NexGeM, a new trade fair format from the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association, will debut alongside Hannover Messe from April 5 to 8, 2027. The event will bring machine tool builders together with IT, software and automation specialists. It will address digital technologies across metalworking production, including their use in existing factories. The VDW positions NexGeM as an independent event. It is not intended as a conventional machinery exhibition or a smaller version of EMO Hannover. Instead, it will focus on machine tools within a connected industrial value chain. This chain extends from planning and production to service.
Intelligent and networked production equipment is already a central manufacturing topic. However, the VDW argues that it has received limited dedicated attention outside established trade fair formats. The event will take place in Hall 25 at Hannover Messe under the motto “Metal Works Digital”. It will connect machine manufacturers with IT decision-makers, digitalization managers and automation experts. Hannover Messe was selected because it attracts participants from automation technology, energy, politics and digital and technology companies. It also attracts industrial users.
Digitalization of existing production equipment
A central NexGeM theme will be the digital transformation of metalworking companies. This includes integrating smart machine tools and connected production systems. The exhibition will cover automation, networking, robotics, software and platform solutions. It will also address the peripheral equipment required for production. The VDW highlights the challenge of modernizing brownfield environments. Retrofitting legacy machinery can be complex and costly. However, artificial intelligence and other digital applications require a sufficiently digitalized factory environment. NexGeM will therefore present application examples for immediate or near-term implementation. These examples will address both existing production facilities and new investments.
Technologies covered at the event will include manufacturing execution systems, digital twins, artificial intelligence and the Industrial Internet of Things. Cloud and edge technologies will also be included. Combined with automation and connectivity, these tools can support more efficient and cost-effective operation of machine tools and production systems. Cybersecurity will also form part of the programme. The focus will include safeguarding industrial processes and protecting the integrity of production data.
Linking mechanical engineering and software
NexGeM will address the separation that has often existed between mechanical engineering and the IT and software sectors. Its underlying premise is that a machine tool is not an isolated asset. Instead, it forms part of a wider digital production environment. For suppliers and users, this shifts the discussion from individual machines to the interfaces between equipment, software, data platforms and automated processes.
According to Deutsche Messe, the digital transformation of industry requires close cooperation. This includes cooperation between mechanical engineering, artificial intelligence, automation and industrial users. By co-locating NexGeM with Hannover Messe, the organizers aim to provide access to partners and customers. These groups may not typically attend specialist metalworking exhibitions. The VDW also frames the event as a platform for investment decisions. Visitors will be able to examine current applications for connected production technology. They can also consider longer-term developments in metalworking. As a result, the association expects NexGeM to complement existing events. The format will broaden discussion around machine tools. It will also include the digital systems and industrial partners required for connected production environments.
