METALEX 2026: Link Machine-Tool Contacts to the Production Job
METALEX 2026 takes place November 18–21 at BITEC in Bangkok. A machining conversation becomes useful when the contact record identifies the workpiece, material, tolerance and production requirement behind it. This guide covers the visitor essentials and shows how to keep those details with each supplier in Habsy, so a machine demonstration can lead to a focused process review.
Habsy11 min read
METALEX at a glance
- Dates
- November 18 to 21, 2026Wednesday to Saturday
- Exhibition hours
- 10:00-18:00 each dayNovember 18-21, Bangkok local time
- Venue
- BITECBangkok, Thailand
- Entry
- Trade visitors only; minimum age 15Business attire; pre-register through the official site
- Official website
- metalex.co.thConfirm details before you travel
Who exhibits and who attends METALEX?
Separate the production problem from the machine being demonstrated. Ask about workpiece material, dimensions, tolerance, output needs and the existing process. Tooling, inspection and automation suppliers may need different parts of that brief. Record the information needed for a process trial, who will assess it and whether a quotation should follow that review.
Who exhibits
- CNC and machine-tool manufacturers
- Sheet-metalworking equipment suppliers
- Tools and tooling specialists
- Metrology and inspection providers
- Factory automation and robotics suppliers
Who attends
- Factory owners and production leaders
- Manufacturing and process engineers
- Industrial purchasing managers
- Quality and metrology teams
- Machinery distributors and integrators
Use the official exhibitor and product directories to group CNC, sheet-metalworking, tooling, metrology and automation meetings. The official programme lists Future Tech. Confirm your meeting point and keep technical trials separate from commercial quotations when requirements are still being defined.
How to prepare for METALEX with Habsy
Most of the work happens before you reach Bangkok. Set up Habsy once and every conversation at the show ends with a saved contact, the context you need and a next step.
If you are visiting
Before you fly
- 1
Create your Professional digital card
Share your details by QR code, NFC or link instead of paper cards.
- 2
Add your Business digital card
Your company profile and brochures, for partners and suppliers you meet.
- 3
Create a METALEX category
Plus the visitor intent signals below, to sort vendors by fit later.
- 4
Turn on Send my digital card back
Everyone you scan gets your card automatically.
If you are exhibiting
Before you fly, for every rep
- 1
Install Habsy on every rep's phone
Give each rep a digital card, plus one Business digital card for the company.
- 2
Set up intent signals and templates
Every rep qualifies and follows up the same way, by email or WhatsApp.
- 3
Add an enquiry form to your card
Print its QR code on the booth so visitors leave details when you are busy.
- 4
Create a METALEX campaign
Bringing several reps? Every scan lands in one live list.
How to set up Habsy before METALEX
Five steps, in the order the app walks you through them. Visitors need steps 1 to 3. Exhibitors should do all five.
1. Create your digital business cards
Every Habsy account includes two free digital cards under MyQR: a Professional digital card for you and a Business digital card for your company, with your services and brochures. Habsy's AI builds them from your LinkedIn profile and website, or from a photo of your own business card. Share them by QR code, NFC or link. The person you share with opens your card in their browser, with no app needed, and saves your contact in one tap. Add an enquiry form so visitors who scan your card leave their details and are saved as a new contact.

1Your Professional digital card

2Your Business digital card

3Share by QR code, NFC or link
2. Add intent signals
Intent signals are tap-to-answer questions you fill in for every contact, so every rep records the same details in seconds. In Settings, open Manage Intent Signals, then tap Create with AI to get suggestions from your website, or Create Manually to add the set below.

1Open Manage Intent Signals

2Review the signals Habsy suggests

3Tap the answers after each scan
- Manufacturer
- Machine shop
- Distributor
- Systems integrator
- Engineering company
- Production manager
- Process engineer
- Procurement manager
- Quality manager
- CNC machining
- Sheet metalworking
- Tools and tooling
- Metrology
- Factory automation
- Within 3 months
- 3 to 6 months
- 6 to 12 months
- Researching
- Book a demo
- Send a proposal
- Share a case study
- Introduce a colleague
- CNC machining
- Sheet metalworking
- Tools and tooling
- Metrology
- Factory automation
- Future Tech
- Exhibit hall booth
- Session or reception
- Strong fit
- Possible fit
- Not a fit
- Book a demo
- Request pricing
- Share with my team
- No follow-up
Add them in Settings, Manage Intent Signals, with Create Manually, or start with Create with AI and adjust the options to match what you sell or what you are looking for.
3. Create a METALEX category
Create a category called METALEX and set it as your default for the days of the event, so every contact you scan at the show is filed under it automatically. After the show, use it as a filter to export only your METALEX contacts to Excel, CSV or VCF in one step. Exhibitors on Habsy Platform can also use the METALEX category to track how the event performed: contacts captured, companies reached, intent signals and each rep's results.

