A New Era of Intelligent Manufacturing, Shaping the Future of Industry -- MWCS 2025 and IAS 2025 Kick off Today

2025-9-23

China International Industry Fair (CIIF) is the longest-running national-level industrial event named after China. Promoting “new quality-driven, high-end leadership, and digital intelligence empowerment,” CIIF combines the functions of exhibition, trade, awards, and forums, serving as an important window for showcasing China’s achievements in high-quality industrial development to the world. CIIF 2025 sets a new record in scale, attracting nearly 3,000 leading enterprises from 28 countries and regions across the globe. The total exhibition area spans 300,000 square meters, with the number of professional visitors expected to exceed 200,000.

As the flagship industrial exhibition in China, the core specialized exhibitions under the 25th China International Industry Fair—Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show 2025 (MWCS) and Industrial Automation Show 2025 (IAS) officially open today at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Gary Liu, Managing Director of Hannover Milano Fairs China Ltd., remarked, “As two core specialized exhibitions under CIIF, MWCS and IAS have become benchmarks of industrial technology development in Asia and even globally. Over the years, we have not only witnessed the rise of 'Made in China,' but also built a bridge for global industry partners to tap into the vast opportunities of the Chinese market. MWCS 2025 and IAS 2025 feature a wide range of cutting-edge equipment and technologies worldwide, highlighting the immense opportunities in and innovative vitality of the Chinese market amid the ongoing restructuring of the global industrial chain.”

MWCS 2025: Digital and Intelligent Empowerment Driving the Transformation of Precision Manufacturing 
In 2025, global demand for sheet metal processing is entering a period of explosive growth across multiple sectors. The rapid development of AI computing power is fueling surging demand for liquid cooled cabinets and high-density chassis; the push for lightweighting trend in new energy vehicles is driving annual growth of over 15% in battery trays and body components; the automotive and electronics industries are accelerating the deployment of flexible automatic production lines, with robotic welding gradually replacing manual labor; meanwhile, the ongoing expansion of wind power, photovoltaics, and the electronic information industry is continuously boosting demand for structured sheet metals and precision cavities.

Riding the wave of rapid growth in the global sheet metal machinery market, MWCS 2025 returns with a powerful lineup, bringing together over 800 high-quality exhibitors from around the world across more than 80,000 square meters of exhibition space.

TRUMPF China presents four pieces of industry-leading equipment, showcasing its excellence across the entire sheet metal processing chain. Amada China showcases solutions across its five business divisions, with several machines making their debut in the Chinese market. Combined with intelligent systems and digital factory software, these machines provide comprehensive solutions to support the green transformation of the manufacturing. Bystronic unveils an upgraded bending solution that achieves dual breakthroughs in optical angle measurement and heavy-duty bending assistance. It is also presenting a laser cutting machine equipped with AI-based process control for the first time. Salvagnini presents a solution integrated with its RVS vision system, greatly enhancing multi-process coordination efficiency. LVD debuts a high-tonnage bending machine in China for the first time, easily meeting the demands of processing high-strength, large-format sheet metal. 

Leading companies such as Yawei, LAG (Jiayi), MORN LASER, Lanhao, and Lifeng Auto are focusing on fully automated sheet metal processing lines centered on intelligent equipment and data connectivity, launching flexible and unmanned smart factory solutions. Industry leaders including Han’s Laser, HGTASER, Haitian, RAS, ACCURPRESS, Penta, JFY, Yangli, Bodor, DNE LASER, DERATECH, Max Photonics, ADH, EKO, and more are also showcasing flagship and debut products. Exhibits span cutting-edge equipment such as high-speed laser cutting machines, high-speed laser tube cutting machines, 3D five-axis laser cutting machine, intelligent laser cutting units, automatic bending cells, pure electric bending machines, and flexible bending centers.

MWCS 2025 continues with its four exhibition zones, with the International Brand Zone further expanded in scale. Nearly 20 renowned international sheet metal brands are gathering in Hall 3, including foreign-funded enterprises such as Murata, Siegmund, Faccin, Tema Hydraulic, Atlanta, Wila, DAVI, DANZI, Lantek, Formdrill, Xuguang Technology, Haeger, InspecVision, Nuoguard, HyMore, CYBELEC and Pusde, among others. Their exhibits cover a comprehensive range of advanced equipment and technological solutions across the entire sheet metal processing value chain, including welding tables, plate rolling machines, benders, press brake tooling, riveting centers, drive systems, sensors, precision sheet metals inspection systems, light curtains on bending machines, sheet metal nesting software, and related applications.

Beyond the international exhibition groups, MWCS 2025 also features three specialized exhibition groups, underscoring its high level of internationalization and professional appeal. The “AI + Machine Tools” Zone brings together leading companies such as Shanghai Machine Tool Works, Shanghai Top Numerical Control Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Smartstate Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Jingdiao Group, and Teber Technology, showcasing cutting-edge integrations of AI with machine tools. Chinalaobao.com, in collaboration with several premium brands, bring together innovative, safe, and comfortable professional products, providing comprehensive protection to ensure workplace safety. The Forging Technologies and Equipment Zone focuses on forming technologies of light metal alloys, closely aligned with the lightweighting demands of the automotive, aerospace, and aviation sectors. It comprehensively demonstrates innovative breakthroughs in the metalforming sector across equipment, products, materials, and processes.  

IAS 2025: A Hub of Innovations Ushering in a New Era of Smart Factories
Driven by the combined force of policy support, technological breakthroughs, and rising market demand, industrial automation in China is rapidly evolving from “standalone automation” to “intelligent systems.” This year, a series of industry policies have been introduced, clearly positioning smart manufacturing as a key strategic focus. These initiatives are accelerating domestic substitutions, while steadily enhancing the self-reliance of core components.

