INDUSTRY NEWS
Innovations at Blechexpo / Schweisstec
Stuttgart, Germany, will be the venue for the 17th Blechexpo international trade fair for sheetmetal working, with the 10th Schweisstec international trade fair for joining technology, from 21-24 October 2025. In nine halls at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre, attention will be focused entirely on sheet metal working( now and in the future) over the four days of the show. Topics will range from thermal and mechanical sheet metal processing, system peripherals( including controllers and software), solutions for handling and feeding, and quality assurance.
Sheet metal, pipe and profile processing will be in Halls 1, 3, 5 and 7. Halls 4 and 6 are reserved for stamping technologies. Cutting, joining and fastening technologies will be presented in Hall 9. Hall 8 will focus on pressing and forming technologies. Steel and metal services, as well as surface finishing technology, will be addressed in Hall 10.
“ The trade fair duo unites two key production technologies. The clear thematic structure makes it possible for all trade fair visitors to discover new systems and solutions throughout the entire value chain in one single location,” said trade fair promoter, P E Schall.
The“ best Award 2025” competition winners, in five categories, will be announced at 4pm on the first day of the event( 21 October 2025). Participation in the
“ best Award 2025” competition is open exclusively to exhibitors at Blechexpo / Schweisstec 2025, who can submit their entries via www. maschinenmarktawards. de / bestaward-en. Submissions are free of charge.
The second day of the event will showcase the“ best CONGRESS”( with Stahl-Kommunikation), bringing together experts to discuss the use of AI in sheetmetal working. The discussion is entitled“ Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Sheet Metal Working and Joining Technologies.” It will showcase pioneering AI technology applications and their potential in manufacturing, exchanging best practices and preparing for future industry challenges in a practical way.
Career Friday, organised with exhibitors under with the motto“ Shape Your Dreams, Metal Your Future”, will be one of the show highlights.“ Our objective with this campaign is to actively support young people in gaining insights into routine daily work, and establishing meaningful contacts with companies,” said Bettina Schall, Managing Director,
P. E. Schall. Participants will be able to meet and interact with industry professionals, ask targeted questions, experience technology and explore potential career paths during guided tours beginning at 10am and 1pm at the trade show.
At the last Blechexpo / Schweisstec in 2023, 1256 exhibitors from 38 countries supported the event in nine halls for four days with a packed supplementary programme. Roughly 45 % of the trade show’ s exhibitors come from outside Germany. n
www
. blechexpo-messe. de / en /
www. schweisstec-messe. de / en /
Make UK launches new Aluminium Group
The‘ Make UK Aluminium Producers and Processors Group’ was launched on 4 March 2025 at the National Manufacturing Conference in the UK. In attendance were representatives from all three founding member organisations: Roger Ablett( Hydro), James Tangney( ALVANCE British Aluminium) and Ewelina Pieckowska( Arconic). Also present was Make UK National Membership Director, Jim Davison, and Director of Policy and Government Affairs for Special Interest Groups, Daniel Paterson.
During the Steering Group meeting held on 4 March 2025, the Aluminium Producers and Processors Group took the decision to start a campaign for a National Aluminium Strategy to secure supply for vital areas of the UK economy( including, but not limited to, the decarbonisation of UK industry).
“ We have seen in recent days and weeks the necessity for a group that focuses on the production and processing elements of the aluminium industry, and we are delighted to have been able to develop such a forum with Make UK, the manufacturers organisation,” said Roger Ablett, Hydro representative and Aluminium Producers and Processors Group Chairman.
“ If we want an aluminium industry that serves the growing needs of the UK economy as we further develop the infrastructure and manufacturing that we will need in the coming decades, we need a domestic production and processing industry to sustain our strategic and security requirements. I look forward to working with Make UK and with my fellow members to work towards a National Aluminium Strategy, rebuilding this vital part of the UK’ s strategic economic base for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” he added.
Make UK represents the depth and breadth of the UK manufacturing sector, championing growth and innovation. n
www. makeuk. org
12 | ismr. net | ISMR April 2025