Cleveland to host materials handling convention at I-X Center

Cleveland's economy is expected to get a boost at the end of the month, as the North American Material Handling and Logistics Show (NA 2010) is coming to the I-X Center from April 26-29.

The event will attract supply-chain and materials handling professionals from across the U.S. and from 60 nations around the globe.

"Cleveland was chosen for its close proximity to the Midwest manufacturing and logistics community, and for the hospitality amenities offered by Cleveland and the capabilities of the I-X Center to host an event of this size," said Carol Miller, the show's senior director of marketing.

Attendees will visit four daily convention sessions and a networking event on the night of April 28. More information about the show can be found at NAShow.com.

The materials handling industry has been in a slump recently, according to Dave Blanchard, editorial director of Materials Handling Management magazine.

"Thanks mostly to the recession, as well as to the cyclical nature of the material handling industry, the demand for material handling equipment overall decreased dramatically in 2009," he said.

"The primary culprit for the decline has been the state of the economy, especially its negative impact on the manufacturing and the retail sectors," Blanchard added. "The fewer the products being made and sold, the less need there is to move those products through supply-chain pipelines, which means there is less material being handled."

This includes a 37-percent drop last year in orders for products like lift trucks, conveyors and data collection systems, according to the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).

However, the MHIA is forecasting a rebound for this year between 6 and 8 percent, and the exhibitors at NA 2010 are hoping to claim a slice of that pie.

"Of course, this is growth compared to the very low numbers reported in 2009, but if nothing else, it indicates that the worst is over and the industry is starting to recover," Blanchard said.

Thomas Goecke, president of ShieldMark, will be displaying his company's industrial-grade peel-and-stick aisle marking tape, which is made in Wadsworth, Ohio.

He will tell customers that his tape is six to seven times thicker than the tape they can buy off the shelf, and that it is a useful alternative to painted lines. Goecke will also show his peel-and-stick stop signs and warnings to stay clear of fire extinguishers and electrical panels.

The NA 2010 show will allow him the convenience of meeting his customers personally.

"The material handling show attracts a wide audience of national and international potential customers for our products," he said. "This show affords us an opportunity to get in front of these customers."

Goecke said he hopes the show will result in an increase in his products' exposure, distribution, sales and profit.

Jeff Chalfant, president of Cleveland loading-dock equipment company Chalfant Sewing Fabricators Inc., said Cleveland is an ideal place to hold the show.

"We go to shows in Las Vegas and Orlando," he said, "and only half of the attendees show up because they are out having too much fun."