1Create the category

2Pick it when you save a contact

3Find it on every contact
4. Set up your email and WhatsApp templates
Connect your email account or WhatsApp Business account in Settings before the show. Then, with Send email or WhatsApp template turned on in your Card Preferences, your follow-up goes out from your own account the moment you save a scanned contact. The visitor often has your message, and your digital card, before they leave your booth. It shows you are organized and quick to respond, and it puts you ahead of every exhibitor who follows up next week. To write the template, open Email Templates or WhatsApp Templates in Settings, describe the message, and Habsy's AI writes it. Add variables such as the contact's name and company so every message is personal. Here is a template you can copy for METALEX:
Hi {{recipient.name}},
It was good meeting you at METALEX in Bangkok.
I would be happy to share machine, tooling or process information for the production requirements {{recipient.company}} is reviewing.
Would you prefer the technical information first, or a discussion about workpiece material, tolerance, output needs and the next step for a process trial?
Best regards,{{user.name}}{{user.company}}
Hi {{recipient.name}}, this is {{user.name}} from {{user.company}}. Good meeting you at METALEX.
Would machine specifications or tooling information help with your production review? Happy to discuss the workpiece requirements and what is needed for a useful process trial.
Words in braces are variables. Habsy fills them in from each contact and from your profile when you send.

1Let AI write the template

2Save your WhatsApp templates

3Save your email templates
5. Set your Card Preferences
Choose what Habsy does each time you save a contact, once in Settings or per save. It runs in the background while you move on to the next conversation.
Anan Suriya saved at METALEX · 4 steps running in the background
Email, WhatsApp and CRM steps need the matching integration.
How to capture every contact at METALEX
Use one app for every contact you make, wherever you make it: at the booth, in a session, at a reception or over dinner. Every rep and every visitor captures contacts on their own phone, free and with no scan limit, and every contact lands in one list with your category, intent signals and notes.

1Scan a business card

2Scan a badge QR code

3Type it in with manual entry
- Badges: point the Habsy scanner at a badge and Habsy reads the attendee's details from its QR code. If a badge holds only a registration number, scan the person's business card or type them in.
- Business cards: scan each card in seconds, or switch to Batch and scan up to 150 cards in about 5 minutes without leaving the camera. Habsy reads cards in 200+ languages.
- QR codes: scan digital business cards from any provider, LinkedIn QR codes and contact QR codes.
- NFC: turn on NFC on the scan screen, then hold an NFC business card or an NFC event badge to the back of your phone. Habsy reads the contact and saves it, with no camera needed.
- Manual entry: no card and no QR code? Choose Manual and type the details in.
- Offline: capture continues when the hall Wi-Fi is busy, and contacts process once you reconnect.
METALEX also offers official lead retrieval through Lead Manager App, ordered through the exhibitor services. Habsy works on its own or next to it. For more, read lead capture vs lead retrieval.
How to add context while you talk
A contact without context is hard to follow up. Before the next conversation starts, add what you discussed and what you promised.
- Intent signals: tap the answers on the review screen after each scan.
- Voice notes: tap Add Voice Note and say what they need. Habsy turns it into a searchable transcript.
- Text notes: type a quick note, such as "Machining trials for 3 lines".
- Reminders: in 1 hour, in 4 hours, tomorrow at 9 AM or any date and time, with a repeat and an alarm. All of them appear in My reminders.
Here is what a contact from METALEX looks like with context added:
Anan Suriya
Production Manager, Lotus Precision Works
Intent signals
- Manufacturer
- Production manager
- CNC machining
- 3 to 6 months
- 3 lines
- Book a demo
Notes
Evaluating 3 production lines; needs machining trials, tolerance data and integration requirements.
0:42 · "Please review our material and tolerance requirements before proposing equipment for the 3 lines."
Reminder
Monday, 9:00 AM · Request process trial and tolerance data
Illustrative example: fictional person, company and buying requirements; not an actual attendee record.
Going to METALEX?
Your digital card and lead capture in one app.
Unlimited scanning, text notes, reminders and exports are free. Categories, voice notes, intent signals and templates require Habsy Plus. Habsy Platform is separately priced for teams.
What to do in Habsy after METALEX
The show ends on Saturday, November 21. What you do in the next 48 hours decides how many of those conversations turn into meetings, partners or deals.
If you visited: pick up the conversations you started
- See who looked at your card: open QR analytics to see how many people viewed and saved your digital card, how they engaged and where.
- Save and call back: save vendors to your phone contacts, and set a reminder to call back the ones you want to hear more from.
- Drop a message: Habsy writes a short email or WhatsApp message for any contact, mentioning where you met.
- Export and share: export your METALEX category to Excel, CSV or VCF, by date range, with a copy sent to your email, and share the shortlist with your team.
Top locations
Example numbers.

