Innovation Engine and Industry Celebration: Blechexpo/Schweisstec 2025

The industry sector will meet in Stuttgart for the 17th Blechexpo international trade fair for sheet metal working, together with the 10th Schweisstec international trade fair for joining technology, from the 21st through the 24th of October, 2025. Careers, category winners, AI, congress – trade fair promoters and exhibitors are once again putting together a world-class trade fair with high levels of internationality, which is attracting attention from around the world. Meanwhile, submissions for the “best Award 2025” have started coming in.

In nine jam-packed halls at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre, attention will be focused entirely on sheet metal working – both now and in the future – for four days from the 21st through the 24th of October, 2025. Topics range from thermal and mechanical sheet metal processing, along with system peripherals including controllers and software, as well as solutions for handling and feeding, right on up to quality assurance. Blechexpo/Schweisstec is a highly acclaimed technical event where suppliers and users can gather information about the latest developments and exchange ideas in a direct dialogue with experts. The layout of the exhibition halls ensures a concise overview and an efficient trade fair visit: sheet metal, pipe and profile processing will be located 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. Finally, the topics of 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 at a single location.

The “best Award” will launch a new round in the five competition categories of sheet metal, pipe and profile processing, pressing and forming technologies, stamping technologies, cutting, joining and fastening technologies, as well as steel and metal services and surface finishing technologies. In the meantime, this competition has become a traditional part of Blechexpo/Schweisstec’s supplementary programme, because it fosters outstanding innovations. Companies are already responding to the invitation to participate – submissions have begun via the www.maschinenmarkt-awards.de/best-award portal and the trade fair website at www.blechexpo-messe.de. Submissions are free of charge. A selected jury of experts will choose the winners in each category by the end of the submission period The lucky winners will receive their awards at a ceremony marking the end of the first day of the trade fair at 4 p.m. on the 21^st of October, 2025.

“Innovation is the key to successfully mastering the current transformation in the industrial landscape,” says jury member Robin Kurth, group manager for forming machines and project manager at the Fraunhofer IWU. “The range of innovative solutions in the field of metalworking is extremely diverse. Finding and implementing the most suitable innovative solution for an individual problem is often quite challenging. The ‘best Award 2025’ highlights outstanding innovations from various areas of sheet metal working and welding technology for interested companies. It promotes an exchange of ideas and the transfer of these innovations into practical applications,” says Robin Kurth. In addition to Kurth, the expert jury also includes Annedore Bose-Munde, technical editor for business and technology, Heinz Wöllmer, technology planner at the Siemens equipment manufacturing facility in Amberg, Germany, Erich Utz, also from the Siemens equipment manufacturing facility, and Frauke Finus, senior editor of blechnet and editor of MM Maschinenmarkt at the Vogel Communications Group.

Career Friday, which the trade fair promoters are organising together with exhibitors in keeping with the motto “Shape Your Dreams, Metal Your Future”, will also be one of the highlights at Blechexpo/Schweisstec 2025. “Our objective with this campaign is to actively support young people in gaining insights into routine daily work, and in establishing meaningful contacts with companies,” says Bettina Schall, managing director of trade fair promoters P. E. Schall. “Blechexpo/Schweisstec is a highly acclaimed business platform where industry players present their companies. This provides pupils, students, teachers, university representatives and young professionals with the unique opportunity of obtaining first-hand information about specific occupations and career opportunities. And thus all interested parties are cordially invited to discover diverse technologies and future prospects in the sheet metal working industry,” stresses Bettina Schall. Exhibitors will share information and insights at their booths in all exhibition halls on Friday the 24th of October, 2025. 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 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The best players in sheet metal working and joining technology come together from all over the world at Blechexpo/Schweisstec. Roughly 45% of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany. Georg Knauer, project manager at trade fair promoters P. E. Schall, expects nine full exhibition halls and lots of lively interaction. Seven months before the fair, he’s already promising a world-class supplementary programme on all trade fair days. In addition to the best Award ceremony on the first day of the event, the career campaign on Friday and the daily presentation forum, the “best CONGRESS” with Stahl-Kommunikation (www.stahl-kommunikation.de) will also attract a large audience of experts. It will bring together internationally recognised experts for a highly practical discussion of “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Sheet Metal Working and Joining Technologies” on 22 October 2025 (the second day of the trade fair). Participants will be able to get acquainted with pioneering AI technology applications and their potential in manufacturing, exchange ideas with regard to best practices and experience practical solutions to the challenges currently faced by the industry.

To the websites:
www.blechexpo-messe.de
www.schweisstec-messe.de

Technical information on the trade fair and the industry:
www.blechexpo-messe/news-stories
www.schweisstec-messe.de/news-stories

Subscribe to the newsletter:
www.blechexpo-messe.de/#newsletter
www.schweisstec-messe.de/#newsletter

Follow us on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/company/blechexpo-messe/
www.linkedin.com/company/schweisstec-messe/

Schall has developed successful business platforms with internationally recognised trade fairs for quality assurance (Control), optical technologies, components and systems (Optatec), stamping technology (Stanztec), automation in production and assembly (Motek), bonding technology (Bondexpo), plastics processing (Fakuma), sheet metal working (Blechexpo) and joining technology (Schweisstec). This has given rise to entirely new markets in various sectors, whose protagonists are distinguished by tremendous innovative strength, comprehensive systems competence and practical application solutions.