“CCMT is the first occasion for our industry to show their innovations after a long time with several Covid restrictions”, says Dr. Markus Heering, Executive Director at VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), Germany. VDW has applied for funding for German participation in the CCMT at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.

After the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2022 editions, this year’s CCMT grows from 10 to a total of 17 halls.

German exhibitors expect new momentum for their business

German manufacturers do a lot to strengthen their business with China. According to a regular survey of VDW, in 2022 there was a total of 13 German machine tool production facilities in China. The country was the only foreign location to emerge from the crisis year of 2020 without major losses and continued to gain importance in the following year (2021: plus 14 percent). In 2022, the production volume increased by 23 percent to 811 million euros. This means that China accounts for about a quarter (24 percent) of the total foreign production of German machine tool manufacturers.

Despite a decrease in orders due to a weak Chinese economy in 2023, German manufacturers demonstrated remarkable resilience, recording a 6 percent increase in exports to 1.65 billion euros (incl. parts, accessories) due to good order backlogs. China remains the largest export market with a good 17 percent share.

China continues to have a strong appetite for manufacturing technology and high-tech solutions over the medium and long run. Germany is globally recognized for its extensive product offerings, providing numerous innovative solutions for various manufacturing needs. These offerings play a crucial role in supporting China’s automotive, aerospace, mechanical engineering, power generation, medical engineering, and other industries that rely on a wide range of machine tools. Consequently, the persistent demand from China for high-tech manufacturing technology “Made in Germany” remains robust.

The future of connectivity in Shanghai

At CCMT, German exhibitors will highlight initiatives such as umati (universal machine technology interface), a joint connectivity initiative by VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) and VDMA (Mechanical and Plant Engineering Association). Machine builders, software producers, component suppliers, and users unite in a strong community to promote the use of open, standardized interfaces and make connectivity easy, seamless, and secure. In total, there are 350 umati members worldwide. There are currently seven Chinese umati partners from China Mainland, however, more are involved through the NC-Link Consortium – a Chinese national connectivity standardization initiative that aims to be a digital technical assistant for machine tool equipment companies, helping and supporting machine tool equipment to adapt to the NC-Link protocol.

Dr. Alexander Broos, Head of Research and Technology at VDW, and umati project manager, is delighted with the new possibilities opening up: “The future of connectivity is digital – but sometimes a physical platform is needed: a place where people can share ideas and products can be presented.” At CCMT, umati once again will be open to participants from the industry, research, organizations and networks from all over the world. In hall W4, booth A411, visitors can learn about the latest developments of using standardized interfaces based on OPC UA across a great diversity of machinery and technology. Supported by the local Shanghai Representative Office of VDW, live connectivity can be experienced through a smart caliper and a marking laser, both of which are connected to the demonstration application umati.app.

In November 2023, umati opened the “Smart IoT in Production” showroom in Pudong near Shanghai. The showroom covers a total of roughly 500 sqm sqm. Here, umati has a permanent exhibition stand which it uses to present the possibilities of open data networking based on OPC UA. This way, partners are also able to present their smart production technology to the public and meet potential customers and partners.

On Tuesday, April 9th, VDW will host an umati colloquium, where experts from the industry, mainly Chinese subsidiaries of global umati partners, will share their insights how umati helps to get additional value from data, turning it into a basis for new business models.

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Press release (.pdf)

Image subtitles:

((CCMT 1)): With its many years of intensive know-how in all areas of international metalworking, the German machine tool industry is a valuable partner for Chinese industrial users. For many years, China has been by far the most important export market for German manufacturers.

((CCMT 2)): CCMT 2024 attracts around 140 exhibitors from Germany. Once again, with a total space of net 4,675 sqm, Germany is among the biggest foreign groups.

Rights: VDW