Machinery and equipment are always a major part of Fensterbau.

The 30th edition of Fensterbau, the world’s biggest trade show for doors and windows, opened at the Nuremberg Convention Centre on Wednesday and welcomed about 110,000 enthusiastic attendees from all over the world, including the U.S.

“I’ve been here many times, and it’s a fantastic show,” said Mitch Lewandowski, the vice president of North American sales for Soft Tech. “Anybody who is anybody is going to be here. If you’re looking to buy or sell, this is definitely the place to be. And as we’ve said for years, what you see here is so far ahead of North America, so if you want to find out what’s coming, or what you want to be on the cutting edge, this is definitely the place to be. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

The show features 813 exhibitors from 40 countries, and this year’s event introduces an extensive educational program for the first time.

“Industry professionals from all over the world can once again look forward to a high-quality exhibition with lots of innovative products,” said Elke Harreiss, Eexhibition director for Fensterbau. “At the exhibition stands, but also in the supporting program, visitors will learn about topics like smart homes, automation, safety and security, energy efficiency and sustainability, comfort, and design and aesthetics.”

Novatech Europe, the continental branch of the Canadian door maker, brought a selection of its steel doors to the show.

“Here, we do the non-standard and the bigger doors for the urban market,” said Harold Savard, Novatech Europe group president. “This is totally different from the North American market.”

Even though it was just the first day, Savard said the show was already successful for the company.

“We’ve signed a couple of new customers in Germany,” he said.

Hornschuch, which is now fully integrated into the Continental Group, rolled out an all-new exterior laminate product — Woodec. It offers the realistic look and feel of actual wood.

“It can be used on facade panels, windows and doors,” said Marco Patermann, who represents Continental in the U.S.

The company also debuted its popular Jet-Black laminate in Europe. It’s a product that’s been available in North America since 2016.

Sika introduced a new product for Europe that could also show up in the U.S. soon — a sealant that can protect glass from burglars who try to pry a window open.

“If you do the bonding, it’s much more difficult to break,” said Robert Tonolla, regional manager for Sika. “The advantage is you use the stiffness of the IG unit for a better and stronger window.”

The company also introduced a two-component, electrical-driven dispenser for the manual application of sealants to windows.

“The advantage is you can stop and go quickly with little waste,” Tonolla said.

Fensterbau continues through Saturday. Stay tuned to dwmmag.com and our social media channels for updates from the show.