AMONG THE NEW FEATURES OF THIS EDITION: FORUM ON AEROSPACE & DEFENSE AND ON ENERGY BI-MU FUTURETECH AWARDS
Seven months after its debut, 35.BI-MU, scheduled at fieramilano Rho from 13 to 16 October , is entering the heart of its organizational activity and is doing so at a time when government authorities are preparing to present the implementing decrees for hyper-depreciation , the measure that will give a major boost to the Italian market for machinery and production technologies between now and 2028.
The three-year incentive will significantly boost domestic demand—which has so far been on hold—offering BI-MU exhibitors a truly unique opportunity to tap into and capitalize on users' willingness to invest in new systems.
Registration continues apace, with new attendees confirmed and key players returning. The staff is also busy finalizing all the accompanying initiatives for the event, which is changing its positioning on the weekly calendar. For the first time, BI-MU will open on Tuesday and conclude on Friday . Four days, but all weekdays, as is now the case for most exclusively B2B events.
Promoted by UCIMU and organized by EFIM – ENTE FIERE ITALIANE MACCHINE, for this 35th edition, BI-MU has chosen the slogan "Where it all begins," to emphasize, on the one hand, the central role of machine tools, enabling the majority of manufacturing and the heart of the exhibition, and, on the other, the long and unwavering tradition of this exhibition. 35 editions, in fact, represent 70 years of uninterrupted organizational activity .
At 35.BI-MU, in addition to machinery, seven technological themes will be given particular prominence: RobotHeart, dedicated to robotics, automation, components, systems, and artificial intelligence, sponsored by SIRI; AMITALY, dedicated to the entire additive manufacturing supply chain, sponsored by AITA; BI-MU Digital, digital solutions for the smart factory, with advanced software, connectivity and data security technologies, sensors, and self-adaptive systems; Metrology and Testing , which offers measuring instruments, testing machines, and artificial vision; Power4Machines, dedicated to components for mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic transmission, sponsored by FEDERTEC; Heat and surface treatments , systems and equipment for improving material performance; and, new to this edition, Tool Tech, dedicated to advanced tools for efficient, high-precision production.
The exhibition will be completed by an overview of Revamping & Retrofitting , presenting a selection of machines and systems appropriately regenerated and enhanced to meet the needs of the second-life market, complementary to the "new" market.
Alongside the exhibition, as is tradition, there will be the BI-MUpiù arena with a packed schedule of thematic cultural meetings curated by organizers, exhibitors, and industry experts.
Special focus will be on some of the most dynamic user sectors for investment and innovation development, such as Aerospace & Defense and Energy, which will be hosted in the arena on October 14th and 15th. With these 90-minute forums, BI-MU broadens its horizons, offering industry professionals attending the fair, through the voices of some of the key players in these sectors, a detailed discussion of the most interesting business opportunities for exhibitors.
For young people, the Education & Job project is confirmed, which will have as its flagship ROBOTGAMES , the automation and robotics competition dedicated to secondary school students, now in its second edition.
Another new feature of this edition will be the BI-MU FUTURETECH AWARDS , a prize that celebrates the most innovative manufacturing solutions presented at the fair. The competition is open to exhibitors at 35.BI-MU, who will compete in three categories: mechanical innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. This initiative highlights the event's value as a platform for documenting and anticipating technological advancements in industrial manufacturing.
The lead-up events dedicated to the event continue, the next two appointments are: Wednesday 22 April, at the headquarters of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, “ Industrial service robots and humanoids: an increasingly blurred boundary ” will take place, organised by SIRI, in collaboration with 35.BI-MU and FONDAZIONE UCIMU, and, on Thursday 18 June, at Kilometro Rosso in Bergamo, the “ Innovative Robotics Forum ” will be held, sponsored by 35.BI-MU, organised by Tecnologie Meccaniche and Tecnolamiera with the patronage of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE.
The meeting is dedicated to new developments in process robotics and its applications. Other events dedicated to other key sectors of the event are being planned in the coming months.
Ucimu: orders index for the second quarter of 2026 still down (-25.8%); foreign orders (-15.3%); dom
Riccardo Rosa, president of UCIMU: "We'll have to wait until the next few months to see the full effects of the hyper-depreciation, but we're very confident this measure will last until September 2028." In the second quarter of 2026, the machine tool orders index compiled by the UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE Study & Business Culture Centre recorded a decline of -25.8% compared to the April-June 2025 period . In absolute value, the index stood at 47.8 (base 100 in 2021). The result expresses the difficulties that Italian machine tool manufacturers have encountered both on the domestic and foreign markets. In particular, orders collected from abroad decreased by -15.3% compared to the second quarter of 2025, for an absolute value of 63.2. Order intake in Italy also declined , falling 38.7% compared to the same period of the previous year. The absolute value of the index stood at 33.1. Riccardo Rosa, president of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, stated: “The uncertainty of the geopolitical context—shaken by wars, the Hormuz crisis, and the decidedly worrying attitude of the President of the United States toward international politics—has profoundly undermined the already precarious balance in which the industry found itself operating.” "The decline in international deliveries, given the current situation, is understandable, and we expected it. Business has slowed, but, as is our custom, we've tried to focus our offerings on those areas less directly affected by conflicts and critical issues, diversifying our product offerings wherever possible." "It is certain ," continued President Riccardo Rosa , " that the investment figures and values once ensured by the automotive industry cannot be replaced by the demand expressed by other sectors, however dynamic, such as defense, aerospace, and energy. For this reason, once again, we ask our representatives in Europe to reconsider their decision and adopt the principle of technological neutrality when defining automotive development plans. This approach would allow the industry, and its entire supply chain, to properly manage the ongoing transition, not only respecting the environment but also safeguarding, where possible, employment." Domestically, businesses awaited clarifications on the hyper-depreciation program to confirm their purchasing intentions. Since June 12th, the day all the operational steps were completed, the hyper-depreciation program has been bearing fruit. We immediately noticed a change in attitude among Italian users: orders are starting to arrive. "We'll have to wait a few more months, however, for the effect to be fully reflected in our data, but we're definitely confident. This is also because, in the meantime, we have data from the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, which, as of July 9th, reported the submission of 7,000 communications on the GSE platform, worth €2.5 billion." MIMIT deserves great credit for having established a multi-year term for this incentive. Its effectiveness until September 2028 should ensure thoughtful planning of investments in new machine tools and production technologies by Italian customers, also allowing us manufacturers to plan our production activities over the medium term. "The hope ," concluded Riccardo Rosa , " is to soon see the Italian market return to the levels it experienced in 2021-2022, when it was worth over €6 billion. This is also because our manufacturing industry needs to innovate to remain competitive in an international context where digital and AI are completely reshaping the rules of the game."
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