Advanced Manufacturing Expo in Michigan will have two venues in 2018: AME-East in Novi on Aug. 21 and AME-West on Aug. 23 in Grand Rapids, with additional days for exhibitor setup, private receptions and a golf outing.

Organizers of the Advanced Manufacturing Expo say this years event scheduled in Novi (AME-East) and Grand Rapids (AME-West) in August will be the largest ever for both venues, thanks to strong response by attendees and vendors to this cost-effective way of discussing the latest technology solutions without leaving the state of Michigan.

AME-East is scheduled to take place Aug. 21 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Suburban Collection Showcase in Novi, and AME-West is scheduled to take place Aug. 23 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center in Grand Rapids, with additional days for exhibitor setup, private receptions and a golf outing.

Both the AME-East and AME-West shows are open to the public with free admission and free parking.

AME-West has added new exhibition partner Motion Industries Inc. to its roster as a way to expose attendees to developments in maintenance and repair of electrical and industrial automation, hydraulic and pneumatic components, safety items, material handling equipment and other industrial products.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to host Motion Industries and its more than 30 vendors who will be exhibiting at the AME-West show," said Mark Ermatinger, show organizer and Vice President of Industrial Control in Zeeland, a founding sponsor of the event. "Motion Industries is a leading industrial parts distributor serving its local markets with more than 550 locations of branches, distribution centers and services throughout North America. The company has a really strong presence in Michigan, so we are confident our attendees will be interested in learning all of its capabilities."

For the first time, the AME-East show will host the Hall of Metalworking sponsored by Creston Industrial Sales in Grand Rapids that proved to be so popular at last years AME-West. The metalworking hall is a concentration of companies offering new advancements in cutting tools, coatings, work and tool holding, as well as metal working fluids and inventory management solutions. Like last year, Creston Industrial Sales will feature new technologies in the metalworking industry and host free seminars with experts from the field. AME will be posting a list of topics and presenters on its website soon.

Ermatinger said he expects attendance at the two-city event to exceed last years record turnout of visitors, as the square footage and number of exhibitors has grown. The AME-West expo has expanded to 200 booths, meeting space and luncheon area this year enclosed by about 44,000 square feet of space, compared with 155 booths and general area last year that took up about 32,000 square feet of space. AME-East will be expanding with the new Metalworking hall in 30,000 square feet of space. Ermatinger expects 2,000 people attended AME-West and about 750 people attended AME-East last year.

The underlying value of AME-East and AME-West goes well beyond square footage and attendance figures, Ermatinger added. "Visitors and vendors say they really appreciate the personal networking opportunities - thats held true since the first AME we held in Hudsonville three years ago," he said. "Executives, engineers and quality personnel have told us how valuable it is to talk face-to-face with experts in their fields to learn how can improve the bottom lines for their companies."

AME-East and AME-West were organized with convenience in mind for visitors and vendors alike, Ermatinger said. Exhibitors traveling from the Midwest have said that the shows are convenient and affordable since they only run one day each, instead of week-long trade shows. The Suburban Collection Showplace and DeltaPlex are close to major interstate highways for easy access and convenient on-site parking.

The AME-West expo also will host a golf fundraiser for FIRST Robotics at The Meadows of Grand Valley State University from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 24. Last years event raised more than $2,000 for the FIRST Robotics program.

For more information on the show, interested individuals can access the website at http://www.AdvancedManufacturingExpo.com or contact Ermatinger at mark(at)industrialcontrol(dot)com and (616) 836-5536.