Are Conventions here again?

This past week (September 22nd – 23rd) saw the return of the International Fastener Expo to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With estimates of over 5,000 attendees and 650+ vendors in years past, the question, of course is, was this year worth it or was it too soon after Covid? The unsatisfying answer to that question might be that it is still too soon to tell.

Cinco Industries was proud to represent both Talleres Saspi of Spain and Helm Instruments at their respective booths in Las Vegas, but it was quite clear from the start that this was a scaled down show from previous years. The absence of many Asian suppliers and distributors resulted in a much more North American centric booth presentation. With supply chain bottlenecks and shortages throughout much of the rest of the world, this proved to be a double-edged sword, with a much more focused show overall.

As is commonly reported right now, overseas shipping can charitably be called unreliable at best, and if your business is not planning for these supply chain shortages in your manufacturing forecasts, you are well behind the curve. Each day more and more companies are recognizing that relying on cheap production from factories o shored in China is no longer sustainable for long term growth. Many more companies are investigating bringing capacity back to the United States to meet their needs. If it wasn’t obvious before, this show in Las Vegas really clarified things for many still on the fence; with inquiries for machinery to meet new production lines clearly outpacing inquiries for overseas distributors.

Of course, increased production means more manpower, and that is not without its own problems in today’s environment. Automation across all sectors is becoming more necessary as time goes on and we stand behind our production lines because we believe they are the best solutions to meet a modern manufacturer’s problems. From Helm Instruments, industry leading Process Monitors for all types of Thread Rollers and Cold Headers, to Saspi’s incredible new features in their precision Thread Rollers and Shave Pointers, we are ready to meet all your automation needs.

With our focus on U.S manufacturers, Cinco Industries has always believed in the intrinsic fortitude of American manufacturers, and we continue to position ourselves in the market to meet your needs. Conventions may not be back to where they were, but they are back, and Cinco looks forward to seeing you in Cleveland in November.