AMB 2026: Connecting Machining Technology with New Markets and Opportunities

As AMB 2026 expands its focus beyond traditional machinery, Messe Stuttgart is creating new opportunities across defence, digitalization, automation, and international collaboration. Roland Bleinroth, President, Messe Stuttgart, discusses the show’s evolving role and the trends shaping the metal cutting industry.

How is AMB evolving from a traditional machinery showcase into a strategic catalyst that helps defence OEMs identify and connect with the machining capabilities they need – from single-part production to series manufacturing?

AMB has been a firm fixture in the calendar of the international metal cutting industry for over 40 years because this is where the industry wants to meet. At the heart of AMB remain the machines, technologies, and practical insights, while the supporting program provides additional depth and opportunities for professional exchange. This also means addressing the issues currently shaping the industry. ‘Defence & Security Opportunities’ is a new format for 2026 and a direct response to growing market interest. Together with our expert partner, the VDMA Precision Tools Association, we are bringing defence OEMs and the metal cutting industry together, showing them the capacities and solutions available – from single-part production to series manufacturing.

How has Messe Stuttgart managed to showcase a seamless convergence of hardware, software, and circular economy demands at AMB 2026, and what advice would you give machine builders when it comes to maintaining tech competitiveness, considering software has now become as crucial as mechanical precision?

The three key themes of automation, artificial intelligence, and the circular economy comprise the common thread running through all ten themed halls. They are interconnected and live demonstrations at the stands allow visitors to experience this directly. The supporting program also explores these themes in greater depth, for example during the VDMA Technology Forum. Software is now as much a part of AMB as the machines themselves, which is reflected in the exhibitors participating: software and digitalization form a dedicated product category, with companies presenting digital solutions in the context of metal cutting. How companies use these developments is ultimately up to them. Our role is to provide the platform that supports informed decision-making.

AMB 2026 is introducing new engagement concepts like the AMB Night for frontline machinists, the AMB Roadshow and the Young Engineers Foundation interactive showcase. How is Messe Stuttgart using these formats to rebrand precision manufacturing for a younger, digitally savvy workforce, and what role must trade fairs play in keeping human craftsmanship alive alongside high-tech automation?

With these new formats, we are deliberately reaching out to younger skilled professionals because the industry needs the next generation just as much as it does the experienced colleagues and high-performance machines. As a trade fair, we provide a setting where precision manufacturing is not explained in theory but experienced live – on machines in operation, up close, and in direct conversation. Skilled craftsmanship and automation are not contradictory; both are visible at AMB and in demand. Collaborative processes, in which people and robots work side by side, are becoming increasingly important – not to replace skilled professionals, but to support them. That is exactly what AMB demonstrates.

International participation at AMB 2026 has reached an impressive 31 percent, with a surge in exhibitors and delegations from Asia – particularly India and platforms such as the ‘International Gallery with VDMA India’. How is Messe Stuttgart leveraging this shift to build true innovative partnerships between Asian machine tool manufacturers and European OEMs, rather than treating them merely as competing vendors?

Internationality is one of AMB’s key strengths – the jump to 31 percent shows that Stuttgart is gaining importance as an international meeting point for the metal-cutting industry. The International Gallery powered by BW_i brings together international associations, visitors, and exhibitors – in other words, everyone with an interest in this industry. This includes VDMA India and associations from Taiwan. The ‘India Opportunities’ seminar additionally turns a spotlight on the Indian market, one of the most dynamic growth markets in global manufacturing. We see internationality as an opportunity, not a competition: AMB brings these markets together to create connections and build bridges.

Image Source: Uli Regenscheit / Messe Stuttgart