1Export to Excel, CSV or VCF

2Set a reminder to call back

3Send a quick message
If you exhibited: follow up within 48 hours
- Saturday evening: batch scan any cards left in your pockets and check that every contact has a note.
- Monday: filter by intent signals, such as "Book a demo" and "Within 3 months", and send your METALEX template to the hottest contacts first.
- Send at scale: select several contacts on the home screen, choose email or WhatsApp and a template, and send to all of them.
- Next week: work through the rest by reminder, sync qualified contacts to your CRM, and export the list to Excel, CSV or VCF.

1Write the follow-up with AI

2Pick a template for each contact

3Select several contacts and send
For more message ideas, see our follow-up email templates.
Exhibiting with a team? Run METALEX on Habsy Platform
When several reps work the booth, the hard part is not capturing leads. It is knowing, during the show and after it, who met whom, who is hot and who follows up. Habsy Platform is the web dashboard for that, at app.habsy.ai. Reps keep scanning in the app, and the manager sees everything in one place.
app.habsy.ai

- One campaign for METALEX: every rep's contacts land in one live list, by rep and by day.
- Clear ownership: assign contacts, set reminders, and get alerts when two reps meet the same person.
- Follow-up from one place: sync to your CRM and run email sequences, WhatsApp and LinkedIn outreach for the whole team.
The METALEX post-event report
When the show ends, Habsy turns your METALEX contacts into a post-event report: what your team captured, who you met, what they told you through your intent signals, and a dossier on every company with how well it fits your business. Use it to decide who to call first and whether the next edition is worth the booth. Here is what it could look like for METALEX, with example data:
Post-event report · METALEX
Overview: what your team captured at METALEX, how complete it is, and what stands out.
Analytics: the kinds of organizations and the seniority of the people your team met at METALEX.
Intent signals: what contacts at METALEX are interested in, when they plan to buy and the next step your reps agreed.
Habsy Platform has one team price, with no per-event or per-lead fees. See Habsy for teams or explore the platform.
Bottom line
Keep workpiece, tolerance, output and integration requirements with each metalworking supplier so METALEX follow-up can focus on a process trial or technical review. Visitors: create your digital card and scan every card and badge you collect. Exhibitors: set up intent signals and templates before you fly, capture every contact in one app, and follow up within 48 hours. See event lead capture with Habsy.
Bringing a team to METALEX and other events this year? See how Habsy works for sales teams, or book a demo of Habsy Platform.
Habsy is not affiliated with RX BITEC. Event details come from the official METALEX website and can change.
Keywords
- METALEX 2026
- METALEX Bangkok
- BITEC metalworking show
- machine tool sourcing
- machining process trials
- METALEX supplier follow-up
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is METALEX 2026?
METALEX 2026 takes place November 18–21 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre, BITEC, in Bangkok, Thailand.
What are the exhibition hours?
Published hours are 10:00–18:00 on each of the four show days, November 18–21, Bangkok local time.
Who may attend METALEX?
The exhibition is open to trade visitors, with business attire requested. The official admission policy does not permit visitors under 15 into the exhibition hall. Use the official registration route for your badge.
How should I compare machine-tool proposals after METALEX?
Give shortlisted suppliers the same production brief: material, workpiece, output needs, required finish and inspection questions. Record what each proposal includes, what still needs a process trial and which installation or support assumptions remain open. A demonstration alone does not establish a production result.
What should I record before requesting a machining trial?
Record the workpiece material and geometry, tolerance and finish requirements, output needs and any automation or inspection questions. Agree what the supplier should review before deciding on a machine or process configuration. These are planning suggestions, not performance guarantees.
Does METALEX have an official lead-capture app?
The official Smart Event Tools page lists Lead Manager App and an Exhibitor Hub tutorial. Check your exhibitor account for access and terms. Habsy can complement the official tools for cards, notes and follow-up without claiming access to the organiser’s badge database.
Can Habsy access the organiser’s badge database?
No. It can read supported QR codes that contain contact details. If a badge contains only a registration identifier or restricted organiser link, use the official retrieval option or exchange a business card. A separate contact app does not grant access to registration records.
How do I keep the METALEX team’s contacts organised?
Use consistent qualification questions, agree a follow-up owner and save the next action with the contact. Categories and intent signals require Habsy Plus; free text notes and reminders can record the same discussion in a simpler workflow. Habsy Platform is separately priced for shared team campaigns, assignments and reporting.
Which Habsy features are free and which require a plan?
Scanning, text notes, reminders, exports and two digital cards are free. Categories, voice notes, intent signals, templates, enquiry forms, card analytics and integrations require Habsy Plus. Sending and CRM steps need the relevant account integration; offline capture is processed when the device reconnects.
Going to METALEX?
Capture every contact you make in Bangkok.
Keep workpiece, tolerance, output and integration requirements with each metalworking supplier so METALEX follow-up can focus on a process trial or technical review.

