International Metalworking News for Asia

As 2025 draws to a close, the metalworking industry finds itself at the intersection of transformation and resilience. This issue celebrates the small wins that collectively drive big change from smarter automation and retrofitting to advanced metrology and digital manufacturing intelligence.

In Enterprise Close-up, Mitsubishi Electric's Jacek Smoluch discusses how automation is evolving beyond efficiency to become a cornerstone of strategic innovation. Meanwhile, in Machine Tools, Ralf Glatzeder of Liebherr-Verzahntechnik shows how retrofitting breathes new life into legacy equipment- proving that modernisation isn't always about replacing, but reimagining.  

Long-term visionaries like Norbert Jungreithmayr of WFL Millturn,featured in Dialogue, remind us how decades of innovation shape sustainable growth. On the frontier of Lasers & Welding, DMG MORl's new LASERTEC 30 SLM 3rd Gen platform sets a benchmark in metal 3D printing precision and speed. 

Closer to home, Tooling & Workholding highlights Sandvik Coromant's Bangkok training hub an investment in South East Asia's skilled workforce. As Sunya Ratsamee explains, empowering machinists through hands-on learning is key to raising the region's manufacturing competitiveness.

Digitalisation remains a defining theme. In Software & Control, Spanflug Technologies introduces Al-driven automation to streamline CNC decision-making, while Metrology spotlights Blum-Novotest's LC54-DIGILOG, a leap forward in microtool measurement. 

Finally, our Outlook Report 2026 gathers voices across continents, offering a glimpse into how metalworking leaders envision the next chapter of industrial progress. 

As we enter a new year, the stories in this issue remind us that innovation thrives where tradition meets technology-where every precise cut, coded algorithm, and upskilled hand moves the industry forward.