Machine tool exhibition Bi-Mu 2026 closes with 26,000 industry professionals in attendance

Machine tools shared the spotlight with automation, additive manufacturing and skills development at Bi-Mu 2026. Beyond the exhibition stands, new initiatives explored opportunities for manufacturers and the next generation of engineers.

Friday, 16 October was the closing day of 35. Bi-Mu, the international biennial exhibition dedicated to the manufacturing industry of metal forming and metal cutting machine tools, robots, automation, digital and additive manufacturing, auxiliary and enabling technologies. The trade show took place in the exhibition halls of Fieramilano Rho from Tuesday, 13 October.

Promoted by Ucimu-Sistemi per Produrre and organised by Efim-Ente Fiere Italiane Macchine, Bi-Mu showcased a comprehensive overview of the international offerings in the sector, reaffirming its role as a key event for trade professionals in the manufacturing industry. It also offered trade visitors a full programme of meetings and numerous opportunities and initiatives designed to foster networking.

A total of 26,000 industry professionals attending 35. Bi-Mu were able to see first-hand the product offerings of the 448 exhibiting companies, 30 percent of which were from abroad: Austria, China, Finland, Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan, Bulgaria, South Korea, France, Japan, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States.

The global offering displayed in the exhibition halls also attracted international professionals, making up 6 percent of the total and representing 80 countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Brazil, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Egypt. Among the trade visitors, there were also 120 guests, including qualified end users, trade analysts and journalists, who participated in the Incoming Mission organised by Ucimu-Sistemi per Produrre, in association with ICE-Italian Trade Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The Italian Trade Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, again in partnership with Ucimu-Sistemi per Produrre, also promoted the organisation of the Start-up Area, which hosted about twenty exhibitors featuring product offerings well integrated with capital goods production.

The exhibition also welcomed a delegation of European Union representatives from the Machinery Unit, who, together with representatives from Cecimo, the European Association of Manufacturing Technologies, visited the event and met with the top executives of Ucimu for an open discussion on issues of interest to the sector.

Through the unprecedented initiative Associations & Network Hub, Bi-Mu reserved a dedicated area for trade associations of the manufacturing industry, representing several key regional and supply-chain sectors, with the aim of encouraging dialogue, knowledge sharing and the exchange of valuable insights among all industry players in attendance.

In addition to networking, special attention was dedicated to the collateral, cultural and thematic in-depth initiatives tailored to the various target audiences of the event: exhibitors, visitors, students, researchers, education & training professionals, media and institutions. Over 50 meetings were organised within Bi-Mu by the exhibition organisers and institutional partners.

Among the meetings held at the Bi-Mupiù Arena, the Opening Conference chaired by Riccardo Rosa, President of Ucimu-Sistemi per Produrre, was particularly well-attended and featured speeches by Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy; Giovanni Bozzetti, President of Fondazione Fiera Milano; Simona Greco, Hosted Exhibitions Director of Fiera Milano; Luca Durante, Capital Goods Office Manager, ICE-Italian Trade Agency; Gian Piero Cutillo, Co-General Manager of Leonardo; and Roberto Vavassori, Executive Director of Brembo and President of Anfia (Italian Association of the Automotive Industry). The meetings were moderated by Paolo Bricco, Correspondent for Il Sole 24 Ore.

Enthusiastic participation was registered for the two special forums dedicated to the Aerospace & Defence and Energy fields, which were analysed through the direct accounts of production and operations executives from leading international players and the CEOs of some Italian SMEs.

With regard to education and training, the International Conference VLF4EU (Virtual Learning Factory for EU) was of particular significance, welcoming around thirty researchers from Denmark, France, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Italy. In addition, an exchange of views between young people and the world of work took centre stage during the meeting “Value, Future, Impact: Work According to the New Generation”, organised by Anipla (Italian National Association for Automation), with the support of Fondazione Ucimu. These conferences were included in the programme of events held in the Skills Area.

Set up in Hall 24, the Skills Area also hosted some of the initiatives promoted by Ucimu Academy and Fondazione Ucimu, including Robotgames, the automation and robotics competition aimed at high school students, now in its second edition.

In this area, about 4,000 students registered and, accompanied by their teachers, took part in free and tutor-guided tours over the four exhibition days. The tutors who led the visits were all students from the ITS Incom (Higher Technical Institute). The visiting students were able to see first-hand state-of-the-art technologies at the exhibitors’ stands.

At 35.Bi-Mu, Additive Future Lab made its debut. The initiative - promoted by Aita-Italian Association of Additive Technologies - was dedicated to the students of Higher Technical Institutes and to the technologies of additive manufacturing. The award ceremony was held in the area of the association within Amitaly, the area of Bi-Mu focused on additive manufacturing. Another brand-new initiative for this edition was the Bi-Mu Future Techaward, an award emphasising the best innovative manufacturing solutions across the categories of mechanical innovation, digitalisation and sustainability.

Furthermore, to celebrate 70 years since the organisation of the very first Bi-Mu, in cooperation with the Historical Archive of Fondazione Fiera Milano, Efim organised “70 Years of Machine Tools”, a photography exhibition collecting several visual records of the Biennial Machine Tool Exhibition in random order, from its early days to the present.

The next edition of Bi-Mu is scheduled from 10 to 13 October 2028.

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