BIEMH 2026 – International Machine Tool Biennial kicks off the international trade fair calendar for advanced manufacturing from 2 to 6 March at Bilbao Exhibition Centre. The event brings together 1,503 exhibiting companies from 34 countries and will showcase more than 3,350 innovative products. With 33 editions and more than sixty years of history, the event maintains its position as a benchmark meeting place for the most influential players in the sector on a global scale, who will attend in search of cutting-edge technology, comprehensive solutions and new opportunities for collaboration and business.
BIEMH 2026 will occupy the six pavilions of Bilbao Exhibition Centre and offer a comprehensive sector-based representation of the main industrial areas: starting machinery, tools and accessories, welding, metrology, components, deformation machinery, sheet metal and tube cutting, as well as solutions for surface treatment. It will be a dynamic space, with technology in operation showing the industry in full swing. Automation, robotics and digitalization will also have a prominent area, reflecting the evolution towards more efficient, flexible and interconnected production models.
In parallel with the trade exhibition, BIEMH 2026 will roll out an extensive programme of content aimed at analysing trends, sharing knowledge and promoting high-level networking, reinforcing its role as a strategic platform for addressing current challenges.
Under the slogan “CARPE BIEMH”, the 33rd edition of the event invites exhibiting companies, visitors and organisations to seize the moment, once again highlighting its ability to offer a truly spectacular live industrial and technological show that never fails to surprise, edition after edition.
The official opening of BIEMH is on Monday, 2 March, at 12:00 noon, and will be presided over by Lehendakari Imanol Pradales.
LARGE MACHINERY IN OPERATION AND INTERNATIONALITY
The product is one of the central themes of the event, with a spectacular exhibition of machines in operation, including fully operational large-format solutions at the stands themselves, a distinguishing feature that is part of BIEMH’s DNA, making it a unique showcase for the industry. With the aim of further reinforcing this distinctive value, the organisation has promoted a specific support programme to encourage exhibiting companies to participate with this type of equipment.
The international dimension is reinforced in this edition, thanks to the participation of exhibiting companies, associations and professional visitors from nearly 70 countries. This high degree of internationalisation is the result of intense overseas promotion in key markets, aimed at attracting high-value technological offerings and qualified visitors with real decision-making and investment capacity.
The countries represented in the exhibition area include Germany, Austria, China, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Taiwan, Turkey, Switzerland, Japan, EEA and South Corea. Their companies present the latest solutions, equipment and services to respond to the challenges
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facing the industry. In addition, BIEMH 2026 incorporates the International Associations’ Area. This new space for machine tool organisations features the participation of 11 international associations, presenting their respective countries’ projects.
On the other side of the supply-demand axis, the international campaign to attract visitors has been expanded to new sectors and markets. India is one of the highlighted countries, along with the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Portugal, France, Turkey, Morocco, and the Netherlands, among others. Many of these professionals will participate in the Hosted Buyers’ Programme, a noteworthy initiative that facilitates meetings between exhibiting companies and major buyers.
At national level, the presence of purchasing companies is also significant. In this regard, the event has the support of 73 associations, corresponding to the main national organisations, bringing together companies that use machinery, advanced technology and strategic industrial sectors.
Managers, owners, directors and department heads will attend with specific objectives: to identify concrete solutions, learn about the latest technological developments and anticipate the trends that will shape the future of the industry in sectors such as aeronautics, aerospace, automotive, capital goods, defence, electronics and electricity, energy, rail, naval, oil & gas, steel and industrial subcontracting. BIEMH expects highly qualified participants with significant decision-making power.
ACTIVITIES AND NETWORKING
The BIEMH experience finishes with a programme of networking activities designed to facilitate meetings between professionals, strengthen relationships and create an environment conducive to the exchange of ideas and new business opportunities.
Among the most notable initiatives are the Innovation Workshops, conferences in which managers from exhibiting companies in the fields of robotics, automation and digitalisation present the technological developments on display at the stands. These sessions allow visitors to closely explore the functionalities, applications and advantages of each innovation, connecting technical knowledge with its real-world application in industrial environments.
The programme includes the Innovation Awards by BIEMH, organised by AFM and BEC, which recognise the most outstanding proposals in the field of industrial innovation. These awards are divided into six categories dedicated to machine tools; components, accessories and tools; additive manufacturing; digitalisation and automation in advanced manufacturing environments; the most innovative start-up focused on advanced manufacturing; and the most innovative exhibition proposal presented by an importer.
Professional networking is also reinforced by activities promoted by the PWN (Professional Women’s Network), with conferences, round tables and open dialogue spaces. This aims to highlight the work of women in the industrial and technological sector and propose lines of work that accelerate the cultural transformation of the industry towards greater diversity and parity.
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Highlights in terms of more social activities include the Welcome Reception for exhibitors, the reception for buyer visitors, and BIEMH Fest, open to the public, which takes place on Wednesday 4 March at Azkuna Zentroa – Alhóndiga Bilbao. In addition, during the five days of the fair, the CARPE BIEMH AREA, located in Hall 4, functions as a permanent networking area in a relaxed atmosphere, designed to facilitate informal meetings between professionals from different fields.
All these initiatives reinforce BIEMH as a dynamic and participatory space, aimed at generating connections between all its participants.
BIEMH 2026 is organised by AFM, Machine Tool Manufacturers; AIMHE, Machine Tools Importers and Bilbao Exhibition Centre, with the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and SPRI – Basque Government as institutional partners.
WORKINN TALENT HUB: TALENT, ALSO AT BIEMH
The future of advanced manufacturing depends not only on technology, but also on the people who make it possible. That is why BIEMH is to host WORKinn Talent Hub, a unique forum dedicated entirely to industrial talent that brings together more than 30 companies and institutions with over 350 job offers. A cross-cutting space designed to facilitate the search, promotion and recruitment of talent, and to show new generations the opportunities that the sector offers in terms of quality employment, stability and professional growth.
The core of WORKinn Talent Hub is the Employment Forum —on 4 and 5 March— where participating entities present their projects, share their selection processes and convey the most sought-after profiles, offering a current view of the industrial labour market. At the same time, the Inspire Zone offers an educational and experiential tour through different interactive stations to learn about the skills required in areas such as design, programming, manufacturing, assembly and precision, as well as projects developed by young people starting out in the sector. The Food & Art space completes the offering, combining the gastronomy with an initiative that explores the connections between art and industry to foster inspiration and new ways of approaching the industrial field.
WORKinn Talent Hub for BIEMH is organised by AFM Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing and Bilbao Exhibition Centre, in collaboration with the Department of Employment, Social Cohesion and Equality of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, DEMA, Lanbide and the Department of Economy, Labour and Employment of the Basque Government.
