The German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW) is launching NexGeM, a new trade fair dedicated to digitalization in machine tool building. The first edition will run from 5 to 8 April 2027 in Hannover, co-located with HANNOVER MESSE 2027, under the motto “Metal Works Digital”.
What NexGeM is about
NexGeM is organized by the VDW in partnership with Deutsche Messe, the organizer of HANNOVER MESSE. Instead of showing machines for their own sake, the fair focuses on concrete use cases that demonstrate how digital technologies make metal-cutting and forming production more efficient and more cost-effective. The central idea is the machine tool as a data provider: a networked machine that feeds information into automation, AI and digital platforms. Exhibiting companies will present these trends through practical applications rather than isolated product launches.
Key topics
- Networked machine tools as data sources
- Digital twins
- Artificial intelligence in manufacturing
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
- Cloud and edge computing
- Cybersecurity
Event at a glance
| Name | NexGeM – Metal Works Digital |
| Dates | 5–8 April 2027 |
| Venue | Hannover, Germany, alongside HANNOVER MESSE 2027 |
| Organizer | VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) with Deutsche Messe |
| Target visitors | Mechanical engineers, IT managers, automation and digitalization executives |
Why it runs next to HANNOVER MESSE
HANNOVER MESSE 2027 will place AI at the center, with main areas such as Automation & Smart Manufacturing, Digital Solutions and Industrial Energy, and Spain as partner country. Placing NexGeM in the same week brings together groups that rarely meet at traditional metalworking fairs: machine tool builders on one side, and IT, software and automation specialists on the other, together with the international trade audience that already travels to Hannover.
Dr. Markus Heering, Executive Director of the VDW, notes that machine tools stand at the beginning of virtually every industrial value chain, which is why the association wants to connect the sector with the core topics of HANNOVER MESSE. Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe, sees the new fair as the place where digital manufacturing technology finds its home in Hannover.
Why it matters for engineers
For automation engineers and integrators, the interesting part is the interface between the machine and the plant: how CNC data reaches MES and IIoT platforms, how edge devices preprocess it, and how AI models use it without opening security gaps. A fair built around use cases rather than machine specifications should make it easier to compare concrete connectivity and data solutions from different suppliers in one place.
More information is available on the official NexGeM website and in the HANNOVER MESSE press release. Follow our coverage in the Hannover Messe section and in our machine tools news.