus Asch, chairman of the cleaning systems trade association in the VDMA, is delighted with the way this new initiative turned out: "Closer contacts between the railways and the cleaning industry are to be welcomed, in a way that clearly shows how new technology and digitalised solutions can enable work processes in trains and buses to be made more productive," he says.
Dr. Christian Göke, chief executive officer of Messe Berlin GmbH, says of the fair: "More than ever before it proved to be the premium product among international cleaning trade fairs. The quality that was evident in the exhibition section, the marked increase in the numbers of international trade visitors, and the many innovations on show here were among the criteria that made this year's trade fair so outstanding. This view was shared unanimously by the exhibitors, trade visitors and the trade press."
CMS Berlin 2017 was organised by Messe Berlin GmbH. The supporting associations are the National Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade (BIV), Bonn, the Cleaning Systems Trade Association in the German Mechanical Engineering and Plant Construction Association (VDMA), Frankfurt/Main, and the Hygiene Industry Association (IHO), Frankfurt/Main. The associations were very positive in their assessments of the progress of the fair:
Johannes Bungart, general manager of the National Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade (BIV), says: "This year two major aspects were very much in evidence: the first of these is that CMS is becoming more international, and secondly the exhibitors' innovations emphatically demonstrated the extent to which digitalisation has already impacted on the processes, the people and the technology in our sector.
Dr. Peter Hug, general manager cleaning systems trade association in the German mechanical engineering and plant construction association (VDMA), adds: "The machinery manufacturers were particularly pleased with the substantially increased number of trade visitors. The decision-makers were of a high level, as was the quality of the discussions. The keen interest shown by visitors in innovative technologies that can make cleaning processes more efficient and more ergonomically effective applied in particular to such subjects as robotics, interconnectedness and management systems. With many new products very much in evidence, the display by machine manufacturers at CMS 2017 met with the expectations of the trade visitors."
Dr. Heiko Faubel, general manager IHO - hygiene industry association, says: "CMS 2017 and its accompanying programme ensured that the week was a very interesting one. Visitors were able to see for themselves that the manufacturers of cleaning and hygiene products have the expertise to supply innovative and above all highly effective products. At the same time. there was confirmation of the trend that CMS now functions as a genuine forum for customers. Once again this year, leading decision-makers were well represented among the visitors and, as a result, excellent technical discussions took place with exhibiting IHO members.
The presentation of the CMS Purus Innovation Awards 2017 (PIA) provided a major highlight on the first day of the fair. The panel appraised the exhibitors' innovations in six categories. The prizewinners were ADLATUS Robotics GmbH (Large Machines category), Kenter Bodenreinigungsmaschinen Vertriebs- und Service GmbH (Small Machines category), Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG (Equipment Category), Vermop Salmon GmbH (Digital Tools and Systems category), Ophardt Hygiene-Technik GmbH + Co. KG (Washroom Hygiene category) and Wetrok AG (Cleaning Products category). The panel of judges also awarded a special prize to Emil Deiss KG in the 'Equipment' category.
Stephan Schwarz, president of the Berlin Chamber of Trades and chairman of the panel of judges for the CMS Purus Innovation Awards 2017, says of the awards: "The entries and in particular the products and systems offered by this year's winners of the Purus Innovation Awards are proof of the industry's innovative capabilities. They reflect the high levels of quality represented by the exhibits on display at CMS Berlin. These intelligent and efficient solutions provide users with products in line with market requirements, enabling them to overcome the challenges of the future and compete effectively."
Exhibitors were very positive in assessing their involvement in CMS 2017, and were extremely satisfied with their participation in this year's fair. They were unanimous in emphasising the excellent quality of the trade visitors and the business contacts that were established with them.
The exhibitors' main objectives in attending the fair were to present their companies/promote the company image, cultivate existing business links and establish new contacts with the target groups of the 'building cleaning trades', 'buyers' and 'specialist dealers'. They were also keen to present their innovations to a wider professional audience.
