ALUMEXICO 2023 Review
With resounding success, ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2023 was held on August 30, 31, and September 1 at Pabellón M in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
The event was mainly highlighted by the excellent quality of the options offered to attendees, regardless of the type of access they had, as well as to each of the exhibitors who placed their trust, investing in a space to showcase their brand to all of us who make up the aluminum industry community.
Adding to this, the quality of the keynote speeches and their presenters led to an impressive increase in the number of participants in this edition, with an attendance of 1,200 people representing 400 companies from various sectors, thereby expanding the scope of networking, one of the main interests of this grand event, which far exceeded all expectations.
Did you miss ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2023? Don’t worry, as we have prepared a review of this extraordinary event so that those who could not attend can experience it and those who honored us with their presence can once again enjoy those unforgettable moments.
Wednesday, August 30
Around noon, the program began with a warm welcome from the IMEDAL team to our enthusiastic attendees who completed their registration in the lobby of our host hotel, which in this case was the Fiesta Americana located at Pabellón M. Additionally, each participant received the work materials sponsored by VIALUTEK, to whom we extend our thanks for once again trusting in the event and sponsoring this edition.
Thus, the first activity commenced: the highly anticipated and well-attended industrial plant tours.
Industrial Visits
During this edition, our attendees had the opportunity to visit the leading companies in Nuevo León, a state with the highest number of aluminum producers with both national and international presence. On this occasion, these companies generously opened their doors to our participants, trusting in IMEDAL’s prestige as the organizer and betting on the relevance of our event, ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2023.
These notable companies are:
- CUPRUM Automotive Business Unit
- CUPRUM WINDOWS
- NEMAK
- GRUPO XIGNUX, at their VIALUTEK plant
- HEINEKEN
These visits generated great interest among all attendees, who, adhering strictly to safety norms and protocols, filled the available slots assigned by each company, providing them with the opportunity to learn more about our industrial partners and their processes.
Welcome Cocktail and Networking
After a day full of activities and great enthusiasm throughout the industrial visits, we concluded the evening with the much-anticipated welcome cocktail and networking event at Top Golf Monterrey. The warm weather of Nuevo León provided a great atmosphere in the gaming bays and bar area.
The environment was exceptional, as attendees had a blast showcasing their golf skills, whether as beginners or experts, while simultaneously building new networks of contacts that hadn’t been established in a long time. This was all made possible thanks to the generous contribution of our loyal sponsor, Recuperaciones Industriales Internacionales (RIISA), to whom we extend our thanks for supporting this format change aimed at offering the best to each of our attendees and for the support provided over the years.
In this warm and friendly gathering, nearly 200 attendees enjoyed pleasant moments while savoring exquisite snacks and select beverages, making the most of every moment to socialize and strengthen contacts for future business.
Thursday, August 31
On the second day of ALUMEXICO 2023, our program kicked off with our series of keynote conferences, where Harbor Aluminum Intelligence, the internationally recognized Mexican company specializing in aluminum, was a must. Jesús Villegas, who presented the keynote titled “Horizon and Perspectives for the Aluminum Industry in Mexico,” provided us with highly valuable data that only they have developed over a long period of time.
As the second keynote presentation, we had the honor of hosting Ildefonso Guajardo, Deputy of the Mexican Congress, who spoke on “Political-Economic Challenges for Mexico in 2024.” The presentation was introduced by one of IMEDAL’s event friends, Mauricio Candiani (CEO of Allenamenti Speakers), who provided the perfect prelude for our eager audience, always ready to receive such valuable information. We thank both for their participation.
In the third keynote conference, we were joined by Enrique Quintana, Vice President and Editorial Director of the newspaper “El Financiero,” with his presentation “Economic and Political Scenarios for Mexico.” This conference would not have been possible without the sponsorship of ALUXITE, who trusted IMEDAL’s experience and the excellent speaker. Thank you, ALUXITE!
Following the third keynote conference, we were ready to proceed with the official opening of our event.
Welcoming the presiding guests who honored us with their presence to carry out the inauguration of ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2023, to whom we extend our gratitude for their presence:
- Samuel García Sepúlveda, Constitutional Governor of Nuevo León
- Iván Rivas, Secretary of Economy of Nuevo León
- José Abugaber Andonie, President of CONCAMIN
- Eugenio Clariond Rangel, Acting President of IMEDAL
- Eugenio Salinas Morales, Incoming President of IMEDAL
- Charles Johnson, CEO of The Aluminum Association
- Fernando García Martínez, Vice President of Operations at IMEDAL
The ceremony began with welcoming remarks by Eng. Eugenio Clariond Rangel, who, at the end of his speech, requested Governor Lic. Samuel García Sepúlveda to swear in the new Board of Directors of IMEDAL 2023-2024.
Subsequently, speeches were given by Lic. Eugenio Salinas Morales, the new President of IMEDAL, and José Abugaber Andonie, President of CONCAMIN, who provided context about the industry in Mexico.
The inaugural event concluded with remarks by Governor Samuel García, who emphasized the significant importance of the Aluminum Industry and IMEDAL, as well as its leading role over the past 50 years in representing and integrating the industry in Mexico. He highlighted that throughout its history, IMEDAL has been led by the best business leaders as presidents, making it an iconic institution. Thus, the work and activities of ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2023 were formally inaugurated.
With the conclusion of the ceremony, marked by the symbolic ribbon-cutting in the exhibition area, we began the first tour of the area, which housed 50 stands.
During this tour, we had the opportunity to engage in conversations with attendees and explore the innovative products and services on display.
The unprecedented success of the exhibition was made possible thanks to the hard work of the exhibitors and the excellent production and sponsorship efforts of the event, including GRUPO CUPRUM, ARZYZ, ALUXITE, PERENNIAL, SINOMETAL RESOURCES, GRUPO ALUMINIO DE OCCIDENTE GAO, NEMAK, VIALUTEK, and RIISA, who showcased their brands throughout the exhibition and on our stage, enhancing the event.
What stood out most in the exhibition area was the exceptional aesthetic sense of the stands and every detail of the event, leaving everyone in awe.
B2B
At 11:00 am sharp, through a meticulous matching process based on the profiles provided by participants, we successfully brought together buyers and suppliers from across the industry.
The BUSINESS LOUNGE area began to come alive with the first negotiators. This approach covered all stages of the value chain, from metal recyclers, crucial at the beginning of the chain, to foundries and alloy producers, and producers of various processes such as extrusion, rolling, drawing, and die casting. It also included consumers of these materials, such as tier 1 or tier 2 suppliers, and even some assemblers and body makers. Companies with which over 200 participants sought to schedule meetings and initiate new business or continue existing ones. Thus, the objective of creating a Space for Business Generation in first contact was successfully achieved.
This model proved to be of great relevance for both parties, as it allowed suppliers to present their products and services to all present buyers. This was achieved through the organization of specific face-to-face meetings, previously selected by each participant, enabling them to build their meeting agendas in a controlled manner by our organizing team. On this day, representatives from various companies gathered with the clear goal of generating business opportunities, provided by our forum specially designed for them.
Ciclo de Conferencias técnicas y comerciales
Resuming our conference cycle, the second half began with the commercial presentation ALCHEM, delivered by Ing. María Margarita Bacab Rodríguez.
And our first technical conference, “How to Produce Large Structural Parts (up to Gigacasting) with a Lower Carbon Footprint?” was presented by Martin Hartlieb (VIAMI INTERNATIONAL INC.) and Jorge Zorrilla (HORMESA MÉXICO S.A. DE C.V.).
After the inauguration and a couple of conferences, the Networking Lunch took place, a space created for the ALUMEXICO group to mingle within the same convention center. We thank THE PERENNIAL GROUP for their trust and for being our sponsor for this activity. Thank you for being with us once again at ALUMEXICO!
After a delicious meal, we continued with our conference cycle, which proceeded in the following order:
“How to Achieve 0 Defects in Die Casting?” presented by Dr. Victor H. Vazquez Lasso (Consultores CPM).
- ARZYZ Commercial Conference
- ALUXITE por Patricio Leschevin de Prevoisin Romero de Terreros
Gala Dinner
Friday, September 1
Our second panel was “Bilateral Trade Between Mexico and the United States for the Aluminum Industry,” featuring:
Eugenio Clariond (Former President of IMEDAL)
Charles Johnson (CEO of The Aluminum Association)
Moderator: Lic. Jorge Vazquez (Harbor Aluminum)
Our third panel focused on a crucial topic that will increasingly gain relevance in Mexico and our industry, titled “The Need for Implementing a Sustainability Agenda in the Industry.”
The discussion featured experts and leaders from major companies, including:
NEMAK: Sira Díaz
GRUPO CUPRUM: Viviana Delgado
GRUPO BOCAR: Jordi Cueto Felguero
VIAKABLE of GRUPO XIGNUX: Joel Ernesto Gastelum
Moderator: Lic. Rodrigo Sánchez (VIVE ENERGIA / ALYEX), an expert in energy and sustainability.
We thank all of them for their valuable participation and for demonstrating to all attendees the importance of having this topic already implemented in companies.
Continuing with our afternoon conference sessions, the following presentations were held as planned:
Case Study: How to Achieve the Best Performance and Productivity in Refractories
Presenter: Ing. Antonio Saloma Romero
Resolving Scratches from Chemical Formulation
Presenter: Luis Márquez (IFS COATINGS)
In this way, IMEDAL renews and strengthens the event, once again providing a space specially designed for business exchange, training, and knowledge dissemination, as well as for enjoying moments with our partners and friends who gathered once again for this 2023 edition.
The undeniable success of this grand event was made possible thanks to the unwavering support of our valuable sponsors:
ARZYZ, CUPRUM, ALUXITE, NEMAK, RIISA, VIALUTEK, SINOMETAL, PERENNIAL, GAO
We extend our sincere thanks to all of you and look forward to surpassing expectations at the next ALUMEXICO SUMMIT & EXPO 2024.
We also want to express our deepest recognition to the talented, experienced, and dedicated IMEDAL team. Without their hard work and dedication, this event would not have been possible.
See you in 2024!
