In less than three weeks NORTEC, the trade fair for manufacturers, opens its doors in Hamburg from 3 to 5 February. A comprehensive, versatile programme of current topics from the production industry awaits visitors.
Overview of trade fair for manufacturers: Facts and figures
Everything under one roof: In Hall A4 of Hamburg Messe, 170 exhibiting companies from Germany and abroad await visitors on around 8,347 square metres. NORTEC thus offers broad insights into the entire production chain – from metal cutting through to digital automation. At NORTEC 2026 more than 40 programme items provide a compact overview of the technologies, trends and impulses for the upcoming production year in specialist forums, live demos and practical workshops. Twelve programme and network partnerships from academia and practice, ranging from innovative research through to industrial application, represent the strong network of the North-German production industry at NORTEC 2026. For the first time in 2026 Paul Horn GmbH is on board as a “Prime Industry Partner” and supports NORTEC as a reliable partner of the manufacturing industry.
Making production more intelligent: Simulation Forum and BME Buyers’ Day
The future of production is also digital: “Simulation, AI and Metaverse” is the motto of the 23rd North German Simulation Forum this year, organised by the CAE Forum. “Simulation has been a key innovation driver of the production industry in the past and still is today and also will be in the future”, highlights Dirk Pieper, initiator and moderator of the CAE Forum. The forum showcases practical and future-oriented simulation applications for manufacturing companies. “Participants discover how digital methods from FEM to process simulation solve specific industrial challenges. The aim of the CAE Forum is to encourage independent knowledge transfer across different industries and software systems, strengthen networks and actively promote the transfer of research results to industrial practice”, adds Pieper. The contributions range from the development of new FEM solvers to frequency-optimised components for major research facilities through to innovative forming processes and numerical analyses in an aviation context. The participants obtain well-founded insights into how simulation increases efficiency, innovation and competition in industrial production.
Artificial intelligence as a driver
This year’s BME Buyers’ Day is characterised by data-based decision-making and takes place under the title “Supply Chain Intelligence – The future of material-based decisions with AI”. In a time when supply chains are becoming more complex and volatility is part of daily life, experts show with the aid of concrete examples how artificial intelligence creates transparency and makes risks identifiable at an early stage. Prof. Dr. Thomas Andressen, BME Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein, explains: “Artificial intelligence enables companies to increasingly evaluate material, market and supplier data as a whole and to link this data to quality data. This means that price risks, shortages and alternatives are already visible at an early stage: Informed and smarter purchasing decisions can be made much quicker. The participants in our BME Buyers’ Day at NORTEC discover specific practical examples and applications for their own companies.”
A highlight in the programme of the BME Buyers’ Day is the practical report from Airbus on 5 February at 10:00 am: Under the title “Cleared for takeoff – Artificial intelligence in the supply chain: Use cases at Airbus”, Dr. Jens Heidrich, Senior Manager Supply Chain Conformance at Airbus, presents concrete cases from the aviation industry.
Advance registration by 1 February is required for the BME Buyers’ Day: Registration
Views from the industry: Innovations for production
What practical solutions and innovations will the exhibiting companies bring to NORTEC? Whether it is metal cutting, automation or a start-up – at the trade fair companies show how production is becoming more efficient, digital and sustainable.
ZCC Cutting Tools takes part in the trade fair for the first time in the area of metal cutting and machine tools. Martin Sprung, Manager Marketing & Business Development at ZCC Cutting Tools, emphasises: “ZCC Cutting Tools Europe is taking part in NORTEC for the first time because we see this trade fair as an important platform of the manufacturing industry in the region and feel that the trade fair will (re)establish itself for the personal and targeted exchange with decision-makers from industry, the mid-sized sector and trade.” The focus is on machining production: “As an industry partner, for decades we have been involved in the optimisation of processes and improvement of efficiency in machining production in aerospace engineering, energy, oil and gas as well as the shipbuilding industries, among others. This is also why we are of course bringing our current innovations to Hamburg, including the new PANGU cutting material grades. We are eagerly anticipating the upcoming trade fair days and looking forward to holding inspiring discussions, establishing new contacts and taking common steps towards future production.”
The company Jörg Wappler Werkzeugmaschinen OHG is optimistic about the opening of the trade fair in Hamburg. Franz Wappler, Managing Partner of Jörg Wappler Werkzeugmaschinen OHG, states: “For us NORTEC means experiencing efficiency live. With the DNX 2100S from DN-Solutions, we showcase a modern turning/milling centre for 6-sided complete machining.” The first German trade fair for manufacturers in 2026 is “the perfect setting to discuss future-proof production and automation with customers from North Germany”, adds Wappler.
Young companies also set important impulses for the manufacturing industry at NORTEC. For example, REFACTUM GmbH presents itself as an innovative start-up for production. Using their solution, managing directors as well as managers from production can apply an automated solution to estimate the cost of up to 70 per cent of their parts. Jesko Hermann, co-founder of REFACTUM GmbH, explains: “Modern manufacturing must not be held back by slow quotations, estimation errors, and manual work preparation. We want for manufacturing companies to be able to concentrate again on what they can do best: produce.” The start-up also helps to avoid contribution margins from miscalculations and thus increase the success rates for tenders because excessive safety buffers are becoming superfluous. Asked about what drives him, Hermann replies: “For us, metal cutting is much more than a branch of industry. It is the backbone of the German SME sector and thus a central pillar of our economic strength. Precision, quality and reliability ‘Made in Germany’ are created right here.”
About NORTEC and its programme
Production. Innovation. Future. As the Trade Fair for Manufacturers, NORTEC in Hamburg provides a platform for the industry every two years. The key exhibition areas are machine tools, production systems, precision tools, measurement and testing technology, robotics, automation, software and IT solutions, parts, components and accessories, operating materials and consumables, logistics, operating equipment and services. The trade fair is jointly organised by Messe Stuttgart and the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW). The final programme of the 20th NORTEC is available online at: NORTEC programme
Images:
NT_26_mz0005.jpg: Bird’s-eye view of the NORTEC hall | Picture credits: Messe Stuttgart
NT_26_mz0006.jpg: BME Buyers’ Day at NORTEC | Picture credits: Messe Stuttgart
NT_26_mz0003.jpg: | Picture credits: Messe Stuttgart
Press release download (PDF)