These objectives were largely met. Although it is not the primary purpose of the fair to finalise deals, nevertheless just under half of the exhibitors signed sales contracts during the event. At the time they were questioned, four fifths of the exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the commercial success of their participation.
Over 90% of all exhibitors would also recommend attendance at CMS to other companies, and at the time of the survey they had already stated their intention of taking part in the next CMS.
Trade visitors gave extremely positive assessments of their attendance at the fair, with satisfaction levels of 90%-plus. The range on offer at CMS 2017 proved popular with 96% of trade visitors.
Trade visitors were primarily interested in learning about new products, establishing new commercial contacts and cultivating existing contacts, holding technical discussions, meeting with colleagues and professional development.
Over 93% of trade visitors gave a positive assessment of the commercial results of their attendance at the fair, and were particularly pleased with the good contact opportunities with manufacturers. On the basis of these contacts two thirds of them anticipate holding further negotiations or engaging in commercial transactions after the fair.
One significant feature among trade visitors was the high level of decision-making that they represented. Two thirds of them occupy executive positions within their companies, as general managers, authorised representatives or departmental managers. Over 80% of trade visitors exercise a decisive or advisory influence on purchasing or procurement decisions within their companies.
The trade visitors came predominantly from the areas of 'services', 'skilled trades', 'industry', 'public sector authorities/public institutions' and 'wholesale and foreign trade'.
Most of the foreign trade visitors came from EU countries and elsewhere in Europe, followed by the Near/Middle East and the Far East. Among trade visitors 91% would recommend attendance at CMS to business partners or colleagues. At the time the survey was conducted, almost as many trade visitors indicated their intention of attending the next CMS.
'Cleaning in a Digital World - Processes, People, Technology' was the keynote subject of the 22nd Congress of the World Federation of Building Service Contractors, which took place from 18th - 20th September, with 540 participants from 43 countries.
The next CMS Berlin will take place from 24th to 27th September 2019 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
Comments by exhibitors
Dirk Salmon, proprietor and managing director, Vermop Salmon GmbH, Germany: "CMS has made a huge leap forwards in terms of its national and international appeal and is on the way to becoming a leading global industry event. This year's fair underlined that again."
Markus Asch, deputy chairman, Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG, Germany: "The professional cleaning sector is undergoing major change. Our aim at CMS was to make the opportunities this progress offers visible. Developments include data-controlled cleaning on demand, a new age of flexibility due to modern battery technology, and ergonomics, which is an increasingly important topic. The positive feedback from many visitors and being able to win a Purus Award were proof that Kärcher's solutions satisfy customers' requirements. Our thanks go to the many interested visitors on our stand and to Messe Berlin for their outstanding organisation, which together ensured CMS 2017 was a success."
Uwe Brenne, management executive, Hako GmbH, Germany: "Innovations, international visitors, an in-depth exchange of views: looking back, this four-day event was a success. CMS was the ideal platform for showcasing our new ride-on B75 R, B 120 R and B175 R Scrubmaster range. This year, there was a special focus on digitisation and the added value in terms of transparency and efficiency which Hako offers with its system solutions under the heading of 'Hako Fleet Management Solutions'. We had in-depth, quality exchanges of opinion with our customers and interested visitors."
Edward Graf-Eckinger, marketing head, Tennant GmbH & Co. KG, Germany: "CMS 2017 exceeded our expectations by far. We had very good meetings with decision-makers, including many new visitors. We will definitely be back in two years."
Dr. Reinhard Mann, senior general manager, GAS Region, Nilfisk: "Our Horizon programme of innovative products, which has just the right answers to the challenges of tomorrow, was an instant success at this year's CMS. Our latest design, the Nilfisk Liberty A50 which cleans floors without an operator, was not the only big attraction for visitors. Our expertise in the digital transformation of cleaning process was also received with great interest, including real-time control and monitoring with the Track Clean fleet management system, for example."