In line with this trend, IAS 2025 is set to return under the theme “Automation + Industrial AI: The Factories’ Self-Evolution.” The show will spotlight seven theme sections: Intelligent Manufacturing System Solutions, Motion Control Systems, Intelligent Sensing and Connectivity, Embedded Technology, Power Transmission, Measurement Technology and Instrumentation, as well as Industry Solutions. Together, these sections will provide a panoramic view of the entire technological ecosystem—from intelligent upgrades of production lines to factory-level digital twins.

IAS 2025 features international giants and leading domestic enterprises sharing the stage, creating a dynamic interplay of “technology import + localized innovation,” with nearly one hundred new products making their global or China debut. Siemens, Bosch Rexroth, Schneider Electric, Omron, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Beckhoff, Festo, SMC, Rittal, Baumer, IFM, Balluff, Murrelektronik, and other international brands showcase mature systems and cutting-edge concepts. Meanwhile, over 300 leading domestic enterprises—including INOVANCE, HollySys, Hikvision, HONGFA, DEGSON, MOONS’, Leadshine, AirTAC, Hualong Xunda, and INVT, participate in the exhibition, highlighting the rapid growth and strengthening innovation capabilities of China's automation industry chain.

In the field of intelligent manufacturing system solutions, ORIENTAL MOTOR launches its OVR Series SCARA Robots, designed for flexible assembly and high-density handling, significantly enhancing unit efficiency and switch-over agility. AKD INDUSTRIAL ROBOT makes a global debut of its industrial robots paired with high-end core automation components to provide integrated solutions, increasing configurability for system integration. Meanwhile, JSCC unveils two products for the first time in China—the DS truss manipulator and the MT series servo turntable—filling critical needs in multi-axis transmission and precision positioning.

As the “brain and nervous system” of industrial automation, motion control remains another highlight of IAS 2025’s new product releases. Hilscher releases the netMOTION development kit upgrade, making its global debut, and pushing forward the deep integration of motion control and industrial communication. A series of new products including CoolDrive MD SERVO DRIVE by TSINO DYNATRON and the Open PLC - D Series and Two-Section Redundant Backplane Remote I/O - D Series by Odot Automation underscore the rapid advancements in reliability and performance of locally developed controllers and drives.

The sensing and connectivity sections are seeing multiple breakthroughs this year. Cygbot makes a global debut of its dToF Solid-State 2D LiDAR (CygLiDAR S2), delivering outstanding performance in spatial sensing and robot navigation. Balluff globally debuts its Balluff IO-Link Masters, while Dowaytech introduces a range of magnetic and current sensing chips—together reflecting the steady maturation of a localized technology chain spanning from the sensing front to the network front.

In the embedded technology and power transmission sections, Raspberry Pi is debuting its Compute Module 5 globally, showcasing the latest applications in industrial automation and edge computing. New products such as PLANETX’s hollow rotating platform, DEGSON’s solid state relay, and JSCC’s HS series permanent magnet reduction motor are providing robust support for high-precision positioning, system reliability, and energy efficiency optimization.

Innovation continues to flourish in measurement technology and industry solutions, with numerous companies unveiling representative products—ranging from global to China and regional debuts—that offer comprehensive support for the development of smart factories. Examples include the SF2500 micro Fourier spectrometer and CT100 Photothermal Coating Thickness Gauge from Magnity Technologies, IO-Link Pressure Sensors from SENTINEL, ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems and Varistat Benchtop lonizer from Euro-me, and the programmable central control host from LGAMX. These products cover diverse application scenarios from online inspection to protection and central control, supporting the reliable operation of smart factories.

Here, international standards and local innovations intersect and converge, creating a powerful synergy where hardware capability and software intelligence reinforce one another. With policy support and accelerated market adoption, future factories are expected to achieve true "self-evolution" through higher automation density, stronger autonomy and controllability, and more flexible intelligent decision-making mechanisms.

A Feast of Ideas: Discussing Transformation and Sharing New Market Opportunities
The forums and conferences of the CIIF 2025 have been fully upgraded, creating a "1+10+X" multi-level event system. This system comprises 1 opening ceremony with keynote forum, 10 industry summits, and numerous panel discussions and new product launches, fully integrating CIIF exhibition and conference resources to create a seamless “Expo + Forum” ecosystem.

Centered on the theme of “Advancing toward a New Era of Industrialization and Accelerating the Development of New Productive Forces,” the forums will focus on five key directions: forward-looking deployment of new productive forces, deep empowerment through digital technologies, the leading role of top-tier brands, cross-regional collaborative innovation, and international expansion. Emphasizing internationalization vision, brand influence, forward-looking insights, professional depth, and academic rigor, the event will invite a wide spectrum of participants—ranging from top international experts, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and founders of leading enterprises, to leaders from authoritative academic institutions. Together, they will represent the full industry chain—spanning government, industry, academia, research, media, users, and investors—to jointly build a high-quality platform for in-depth collaboration and efficient exchange within the industrial ecosystem, exploring innovative pathways for digital transformation and sustainable development across industries.

In particular, more than ten high-value concurrent forums are carefully designed for MWCS 2025 and IAS 2025, bringing together domain experts to share cutting-edge theories and practical achievements.

Empowered by technology and guided by intelligence, this is a place where cutting-edge technologies and industrial practices converge, while innovative ideas and market forces resonate in harmony. From September 23 to 27, we look forward to meeting you at CIIF 2025 to create the future together