The participation of the world’s leading machine-tool companies has made BIEMH one of Europe’s biggest trade shows in its field, so the event is dedicating its slogan this year – You Make it Big – to the real stars of the show: the exhibitors. The message is a direct reference to the strength of these firms, which offer specialised, technically innovative products with high added value. It also echoes the 2014 slogan “Think Big, Think BIEMH”. With a new image focused on smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, the commercial campaign for the event is already under way. It is set to culminate with the 29th BIEMH at Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Spain on May 30 – June 4 2016.

Bilbao, an industrial port city in northern Spain, is surrounded by green mountains. It’s the de facto capital of Basque Country, with a skyscraper-filled downtown

The 4th industrial revolution has given rise to what is known as the “smart factory” or “industry 4.0.” Industries are now evolving towards computerised versions of factories, where all processes are interconnected and interact with each other.

The new challenges for industry are software development, massive data analysis systems, data storage systems, the incorporation of sensors and electronics into equipment that interacts with production processes and into the resulting products. The relationship between human beings and machines is changing, and richer information can now be obtained for better decision-making. All these trends will be on show at the 29th BIEMH.

Bilbao is famed for the Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim Museum, which sparked revitalisation when it opened in 1997. The museum houses modern and contemporary works from prominent artists, but it’s the curvy, titanium-clad building that receives the most attention

In all, 35,500 people from 57 countries visited the 2014 edition, which featured 1,314 exhibiting firms and marked the beginning of the recovery of the machine-tool industry.

The AFM (Spanish Association of Machine-tool Manufacturers) expects to obtain a year-on-year increase in orders of between 5% and 10% by the end of 2015, so the prospects for 2016 are good.

For more information visit www.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com