Thomas Burtschak, Corporate Communications, IGEFA Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Germany: "CMS went very well for igefa. Digital and technical innovations such as our new igefa GO app, our revised ICOS ordering and information system, and the prototypes of our new igefa bluematic vacuum cleaner range attracted considerable attention and a lot of visitors to the stand. We were able to establish numerous new contacts and cultivate relations with many existing customers."
Werner Schulze, managing director, Tana Chemie, Germany: "We are very satisfied with the way the fair went. We were able to establish contact with quality customers and received very positive reactions to our new products. The organisation of the World Congress and trade fair was outstanding."
Michael Werz, vice president, Institutional Europe, Ecolab GmbH, Germany: "We put on a very good show here. On Wednesday, our stand was packed and we were able to conclude several deals."
Hendrik Haupt, management office, BSR (Berliner Stadtreinigung), Germany: "We achieved our aims. We established numerous new contacts and were also able to successfully promote our philosophy of being active as manufacturers."
Uwe Böhme, managing director, CleanCopter by Gebäudereinigung Lissowski GmbH, Germany: "We are very satisfied. The trade fair exceeded our expectations by far. Our cleaning drone met with very positive reactions from all over the world. We had talks with interested visitors from Singapore, the US, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and Brazil, as well as with potential business partners from Denmark and Germany. The organisers also deserve praise. As newcomers exhibiting at the fair we received all the help we needed."
Luca Begnini, marketing manager, FIMAP SpA, Italy: "The visitors on our stand were highly qualified. They were very interested in our new range of products and the philosophy they represent, i.e. value and sustainability. Around 60% of visitors were users and 40% were retailers."
Andreas Nicolaus, marketing officer, Miele Professional, Germany: "We are very satisfied. The trade fair provided an excellent opportunity to cultivate customer relations and present our innovations at meetings."
Nils Rodigast, marketing manager, Schneidereit GmbH, Germany: "This was the best CMS ever, in terms of both the volume and high standard of visitors. I believe the concept of holding it parallel with the congress was a success. Even day one, when visitor numbers take time to build up, went well for us. What is more, there is a pleasant atmosphere at CMS."
Johannes Peter Kiehl, managing director, Kiehl-Unternehmens-Gruppe, Germany: "We were able to showcase our new products. There were lots of visitors on our stand, with hardly any breaks in between. Messe Berlin did a great job of managing CMS. The fair exceeded our expectations by far."
Dirk Reinsch, spokesman, FBS Fuhrpark Business Service GmbH, Germany: "We occupied a strategically good position on the outdoor display site and were able to showcase our products very well. As 'outsiders' we were pleased the weather held."
Comments by trade visitors
Clive Damonze, cleaning & facilities management consultant, Cape Town, South Africa: "The quality and volume of visitors was impressive. What interested me at CMS Berlin was the innovations as well as niche market products from the cleaning industry. I was able to get a very good overview of the market."
Terrence Corby, Solutions Property Services, Sydney / Australia: "I was very impressed with the fair. The biggest trend is digitisation and the fair took that into account very well. I was a delegate at the WFBSC Congress, but would come to Berlin simply for the fair. What I particularly liked was that despite its growth the fair retains a familiar atmosphere."
Ling Band, manager of Graco, Shanghai / PR China: "This is my first visit to CMS Berlin. The show is extremely professional and very well organised. The displays were easy to find. This time my schedule only allowed one day, but at the next CMS I will plan more time in order to have in-depth meetings with my contacts."
Peter Schönwiese, managing director, Schönwiese GmbH, Germany: "This international fair is ideal for me because I can get an overview of the market and follow trends. What is more we can meet people from the industry and exchange our knowledge."
Cassia Aleida, Listed Buildings Trust FACOP, Brazil: "This was a very good opportunity to update my knowledge on cleaning systems. The trade fair and congress were brilliantly organised."
Minching Kao, Property Managers' Association, Taiwan: "The fair provided a well-organised display of the latest trends and we were able to learn a lot. We were very impressed by the many high-end products from Germany and Europe. I particularly liked the combination of a trade fair and congress, which was a big factor in our decision to make the long trip to Berlin."
28th September 2017