Conversation with customers from the metalworking sector

 

As the global metalworking industry navigates significant challenges, it continues to respond with technical innovation and forward-looking, internationally oriented strategies. In the lead-up to EMO 2025, signs suggest that business conditions are beginning to improve.

 

“The current business environment is certainly difficult, but expectations and the overall sentiment among companies in Germany and across Europe are improving,” says Dr. Markus Heering, Executive Director of the German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW), the organiser of EMO.

 

Policy reforms, investment support from federal governments, improved international trade conditions—particularly the resolution of the EU-US tariff dispute—and technological megatrends such as digitalisation and automation are helping to create a more favourable investment climate. The machine tool industry is positioning itself with confidence in this environment.

 

German Wankmiller, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Grob-Werke GmbH & Co. KG, emphasises: “Innovation, quality, and reliability are what set us apart from the global competition.”

 

Taking place from September 22 to 26, 2025, in Hanover, Germany, EMO will once again serve as the world’s leading trade fair for production technology. At its heart, the EMO Economic Forum, themed "Made for Tomorrow – Discover What Drives the Future of Manufacturing," will spotlight insights and expectations from key customer sectors in the metalworking industry.

 

Industry Leaders Share Technological and Strategic Perspectives

Representatives from a range of end-user sectors will gather at the Forum to discuss how emerging technologies, evolving customer demands, and new investment frameworks are shaping their industries.

 

Roland Sommer, Head of Shared Services Production at Krones AG, a German machine manufacturer, highlights the increasing importance of intelligent systems in discrete manufacturing: “The intelligent use of automation and digitalisation is more important than ever in today’s world. Added value can only be generated through the right interaction between the machine tool, the employees, the data, and the networking of processes.”

 

The medical technology sector, too, is seeing radical transformation.

 

Dr. Kamilla König-Urban, Vice President of Global Manufacturing Engineering & OPEX at Karl Storz SE & Co. KG, comments: “Medical technology is on the threshold of a new era. Innovations such as robot-assisted, digital surgery are opening up previously unimagined possibilities, but they also demand highly precise, flexible production technologies that meet strict regulatory requirements.”

 

In the aerospace sector, forward-thinking maintenance and workforce strategies are central to ensuring product availability amid changing industry dynamics.

 

Michael Hergeth, Director of Facility Management at MTU Aero Engines AG, notes:
“Fundamental changes in the industry are challenging us to rethink our approach. We are ensuring future product availability through smart maintenance and resilient teams.”

 

The Strategic Role of EMO 2025 in Customer-Supplier Dialogue

 

Beyond showcasing cutting-edge technologies, EMO 2025 also facilitates strategic dialogue between suppliers and customers.

 

Eric Müller, Chief Technology Officer for High Pressure Die Casting at Gnutti Carlo Group (Italy), underscores the importance of this interaction: “EMO, the world’s leading fair connecting the world’s leading companies in metal processing, gives us the opportunity to bring European manufacturing back to the top!”

 

Economic insights will also be a key feature of the Forum.

 

Jeremy Leonard, Managing Director of Global Industry Services at Oxford Economics (UK), offers an optimistic forecast: “While tariff-driven pessimism abounds, it is important not to overlook the resilience of the European economy. Falling inflation and interest rates are supporting domestic demand, enabling industrial growth to accelerate in 2026 and beyond.”

 

Indeed, the recently announced agreement in the trade dispute between the USA and the EU offers a degree of planning security—at least in the short term.

 

“A flat-rate tariff of 15 percent will certainly increase the cost of machines and components,” concedes Dr. Heering. “But how this will affect individual customer sectors will no doubt be a topic of discussion at the EMO Economic Forum.”

 

Conclusion

Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, technological transformation, and economic recalibration, EMO 2025 positions itself as a key platform not only for showcasing innovation, but also for enabling critical exchange between suppliers and end-users. The Economic Forum in particular will offer deep insights into what drives decision-making, investment, and progress in some of the metalworking industry’s most important customer sectors.