Automated machines, collaborative robots, 3D printing, and AI-driven process chains — the metalworking industry is evolving at lightning speed. Keeping track of these developments and identifying what’s relevant for your business can be overwhelming. The key question: how can companies accurately evaluate these innovations and leverage them for real value? EMO Hannover 2025, taking place from September 22 to 26, is here to guide you in making the right choices.
For Dr. Markus Heering, Executive Director of EMO organizer VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), EMO is much more than just a trade fair. “As a platform for dialog between all the international players in the industry – manufacturers and users –, the trade fair is unique since nowhere else can visitors find so much international expertise as at EMO,” he says. This will not only be evident at the exhibitors’ stands, but also at the lecture events and forums, as well as at the joint stands with focus topics that are of particular importance for the future of metalworking. There are plenty of opportunities to discuss experiences, network and get to know potential business partners.
New Business Areas Demand Broad-Based Expertise
Modernization is now essential across nearly all factories and production facilities. With global competition intensifying, companies are under pressure to uncover every possible area of optimization. Driving this urgency are rising costs, volatile energy and raw material prices, and ambitious targets for CO₂ reduction and circular economy integration.
Emerging applications in sectors like aerospace, medical technology, and renewable energy are setting new benchmarks for technical proficiency, productivity, and quality. Meanwhile, the materials in use are evolving—becoming lighter, thinner, stronger, and more resistant to heat and corrosion, often with high-performance coatings. These advancements require advanced processing know-how.
In this context, digital solutions and AI are becoming increasingly valuable, especially as industries grapple with growing skills shortages. Investing in smart technologies isn’t just forward-thinking—it’s becoming critical to stay competitive.
EMO Hannover will present possible solutions. Decision-makers can build on the experience of exhibitors and experts to reduce investment risks. Regardless of whether companies manufacture components for the production of diagnostic devices in medical technology or complex geometries for flight-critical parts in aviation, investments in production lines, robot technology or software can only pay for themselves if they increase productivity or open up new areas of business. This is all the more reliable if partners along the value chain can be found and cooperate with each other.
Automated metalworking is efficient and sustainable
The VDW cites automation, sustainability, digitalization and artificial intelligence as the most important development trends in metalworking. “Against the background of high-quality requirements and the shortage of skilled workers, automation is vitally important,” emphasizes VDW Executive Director Heering. Automated production should be easy to operate and flexibly adaptable to the individual needs of the user. It must support both series production and cost-effective single-piece manufacturing. Automation ranges from basic solutions like pallet changers and handling systems to robots and autonomous technologies. The Cobot Area joint stand at EMO is specifically focused on the potential applications and uses of collaborative robots.
On the one hand, sustainability is about the measures that can be taken to reduce the energy and material consumption of machines and any secondary and downstream processes. But it is also about the overall contribution that machines can make to CO2 reduction and sustainable industrial production. “Mechanical engineering is an enabler of the climate-friendly transformation,” emphasized Bertram Kawlath, President of the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) in a recent interview. The Sustainability Area at EMO 2025 is a meeting place to experience modern solutions for sustainable production. Exhibitors will provide information on how production can be trimmed for energy efficiency and how renewable energies, the circular economy and life cycle concepts can be integrated.
Digital process chains create transparency
Digital solutions relating to the IoT (Internet of things) and AI (artificial intelligence) will play a key role in making production more efficient in the future. More and more machines are being equipped with monitoring systems and sensors as standard to record data. Digitally networked process chains create transparency. “Intelligent” machines can predict whether a failure is imminent and enable predictive maintenance.
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