Stuttgart (pts/Nov 7, 2008/10:37) - Interpellets 2008 ended last Friday after three successful days at the New Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre. Around 5,300 visitors, approximately 14 percent more than in the previous year, came to Interpellets to find out more about pellets technology. Manufacturers, dealers and suppliers from the pellets industry presented their products, services and technical solutions across 7,000 square meters of exhibition space. The 8th Pellets Industry Forum, which took place at the International Congress Centre in Stuttgart (ICS) in the run-up to the fair, also attracted more international participants than in the previous year: 480 industry experts from 37 countries came to the event on October 28 and 29 to discuss current market developments and technological trends.

The pellets industry took full advantage of this opportunity to show what it has to offer: In Hall 5 of the Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre, delivery trucks were on display alongside demonstrations of pelleting presses in action, a large selection of boilers and stoves, and technical solutions from the supply sector. "Interpellets is a reflection of the industry as a whole, and as such it has benefited from the optimism in the market," said Markus Elsässer of Solar Promotion GmbH, organizer of Interpellets. Horst Dufner, Interpellets 2008 project manager, added that "trade visitors from all sectors were very well-informed and came to the fair with a precise idea of what they hoped to gain from their interaction with the exhibitors. This confirms the fair's success in representing the entire pellets technology value added chain." Barbara Pilz, project manager for the 8th Pellets Industry Forum, summed up the participants' response to the conference as follows: "480 participants from 37 countries used the main forum and several further sessions to discuss the political framework of the German and European pellets market. Alongside market developments, central topics included fuel production and the challenges faced by the pellets industry in terms of international trade and logistics. These were issues of particular importance for everyone, and provided plenty of scope for lively and fruitful debate."

The Interpellets Trade Fair also benefited from the 8th Pellets Industry Forum's wide variety of up-to-date themes, as industry specialists participating in the Forum also took the opportunity to visit the trade fair in order to obtain an even greater insight into current developments in the industry. Christoph Erath, CEO of the Austrian company Calimax Energietechnik GmbH: "We particularly like the combination of the trade fair with the forum, which brings a large number of highly qualified experts, many of them from abroad, to the fair. This was evident in the high-level discussions we had at our booth. The trade fair is also the ideal opportunity for us to showcase our new products." Daniel M. Meier, Product Manager for Biomass at the Swiss company Bühler AG, agrees: "The fact that Interpellets focuses strictly on the pellets industry is what makes it so outstanding. Specialization also increases visitor quality. The fair was certainly a great success for us." Herbert Köstenbauer, CEO of boiler manufacturer KWB Deutschland GmbH was also very positive about this year's fair: "We are very satisfied with our participation at Interpellets 2008, having received significantly more trade visitors than we did last year. For the coming years, we predict an upwards trend in the mid-range, under 300 kW segment of the boiler market. Interpellets offers a very high-quality platform for exhibitors and is therefore a trade fair we cannot afford to miss."

The international orientation of Interpellets 2008 has received unanimous praise from both exhibitors and visitors. Robert Banasik, CEO of Barlinek S.A. from Poland, is just one of many satisfied trade fair participants: "We exhibited at Interpellets for the first time this year and are very happy with the result. We received visitors from the German-speaking countries, from Italy, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, and also from Eastern Europe and the USA." The next Interpellets trade fair will take place from October 7 to October 9, 2009, while the 9th Pellets Industry Forum is scheduled for October 6 and 7, 2009. Both events will once again take place at the New Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre.

Organizers and supporters of Interpellets 2008 and the 8th Pellets Industry Forum The Interpellets 2008 trade fair and the 8th Pellets Industry Forum are organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, Germany. The events are supported by the German Pellets Association (DEPV) and the German Solar Energy Society (DGS).

Sponsors of the 8th Pellets Industry Forum:
 Anton Heggenstaller GmbH, Bühler AG, EWK Umwelttechnik GmbH, FireStixx, Ökofen Heiztechnik GmbH, Paradigma Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG, RIKA Metallwaren GmbH + Co. KG, Schellinger KG, STELA Laxhuber GmbH, Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co KG, Windhager Zentralheizung GmbH, wodtke GmbH.

Further information on Interpellets 2008 and the 8th Pellets Industry Forum:

Solar Promotion GmbH
Barbara Pilz / Horst Dufner
P.O.Box 100 170
75101 Pforzheim, Germany

Phone +49 (0)7231 / 58 59 8-0
Fax +49 (0)7231 / 58 59 8-28
info@interpellets.de
http://www.interpellets.de

Press contact:
Press office Interpellets 2008 and 8th Pellets Industry Forum
c/o pr.moebitz Gabriele Möbitz
Freiaustraße 58
79100 Freiburg, Germany
Phone +49 (0)761 / 881 49-84
Fax +49 (0)761 / 881 49-85
gmoebitz@pr.moebitz.de
http://pr.moebitz.de (end)

Submitter: Solar Promotion GmbH
Contact: Horst Dufner/Barbara Pilz
E-Mail: info@interpellets.de
Phone: +49 (0)7231-58 598-0