The team of the EMO World Tour made a good impression to visitors and journalists in the Canadian banking metropolis of Toronto. Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (left), together with Larry Turner, from HFUSA (right) presented the world's leading trade fair for metalworking to an excited audience.

The press conference was attended by Steve Watson, President of the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (second from left), and Robert Cattle, Executive Director of the Association (second from right). Watson emphasizes the outstanding position of EMO Hannover against other trade fairs in the industry. From his experience at EMO Hannover 2013 Watson said, that he can only recommend an EMO visit to everyone in the industry. The insights into the latest products and innovations finally are of benefit for the Canadian customers. A reunion at the fair is for sure, as the association is already planning a delegation trip to EMO Hannover this year.

Subdued performance by Canada’s economy

In the past two years, Canada’s economy has lost a bit of its dynamism. In 2016, GDP growth has been quantified at 1.2 per cent. For 2017, according to Germany Trade & Invest (the foreign trade information agency of the Federal Republic of Germany), a somewhat higher plus is being forecast. In view of low prices on the global market, the raw material sector is adopting a wait-and-see policy with investments, with concomitantly adverse effects for machinery and plant manufacturers. For 2017, Oxford Economics is anticipating only a very modest rise in investments, of 0.4 per cent.

There will, however, be a boost from the Canadian government’s multi-billion-dollar stimulus programme, aimed at upgrading the infrastructure. In flourishing sectors, like the automotive industry and its component suppliers, and in rail vehicle and aircraft manufacturing, companies have used the favourable financing conditions in order to upsize their capacities, with concomitant benefits for machine tool manufacturers. Canada’s machine tool consumption, following a fall of more than 10 per cent last year, is predicted to pick up slightly again in 2017.

Canada imports almost three-quarters of its machine tool requirements, most recently amounting to 1.1 billion euros in 2015. The biggest supplier nation, with a share of 30 per cent, is the USA, followed by Japan with 22 per cent and Germany with a 13-per-cent share. The country ranks 22^nd among the export markets of the German manufacturers. In 2015, deliveries increased by 19 per cent to reach 92 million euros. In 2016, they rose by another 12 per cent. They principally comprised machining centres, plus parts and accessories. In the first nine months of 2016, however, orders from Canada fell by more than a third.

“If Canada’s industrial sector wants to increase its international competitiveness, it will have to invest in state-of-the-art production technology,” warns Wilfried Schäfer of the VDW. “Canadian manufacturers can at the EMO Hannover acquire comprehensive information on new solutions,” he adds. Exhibitors will include representatives from all important vendor nations for Canada’s industrial sector. Machine tool manufacturers from more than 42 different countries will there be spotlighting their production technology, ranging from simple, sturdy and affordable to high-priced high-tech. Both stand-alone machines and concatenated systems will be on show, plus transfer lines and large machines, featuring a high degree of automation. “The EMO is the ideal platform not only for big investors,” is his explicit message to Canadian trade visitors. “We are especially keen to encourage mid-tier users of machine tools to find out in detail what the world of metalworking has to offer.” The last EMO Hannover in 2013 attracted more than 200 Canadian trade visitors.

Photo: VDW