Gardner Business Media and the Association for Manufacturing Technology to Collaborate on FITMA

Gardner Business Media (GBM) and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), have signed an agreement to organize, produce and promote FITMA, Latin America’s premier manufacturing trade show connecting contract manufacturers, OEMs and equipment technology and suppliers from around the world. The FITMA collaboration extends the partnership between GBM and AMT, which in 2021 announced the formation of MT United, a joint venture that empowers North American manufacturers with data, analysis and strategic information for accelerated growth, innovation and global competitiveness.

After its successful launch in 2022, the first biennial FITMA event to operate in partnership between GBM and AMT will debut in June 2023 in Mexico City.

“We are very excited to have AMT joining us to build on the success of our FITMA event in Mexico City,” Rick Kline Jr., president of Gardner Business Media, says. “After a successful launch of FITMA in 2022, the addition of AMT's work with us going forward is going to accelerate the growth of this event and help us build a major metalworking opportunity in Mexico and for all of Latin America.”

Doug Woods, president of AMT, says, “AMT has had a longstanding relationship with Gardner Business Media, and both organizations have increased their involvement in the Mexican market for decades. Gardner has been a partner with AMT and the work we put into IMTS, and so when we had the opportunity to collaborate at FITMA, it felt like a natural connection.”

In addition to Rick Kline Jr., Claude Mas, executive director of international business for Gardner Business Media, will join Carlos Mortera, AMT’s international director for Latin America and Bill Herman, AMT’s senior director of sales and membership, in leading the new FITMA agreement.

“The manufacturing community in Latin America needs an event like FITMA that can showcase metalworking technologies and serve as a major opportunity for networking,” Mortera says. “The capabilities that Gardner and AMT bring to the table — quality manufacturing events, content and technology messages — are what we are working hard to accomplish with FITMA.”

“The manufacturing market in Mexico is growing exponentially,” Mas says. “Having a partnership between Gardner and AMT to produce a quality event that helps connects the global community with the local markets in Latin America is a great fit for both organizations.”