China’s machine tool consumption is experiencing strong growth; German manufacturers are returning to China in groups.

　　China Industrial News, Meng Fanjun

　　Although the Chinese market was previously hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now rebounded rapidly. In 2021, China’s industrial production and capital investment are expected to grow by more than 5% each, and machine-tool consumption could see a robust increase of 10%. “Germany is China’s second-largest supplier of machine tools, after Japan, and holds a prominent position in the high-tech sector. Its technologies are widely used across various customer segments in China, including the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as mechanical engineering, power generation, and other broad-based machine-tool users,” explained Shane Sun from the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW) in Frankfurt at the 17th China International Machine Tool Show (CIMT2021).

　　On April 12, at the press conference for CIMT 2021 hosted by the German Machine Tool Builders' Association, Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Managing Director of the German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW) in Frankfurt, stated: “Due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, German manufacturers will primarily showcase their products through their subsidiaries based in China.”

　　“Finally, we’re once again welcoming a trade show in the truest sense of the word.” Exhibitors and visitors have gathered at the booths to engage in face-to-face discussions—a scenario that many German machine tool manufacturers have been eagerly anticipating at CIMT 2021.

　　CIMT marks a new starting point for umati’s entry into China.

　　Starting in 2020, orders for German machine tools from China began to stabilize—and even grew by 17% in the fourth quarter, posting double-digit growth. In 2021, various signs indicated that the global economy would continue to maintain its growth momentum. Wilfried Schäfer commented: “The developments in 2021 will be even more encouraging, because we should have already reached the turning point long ago.”

　　China Industrial News discovered that VDW has set up a umati booth at CIMT. According to the introduction, umati (Universal Machine Technology Interface) is a community for the mechanical engineering industry and its customers, designed to promote and disseminate an open, standardized interface based on OPC UA. The purpose of the demonstration at CIMT is to introduce Chinese industrial enterprises to the interface specifications for communication between machine tools and higher-level IT systems, and to showcase the ease of use of these specifications. Six companies—also exhibitors in the German Pavilion—have already connected their machines to the umati platform. “Unfortunately, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have prevented more companies from joining our event,” lamented Dr. Alexander Broos, VDW’s Director of Research and Technology, who is responsible for OPC UA activities in the machine tool industry.

　　To ensure umati’s full integration into China, the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) at Tongji University is providing support for its technological infrastructure in Beijing. “We’re also delighted to connect our machines and services with China’s Machine Tool Interconnection Initiative, NC Link—a continuation of our successful collaboration at EMO Hannover 2019,” said Alexander Broos.

　　At the time, a group of Chinese CNC machine tool manufacturers had already established connections with umati. Alexander Broos stated that the NC Link team has now successfully integrated the OPC UA infrastructure with its own installed systems. A core component of umati’s participation in CIMT is the umati demonstrator, which consists of a data center connected to a computer in real time and a dedicated dashboard.

　　German machine tool suppliers are important partners for China’s industrial sector.

　　For many years, Germany’s machine-tool industry has been a valuable partner to Chinese industrial customers, making China an important sales market for Germany’s machine-tool industry. Over the past two years, German exports have declined by nearly 45%, with export value dropping from 2.3 billion euros to 1.3 billion euros. The main products affected include machining centers, grinding machines, components, and lathes. By contrast, China’s imports have not suffered such a severe blow—imports fell by only 28% in 2020. Most of the imported goods delivered to China were components and spare parts. Wilfried Schäfer believes that China’s demand for advanced manufacturing technologies remains substantial, particularly as the next step for China’s industrial sector is to launch higher-quality products that can also meet global market demands.

　　Wilfried Schäfer concluded: The China International Machine Tool Show is an excellent platform for showcasing products. On this platform, Chinese customers will trust and choose the products presented by German manufacturers. The China International Machine Tool Show will continue to make greater contributions to fostering bilateral business development.

　　In fact, the same is true of the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association. For many years, the association has been applying to Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to set up a joint German pavilion at the China International Machine Tool Show and has been responsible for implementing this project. Currently, Germany has become an overseas exhibitor at the 17th China International Machine Tool Show (CIMT 2021), with 150 companies showcasing a wide range of machine tools, cutting tools, workholding technologies, measurement technologies, molds, as well as CNC systems and software, covering a total exhibition area of 7,500 square meters.

　　“Participating in the trade show is a great opportunity for us to gain visibility and experience abroad with umati,” Alexander Broos concluded. “We hope this will soon be replicated in other markets as well.”

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