Hanover, October 25, 2016 – EuroBLECH 2016, the 24th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, opened its doors at the Hanover Exhibition Centre in Germany. Until Saturday, the 29th October 2016, a total of 1,503 exhibitors from 41 countries will present the latest technologies along the entire sheet metal processing chain. For the first time since 2008, this year’s EuroBLECH has reached and even slightly surpassed its record floor size of some 88,000 square metres net.

This year, 54% of the exhibitors at EuroBLECH come from outside Germany. The percentage of international exhibiting companies has thus increased by a further 2%. Biggest exhibitor countries are Germany, Italy, Turkey, China, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Denmark and the USA.

In the focus of this year’s EuroBLECH are the digitisation of production processes and increasing automation. Flexible manufacturing systems become ever more important to meet the demand for individualised products. Simulation and innovative process control systems reduce waste and increase cost efficiency. The automotive industry with its focus on lightweight construction remains the major driver for innovations in sheet metal working. Cutting-edge solutions for fabrication and processing of sheet metal and hybrid structure are, therefore, a central point of interest.

‘The New Generation of Sheet Metal Working’ is the overall theme of EuroBLECH 2016. The organisers of the exhibition, Mack Brooks Exhibitions, have chosen this motto to reflect the prevailing change in industry production initiated by the internet of things or industry 4.0. But the motto is also directed at the younger generation as the sheet metal working industry, a high-tech sector, is in high demand for qualified junior employees. In the Social Media Lounge (hall 16, stand J52), exhibitors at EuroBLECH announce a large number of vacancies within the industry sector.

EuroBLECH, the industry sector’s leading trade exhibition, presents the entire sheet metal working technology chain, ranging from high tech systems to conventional machinery: sheet metal, semi-finished and finished products, handling, separation, forming, flexible sheet metal working, joining, welding, additive manufacturing, tube/section processing, surface treatment, processing of hybrid structures, tools, machine elements, quality control, CAD/CAM/CIM systems, factory equipment and R&D. Visitors to EuroBLECH include design engineers, production managers, quality managers, buyers, manufacturers, technical directors and experts from associations and R&D.