From September 19 to 21, 2024, ANKIROS opened its doors at the Istanbul Expo Center (IFM) to foundries, OEMs, suppliers, sponsors, associations, media partners, experts and other interested visitors from all over the world. ANKIROS is one of the most important events in the international foundry industry for iron and steel, non-ferrous metallurgy, technologies, machinery and products.
This year, ANKIROS welcomed a total of 21,069 visitors - including 4,306 international visitors - and 1,137 exhibitors, of which 421 were Turkish and 716 international companies. The participation of 289 foreign direct companies from 42 countries once again proved the relevance of ANKIROS in the international metallurgy sector.
Grand opening of ANKIROS 2024
The opening ceremony of ANKIROS 2024 was held on the first day of the fair at the Istanbul Expo Center and attended by Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology. Kacır emphasized the great importance of the participation of more than 1,100 local and international exhibitors from the iron, steel, and foundry industry.
Special thanks to the international sponsors
A special thank you went to the international sponsors CECOF, VDMA, AMAFOND and the national sponsors based in Turkey, TÜDOKSAD, METEM, Tuerkiye Cumhuriyeti Ticaret Bakanlığı, KOSGEB, TÇÜD and TMMOB Metalurji ve Malzeme Mühendisleri Odası.
Foundry production exceeds 60 million tons
In his speech, Fuat Tosyalı, Chairman of the Turkish Steel Producers Association (TÇÜD), emphasized that the international foundry industry had succeeded in increasing its production capacity by more than 10% to 60 million tons in 2023 despite all difficulties. Compared to the previous year, an increase in production of 14.9% and an increase in exports of 45.3% was recorded in 2024.
Foundry is one of the leading sectors in Turkey
Kadir Efe, Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Foundry Association (TÜDÖKSAD), pointed out that the industry has recovered from the crisis, especially on the domestic market: “Foundry is one of the leading sectors in Turkey, bringing foreign currency into the country. Our goal is to exceed the current figures and to catch up with Germany and to become the leading nation in this sector.”
Many opportunities for exchange & networking
The three days of the trade fair offered many opportunities for exchange and networking on an exhibition area of around 70,000 square meters. The program was rounded off by workshops and seminars such as the 22nd International Metallurgy and Materials Congress (organized by METEM - UCTEA Training Centre of the Chamber of Metallurgy and Materials Industry) and the 12th International Foundry Congress, organized by TÜDÖKSAD.
Impressions of ANKIROS 2024
The mood at ANKIROS 2024 was largely positive, which was confirmed in numerous one-on-one discussions with exhibitors:
“The best thing at ANKIROS is the personal side - the face-to-face contact with the people from the foundry world,” Çağlayan Güzel, Plant Manager of Zenmet Dış Ticaret A.Ş.
“We have been active in Turkey for 30 years, so ANKIROS is very interesting for us,” Gerhard Grote, Director of Dörentrup Feuerfestprodukte.
“Turkey is very interesting for us in terms of steel production. There is a lot of potential that can be exploited,” Giacomo Di Silvestro, Sales Director Europe, Middle East/North Africa, South Africa & UK at Pyrotek.
“Alongside India and Mexico, Turkey is one of the most important markets for KROWN. Sustainability in the form of CO₂ reduction will become more important in the future. Today we are “still” melting with gas. In the future, we will focus on hydro and oxidation,” Marcos Calderon Foran, Area Sales Manager Turkey at KROWN.
“ANKIROS 2024 has started well. I see immense potential for Turkish foundries, which are in no way inferior to European foundries in terms of technology. Most European market players are now represented in Turkey or work together with Turkey,” Deniz Esmer from Klüber Lubrication Yağlama Ürünleri San. Ve Tic. A.Ş.
“Turkey is very interesting for us, as it is one of the few markets where we see the most potential,” says Alexandre Zalojnov, Sales Director of Walzengießerei & Hartgußwerk Quedlingburg GmbH.
“Sustainability in every respect and for every one of our products - that is our focus,” Branislav Serbin, Industry Development Manager Die Cast at Chem-Trend Deutschland GmbH.
“ANKRIOS impresses with its versatility and the opportunity to make contacts”, David Gaudry, Field Sales Manager Die Cast, South Europe & Middle East, Chem-Trend France S. A. S. U.
TURKCAST special area
TURKCAST is the traditional meeting point of the Turkish foundry industry at ANKIROS and offers visitors the opportunity to exchange ideas with Turkish foundries. The TURKCAST special area is dedicated to foundry products manufactured with various casting technologies for developing industries ranging from agricultural machinery to heavy industry looms, shipbuilding, automotive, construction, urban planning, transportation, etc.
Organization of ANKIROS
Since 1991, ANKIROS has been organized by Hannover-Messe Ankiros Fuarcılık A.Ş., which has been a local partner of Hannover-Messe International, a subsidiary of Deutsche Messe A.G., since 2002. In 2024, ANKIROS was jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf and Deutsche Messe AG.
The focus of ANKIROS is on sand and gravity die casting. In addition to international suppliers to the steel industry, leading companies from the iron and steel industry will be presenting their technologies, services, and products. In the non-ferrous metals sector, exhibitors will present the latest machinery, plant, equipment, products, raw materials, and supplies required for the production and forming of non-ferrous metals.
In addition to interested parties from Europe, ANKIROS has always attracted visitors from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Black Sea regions, the Middle East, the CIS states, the Central Asian Turkish republics, Pakistan, and India.
