While the international business environment has been challenged for some time now, you would never know it if you attended ProMat 2003 last month. As the largest materials handling show in North America this year, ProMat drew 37,900 attendees, a near-record number for itself.

"The numbers demonstrate the strength of the manufacturing, warehousing and distribution markets and the continuing importance material handling and logistics plays in those markets," says John Nofsinger, chief executive officer of the event's sponsor, Material Handling Industry of America .

From Webcasts recorded on the show floor (Archived webcasts available until March 15 - on warehouse software and on systems integrators ) to an executive forum, dozens of free seminars, and 647 exhibitors, educational opportunities abounded at ProMat. But the question on everyone's lips was the economy.

"Overall, we experienced a challenging business environment over the second half of 2002. However, early reports from the show confirm our predictions that we will see a recovery and improvement in bookings throughout 2003," says Nofsinger.

The materials handling industry is going through a cycle, as all sectors do, and is beginning to generate signs of recovery, says Bill Persch, executive chairman of MHIA. Based on data gleamed from government and trade reports, Persch says that materials handling hit the trough in 2001 and is on a steady upswing. MHIA predicts a 7-9 percent increase in materials handling bookings in 2003.

On the show floor, attendees agreed with him. A survey of ProMat show attendees done by MMH revealed that 74 percent plan to increase their 2003 spending on "materials handling equipment, systems, and related software." See page 5 for more details on that survey.

The next MHIA-sponsored trade event will be NA 2004 -The 2004 Material Handling & Logistics Show and Conference, from March 29-April 1, 2004 in Cleveland's I-X Center. And ProMat 2005 will return to Chicago, filling McCormick Place South from January 10-13, 2005.