From smart factory implementation and AI to productivity, procurement and the skills gap, EuroBLECH 2026 will introduce a new curated conference programme focused on the practical challenges facing sheet metal manufacturers today.
The conversation around manufacturing technology is changing. AI, automation, connected machinery and digital production may offer significant potential, but manufacturers increasingly need answers to a more practical question: how can these technologies deliver value on the shop floor?
That question will be at the heart of a new curated conference programme at EuroBLECH 2026, taking place from 20–23 October at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany.
Hosted on the NextGen Technology Stage in Hall 27, the programme will bring together manufacturers, engineers, procurement specialists, consultants and industry experts to discuss the technical, operational and commercial factors influencing production and investment decisions.
Sessions will cover AI, automation and smart manufacturing alongside productivity, workforce development, sustainability and changing buyer expectations.
“There is a lot of discussion around AI, automation, digitalisation and the factory of the future, but the interesting questions are increasingly about application,” says Evelyn Warwick, Event Director for EuroBLECH on behalf of RX.
“Where is the technology already delivering value? What does implementation mean in an existing production environment? And where do the technical or commercial challenges remain? The conference brings different perspectives together to explore exactly those questions.”
Conversations worth joining in Hanover
Across four days, the programme will move between the realities of the factory floor and some of the bigger questions shaping manufacturing.
One of those questions is what happens when the Smart Factory meets the real factory. Connected machinery, automation, AI and production data can enable more intelligent manufacturing, but implementation within an existing production environment brings its own challenges.
In the panel From Smart Factory Hype to Shop Floor Reality, Cenk Çetin, Design Director at DORCE Prefabricated Buildings, will explore the gap between the potential of smart manufacturing and what it takes to make it work in production.
Another discussion turns the perspective around by asking: what do buyers actually want?
Machine performance remains important, but technology investment decisions increasingly involve integration, productivity, service, operating costs and long-term production requirements. Cedric Barth, Head of Entity Procurement at Viessmann Climate Solutions, will bring the buyer’s perspective to What Buyers Really Want from Sheet Metal Technology Suppliers.
Procurement will receive further attention on Thursday, 22 October, when the BME Buyer Day at the Convention Centre examines purchasing KPIs, supply chain management, steel market developments, economic security, CBAM and AI-supported product costing.
Technology, people and productivity
The programme will also look beyond technology itself.
As factories become more automated and digitalised, workforce requirements are changing with them. Anna Sänger, Metal Industry Consultant & Content Creator, will address the human dimension in Technology Won’t Solve the Skills Gap. People Will.
For manufacturers working in high-specification industries, meanwhile, precision is only one part of the challenge. Quality, consistency and traceability can be equally critical. Jesper Evervall, Engineer – Sheet Metal Forming at GKN Aerospace AB, will contribute to Aerospace, Defence and High-Spec Fabrication: Meeting Demands for Precision and Traceability.
Productivity will also come under scrutiny – including the possibility that the machine itself may not be the limiting factor.
In Solving the Productivity Gap: Skills, Systems and Process Discipline, Bojan Mijatovic, Production Director at Unipromet, will join the discussion on how utilisation, skills, process discipline and the interaction between production systems affect overall manufacturing performance.
From discussion to live technology
What makes the conference particularly relevant within EuroBLECH is its connection to the exhibition itself.
The programme complements technology presented across eight exhibition halls and 15 technology sectors, allowing visitors to move between expert discussion, live machinery and product demonstrations during the same visit.
The exhibition covers the sheet metal working value chain from machinery, automation and tooling to forming, joining, surface technology, digital production and subcontracting.
For production and engineering professionals, that creates an opportunity not only to hear how manufacturers and experts are approaching current challenges, but also to explore the technologies behind those discussions on the show floor.
Join the conversation at EuroBLECH 2026
The EuroBLECH conference will take place on the NextGen Technology Stage in Hall 27 during EuroBLECH 2026, from 20–23 October 2026 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds.
Access to all conference sessions is included with an exhibition ticket.
Register for EuroBLECH 2026 and explore the conference programme: https://rxglb.co/usNG7
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