EMO to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025

A weak global industrial economy, geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts as well as structural challenges are increasingly weighing on European manufacturers, and those in Germany are at the sharp end — overall sluggish demand, and the slowdown in China, are weighing on this export-intensive sector in Germany.

The cautious economic expectations are also reflected in the latest figures from the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders‘ Association) — incoming orders for German manufacturers fell by 23% in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Dr Markus Heering, managing director of the VDW, said: “The current order situation remains difficult and in particular the news from the automotive industry is a cause for concern.”

While it remains one of our most important customers for the German machine tool industry — it supplied around 27% of its production to the automotive supply chain last year, which is 16% less than four years ago. According to the VDW, the transformation to electric vehicles (EVs) will result in significantly less investment in machining technology.

At the same time, other customer target groups are increasingly growing in importance to machine tool manufacturers. With a share of around 30%, mechanical engineering is now the leading customer sector for the first time and includes companies from the tool and mould-making industry, the machine tool industry itself, and manufacturers of agricultural machinery and components such as hydraulics and pneumatics, as well as drive technology. In addition, aerospace, electrical engineering and metal production are becoming increasingly important sectors for machine tool manufacturers. The proportion of business coming from rail vehicle construction, energy technology, precision engineering and medical technology has also continued to rise.

‘Showcase of innovations’
As the world's leading trade fair for production technology, EMO, which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, is an ideal platform for suppliers of metalworking solutions that cater for these customers. Taking place from 22 to 26 September 2025 in Hanover, the ‘Showcase of Innovations’ will not only reflect on 50 years of success, but with its three focus areas of automation, digitalisation and sustainability, will offer a window into the future with the latest production technologies highlighted. Applications for a wide range of manufacturing processes in numerous industries are expected to attract interested visitors from all over the world. Exhibitor interest in the upcoming EMO is already high with over 1,200 companies already registered by the beginning of December. For the organiser VDW, this is a clear signal that the trade fair – as in the past – is a model for success even in times of crisis.

This is confirmed by Dr Thorsten Schmidt, CEO of the Heller Group, headquartered in Nürtingen. He said: “For decades, it has been an indispensable place of inspiration and exchange for us – a real milestone for our industry. EMO connects people, ideas and technologies in a unique way. It allows us to strengthen long-standing partnerships and establish new contacts and is where we meet specialists from all over the world to talk about ground-breaking innovations, current challenges and the trends of tomorrow. We are particularly excited about the opportunity to present our latest developments to an international audience and to play an active role in shaping the future of production technology.”

New growth areas
One of the exhibitors lined up for EMO 2025 is Supfina, a manufacturer of surface finishing systems from Wolfach in Baden-Württemberg. The company sees great potential in new growth areas such as e-mobility and wind power, as well as in sustainable production solutions.

Christoph Siegel, managing director of Supfina (pictured right), said: “Thanks to our broad positioning and diversified customer base, our sales revenue remains on track.”

In order to counter the effects of structural change, particularly in the automotive industry, the company is investing in the digitalisation and automation of its processes. Mr Siegel continued: “We see this as a long-term opportunity to increase our efficiency and strengthen our competitiveness. This includes safeguarding success factors such as our decades of surface finishing expertise, high quality standards and a strong culture of innovation.”

In this respect, Germany remains a key location for Supfina. Investments in technology and training in Germany form the basis for global success. EMO traditionally offers Supfina a perfect setting for presenting technological innovations. The company will be presenting a completely new machine concept at the show which will appeal to a broad customer base.

Delivering quality
For Datron AG, a solution provider for industrial milling and dispensing based in Mühltal, ‘engineered, designed and made in Germany’ is also the basis for delivering quality — this is the prerequisite for retaining satisfied customers worldwide and acquiring new customers. A new 40-million-euro facility will bring the company’s four local sites with a total of 300 employees, under one roof. The local shortage of skilled workers sometimes makes it difficult to recruit and retain well-qualified people but with its strong company culture and new facility, Datron is well placed to attract young talent.

Michael Daniel, chairman of the Board of Management of Datron AG (pictured left), said: “Despite regulatory challenges and political hurdles, we are clearly committed to Germany as a business location.”

However, the difficult economic situation in the mechanical and plant engineering sector is having a noticeable impact. The ongoing structural change in the automotive industry is having an indirect impact on Datron’s customers from the affected automotive supplier industry in particular. Although the company is fortunately not entirely dependent on this important industry, a decline of 4% in turnover and 18% in incoming orders was recorded in the first half of 2024. This makes it crucial to tap into new market segments.

EMO is a perfect opportunity for Datron to present both new and proven technology milestones and to obtain direct feedback from customers and users. At the last EMO, the main focus was on ‘Optimising Efficiency’, in particular on increasing the efficiency of existing machines and new automation solutions. At the upcoming trade fair, the company will address existing and potential new customers with enhanced technologies and improved functionalities for multi-axis milling.

Peiseler, a manufacturer of trunnion tables, rotary tables, rotary tilt tables, swivel heads and workpiece changing tables, is focusing on quality and high-tech to navigate the current difficult conditions. Like the rest of the industry, the Remscheid-based company has had to cope with a significant contraction in incoming orders this year. The main reason for this is a decline in orders from customers who supply the automotive industry with their machine tools.

However, Peiseler also faces other structural obstacles, in particular the increasingly high cost pressure in competition with suppliers from the Far East. This is due to the high wage level and expensive energy costs in Germany, as well as the low wages and state subsidies available to Asian competitors. In addition, the increasingly complex approval processes due to export regulations are making project handling more difficult.

Technological innovations
Arnd Kulaczewski (pictured right), managing director at Peiseler, said: “In order to counteract this, we consistently focus on technological innovations and high quality. Our solutions may not always be the most expensive, but they must be characterised by maximum precision and reliability.”

In order to become less dependent on the automotive industry, the company is also consistently working to diversify its customer base. Peiseler is increasingly offering customised positioning solutions for the energy technology, aerospace, medical technology and robotics sectors. Other important fields of application include additive manufacturing (AM), where the company uses individual and highly precise component positioning to perform generative wire welding.

Mr Kulaczewski concluded: “EMO provides us with a suitable stage to present our technologies and attributes to an international audience from various industries — it is where we meet our customers and potential partners.”