Industry benefitting from strong European demand

Frankfurt am Main, 01. October 2015. – When the EMO Milano, the international trade fair for the machine tool industry, opens its doors in a few days, the German machine tool industry will be very well represented. Accounting for more than 290 exhibitors and occupying 24,500 square meters of net exhibition space, it will field the second largest group of exhibitors after Italy. This represents a slight increase in both numbers and space in comparison to the EMO Milano 2009. "The large number of German exhibitors in Milan demonstrates once again how much our companies appreciate the fair and the strong Italian market," explains Martin Kapp, Chairman of the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association), Frankfurt am Main.

German manufacturers expecting to do good business in Milan

The current market conditions have reinforced the positive expectations of the German exhibitors before the start of the EMO. "The demand from Europe in particular has grown significantly since the beginning of the year and has boosted overall orders considerably," says Kapp. In the first half of 2015, orders from the European Union were 14 percent up, year-on-year. The willingness of the main customer industries for machine tools to invest is especially strong in Italy, not least due to government subsidy programmes. Currently posting a 40 percent increase in its exports, Italy is the third largest export market for the German machine tool industry; Italian orders in the first half of 2015 were up by an impressive 60 per cent on the equivalent period last year. This positive trend is expected to continue. "These are ideal conditions for our companies, which have once again come up with plenty of new developments in time for the EMO Milano. Investors from all over the world have the opportunity to check out the performance of the new products at first hand in Milan," says the VDW Chairman.

VDW service for journalists at EMO Milano: New products of the VDW members

More than any other metalworking trade fair, the EMO is regarded as a showcase for innovation. The German machine tool industry is all about innovative and pioneering products and solutions in metalworking. This year, the VDW members will once again be showcasing their performance and their full range of products in Milan.

Before the fair starts we would like to give you, the journalists covering the event, an exclusive overview of the new products and improvements which the VDW member companies will be exhibiting in Milan. We have prepared an innovation list to help you research and prepare your tour of the fair. On the homepage of the VDW at www.vdw.de/internet/EMO_Mailand/Bilder.zip you can also find further material for your reports, such as product images.

Background

The German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, has been representing the interests of the German machine tool industry for more than 120 years. Together with the German Engineering Federation’s Machine Tools and Production Systems Association, it numbers about 300 voluntary member companies, which represent approximately 90 per cent of the sector’s entire turnover. The VDW does much more than simply represent the industry's interests to the public, the government, the academic community and business associates. Based on its in-depth knowledge of the industry and resulting expertise, it serves primarily as a service provider to its members. It provides information, advice and support on individual issues in numerous fields. The VDW also organises exhibitions for the international machine tool industry. It has over 90 years of experience in organising events. It stages the EMO Hannover on behalf of Cecimo, the European Association of Machine Tool Industries, and it also organises its own event, the METAV International Exhibition for Metalworking Technologies, in Dusseldorf.

For further information please visit www.vdw.de

For further information please contact

Manuel Löhmann, VDW Press and Public Relations, Tel. 49 69 756081-83, [email protected]