Somebody Has to Do It

Since 2000, I have had the pleasure of visiting what I consider the prettiest trade show location in the world. The show is Simodec, and it is targeted at the precision machined parts industry. The show started in 1954 to service an area of France with a large concentration of what were then called screw machine shops. I’m told that there were once 2,000 shops located in a small valley called La Roche-Sur-Foron, which served the nearby Swiss watch industry. 

Simodec is one of my favorite destinations because it is located in such a beautiful part of the world. In the attached photo you can see Mount Blanc (the highest Alp in Europe) from the parking lot of the show hall. This show is also where many European builders come to unveil new machines for the precision machined parts market, often before they are seen anywhere else. Unfortunately, Simodec 2010 was affected by the recession, but I still managed to see some new offerings during the show March 2-6. Click on the slide show to see a sample of what was on display.