MECT 2023 – Successful completion of the largest MECT ever held

MECHATRONICS TECHNOLOGY JAPAN (MECT) 2023, one of the largest machine tool exhibitions in Japan, was held at Port Messe Nagoya in Nagoya City for four days from October 18 to 21, 2023. 

Mr. Hachiro Higuchi, President of News Digest Publishing, addresses the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony, which was blessed with clear skies, was attended by many exhibitors and guests. Mr. Hachiro Higuchi, President of News Digest Publishing, the organizer of the exhibition, delivered an opening speech, saying, “We hope that the lively business discussions held during the four days will serve as a catalyst for the industry’s recovery”. Mr. Atsushi Yasuda, Director of Industrial Machinery Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, sent his greetings to the participants and said, “I hope that MECT 2023 will help strengthen the competitiveness of the industry and promote innovation”. Dr. Yoshiharu Inaba, Chairman of the Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association and Chairman of FANUC, shared his expectations for MECT 2023, saying, “I hope that MECT 2023 will serve as a bridge between machine tool users and machine tool builders and contribute to the development of the manufacturing industry”. 

The MECT 2023 expanded its scale by occupying the entire exhibition hall of the venue, including the new Exhibition Hall 1. 492 companies and organizations exhibited with a total of 2103 booths, making it the largest MECT ever held in its history. The exhibition was a great success, with visitors lining up even before the doors opened, thanks in part to the many sunny days during the exhibition. Over the four days, a total of 77,225 people visited the exhibition. 

Japan’s factory automation industry was on the rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been slowing down lately. Although domestic demand for machine tools has been lacking momentum, the industry is seeing strong demand for automation and labor-saving solutions, and proposals utilizing robotic systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) were in full bloom at MECT 2023. Exciting business discussions took place throughout the venue. 

Many machine tool builders exhibited in the brand new Hall 1.

The entrance gate of Hall 1, which is directly connected to Kinjo-Futo Station.

The opening ceremony was held in the brightly lit atrium.

Crowds gathered immediately after the opening of Exhibition Hall 2, where tool manufacturers and other exhibitors displayed their products.