The 26th Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS 2017) is set to be a record high exhibition in scale, focusing on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing.

Taiwan is a machine tool power house which ranks as one of the top five manufacturers and exporters of machine tools. While the first half of 2016 has witnessed almost all round decline in export figures to its traditional markets of China, USA, Turkey and Germany, the figures for July 2016 have shown some reversal of trends and there is room for optimism that a turnaround has begun.

Machine tools is a cyclical business that reflects the global health of manufacturing and as happens with any cyclical business the markets witness growth and degrowth. But Taiwan is well placed in terms of state-of-the-art technology in its machine tools business with a high level of cooperation between machine tool manufacturers and academia, the research institutes and the proactive stance of the government.

The country’s machine tool industry has been at the forefront to embrace the concept of intelligent manufacturing as elucidated by Industry 4.0 or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and the increasing use of metal additive manufacturing or 3D printing. These machines are lean, mean and highly productive and would spur the demand for the new concepts of lean manufacturing where traditional machines are making way for new flexible manufacturing cells with integrated robots, metrology and much else.

The biennial exhibition has already become a focus for international buyers, and the upcoming 26th TIMTOS is sure to be a prominent international event in the industry. The machine tool industry forms a crucial element in Taiwan’s machinery industry; in addition, Taiwan is currently the world’s 4th largest manufacturer of machine tool. This year’s exhibition is centered on the procurement of top-quality “Made in Taiwan” machine tool and total solution for machine industry.

TIMTOS 2017 – Taipei International Machine Tool Show – will be unveiled in Taiwan at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall, Hall 1, Taipei World Trade Centre (TWTC) Exhibition Hall 1 and 3, and Yuanshan Expo Dome at Taipei Expo Park from March 7th to 12th in 2017. It is expected to house more than 1,045 exhibitors that will use up 5,450 booths. Both, the number of exhibitors as well as booths, have hit a record high, which shows an exhibition scale bigger than previous editions.

Renowned Taiwanese machine tools makers, such as She Hong, Yeong Chin, Tongtai, Goodway, Litz, Victor Taichung, You Ji, Awea, Quaser, Far East, Chiah Chyun, Dah Lih, Fair Friend and Hiwin, and overseas brands, such as Mazak, DMG Mori, Takisawa, Mitsubishi, Fanuc, Citizen, Siemens, Bosch, Blum, Sodick, Igus, Schunk, JTEKT, Haas, THK, Heidenhain, GF and Erowa just to name a few, have confirmed participation in the show to showcase their newest products. Such strong lineup will be expected to attract around 7,500 foreign buyers and 47,500 domestic visitors to come to visit, which again shows that TIMTOS is the best platform for buyers to come for purchasing latest machine tools and metal processing related products in Taiwan.

Besides a record-high in exhibition scale, there are 3 other highlights of TIMTOS 2017, listed as follows:

1. The theme of this edition is “Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing.” In response to global industry trends and based on the IT communications technology advantage of Taiwan, the exhibitors’ products will focus on the “visualised” cloud service application, “linkable” system integration and “intelligent” machinery, together to realise Taiwan’s industrial upgrade;
2. The show continues to be an international trade show. As of today, world-class companies from nearly 20 countries have applied for the show, including those from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, England, USA, Australia, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore and China; and
3. For the first time ever at TIMTOS there will be a Summit where international and domestic industry experts will be invited to share the latest global trends related to Smart Machines, Future Factories, the Automotive Manufacturing Revolution and the Aerospace Supply Chain. It is definitely the event to be enlightened by and connect with global industry elites.

Although the global economy is facing a downturn at the moment, and Taiwan’s machine tools exports from January to September this year is around 10% less compared to that of the same period last year, Taiwanese companies haven’t stopped for making improvement and still continue to develop new technologies and products, in order to take steps closer to the concept of Industry 4.0 and stand out from the competition worldwide.

Exhibitors of TIMTOS are preparing to present their best and newest products in the show to provide buyers from home and abroad their newly-developed technologies and turn-key solutions, making TIMTOS a comprehensive platform that creates prosperous business opportunities. It is definitely a show worth visiting, say the organisers.

TIMTOS 2017 comes at a crucial juncture where buyers have matured to accept all the new concepts and machine tool manufacturers of Taiwan have demonstrated their ability to accept the challenges of technology and offer the right products for the modern manufacturing milieu. Indian manufacturers looking for new investments for their shop floors would do well to have a look at what TIMTOS 2017 has to offer before making the investment decision.

Overseas visitors are encouraged to pre-register online to avoid line-up when arrive onsite. For more information about TIMTOS 2017, please visit: www.timtos.com.tw

Exhibits covering the industrial supply chain to be showcased in TIMTOS 2017: