German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier officially opened EMO Hannover 2017, stating that “an open society and prosperous economy rest on a foundation of communication and trust. Trade fairs like EMO embody this in a concrete and tangible way. Fortunately, this tradition continues to flourish, even in an age of digital catalogs, video conferences and just-in-time production.”
Under the motto of ‘Connecting systems for intelligent production’, over 2,200 exhibitors from 44 different nations (compared with 2,131 in 2013) are showcasing their machines, solutions and services for industrial production at the event. “The ‘crème de la crème’ of international production engineering is convening this week at EMO in Hannover,” reported EMO General Commissioner Carl Martin Welcker on opening day of the event. He continued: “We are expecting to host key buyers from major users of machine tools, including customer delegations from more than 20 different nations, numerous representatives from the political and production engineering sphere as well as countless production experts from across the globe.” EMO is going to ignite a spark for production connectivity, while focusing on numerous innovations in the traditional production engineering disciplines.
Luigi Galdabini, President of the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO), emphasised the key role played by the machine tool industry: “During its weeklong run, EMO Hannover will function as the world’s biggest factory and thus as a first-class showcase for innovation,” he remarked. Bernd Leukert, executive board member of the Walldorf-based SAP SE, added that the process of digital transformation was impacting not only the production sphere across all sectors, but even revolutionizing society as a whole.
Capital goods industry optimistic around the world
EMO Hannover 2017 is taking place in a promising economic environment. The mood is good and key economic indicators are pointing upwards. Meanwhile, the IMF just recently confirmed its growth prognosis of 3.5 percent for global GDP.
According to forecasts by British-based Oxford Economics – the forecasting partner of the German Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (VDW), which produces EMO – industrial production and investment on the part of the machine tool industry’s main client industries is expected to grow this year by 3.4 to 5.6 percent. The two organizations also expect Asia to take the lead in investment growth at a rate of 6.5 percent, followed by Europe and the Americas. Machine tool consumption is expected to grow at a rate of 3.2 percent. Europe is in first place here, with growth of 4.0 percent. The southern European nations of Italy and Spain, but also France – all three large machine tool markets within Europe – continue to be stable drivers of European growth. Asia is expected to increase its machine tool consumption by 3.5 percent in 2017. On the one hand, China has emerged from its dry spell and is expected to grow at a rate of 3.9 percent. On the other, analysts are expecting the ASEAN markets to bounce back. In the Americas, the machine tool market is expected to stabilize: Following a downturn in 2016, forecasters are expecting 0.5 percent growth there in 2017. “On the whole, the international economy is providing the ideal prerequisites for increased sales, which can be prepared and even concluded at EMO Hannover,” stated Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Prokop, Chairman of VDW.
EMO will showcase an array of innovations in all areas of technology and will consequently serve as a strong driver of investment. Trade visitors to Hannover can expect to see numerous high-caliber offerings from international exhibitors in the coming week, along with a rich and varied supporting program covering myriad aspects of production markets, technologies, connectivity and safety.
