June, 2026
This is a repeating eventJune 9, 2028 9:00 am
CastForge
Event Details
CastForge
09. – 11. June 2026 | Stuttgart, Germany
Official Website: https://www.messe-stuttgart.de/castforge/en/
The core strategic misjudgment at CastForge is treating it as a catalog of metal parts suppliers. This overlooks its fundamental role as the negotiation table for de-risking the most critical, failure-intolerant components in modern engineering. Design and procurement specialists from automotive, aerospace, and energy attend not to find a generic forging house, but to identify partners capable of co-engineering the material integrity and geometric precision that determine a system’s performance, weight, and lifetime—be it for an electric vehicle battery housing or a hydrogen valve body. Success hinges on demonstrating a command of the entire metallurgical and process chain to guarantee predictable behavior under load, not just the ability to produce a shape.
Strategic Snapshot
CastForge is the pivotal European nexus for the high-integrity metal components supply chain, functioning as the critical forum where foundry and forging capabilities are evaluated against the exacting demands of digital product design, lightweighting mandates, and the transition to new energy systems.
Why This Fair Matters in Germany’s Exhibition Ecosystem
Located in Stuttgart, the epicenter of German automotive and mechanical engineering excellence, CastForge draws its authority from the extreme performance and quality standards of its surrounding industries. It attracts a deeply technical audience of materials engineers and advanced buyers who think in terms of fatigue life, stress concentrations, and microstructure. A supplier’s validation within this environment—where simulation (CAE) dictates material requirements and traceability is non-negotiable—signals an ability to serve the most demanding global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, particularly those navigating the material science challenges of electrification and decarbonization.
Who This Fair Is For — and Who Should Skip It
Ideal for:
- Manufacturers with integrated capabilities in simulation-driven process optimization (e.g., predicting solidification, forging flow) to achieve “right-first-time” manufacturing of complex geometries.
- Specialists in advanced and niche alloys for high-temperature, corrosive, or lightweight applications (e.g., for e-mobility, aerospace, hydrogen).
- Suppliers offering full digital thread integration, providing as-built component data (dimensional, material) that seamlessly feeds into the customer’s digital twin and quality records.
- Companies with certified, transparent processes for sustainable production, including recycled material usage and energy efficiency, aligned with OEM decarbonization goals.
Not ideal for:
- Producers of standard, catalog-based castings or forgings without application engineering or co-development capacity.
- Companies unable to engage in detailed technical discussions about heat treatment effects, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, or the implications of specific material standards.
- Suppliers viewing their role as mere “shape makers” without a narrative on how their process controls ensure performance reliability in the customer’s final application.
- Exhibitors unprepared for the rigorous, multi-stage supplier qualification processes (e.g., VDA 6.3) typical of German automotive and industrial sectors.
The 3–5 Day Moment vs. the 365-Day Reality
CastForge provides a focused environment for technical capability assessment and initial dialogue on specific component challenges. This convergence is essential for entering the supplier pre-selection phase for new projects.
The strategic rupture occurs in the “production part approval process (PPAP) chasm.” A sample part meets print, but the supplier fails to demonstrate the statistical process control (SPC), consistent metallurgical properties, and robust quality management system required for series production approval. For an OEM, a component failure in the field can lead to catastrophic recalls. A foundry or forge’s inability to provide unwavering, data-backed consistency and to partner through the grueling PPAP phase reveals a fatal lack of process mastery and long-term reliability.
Thus, the true value lies not in sample quality, but in a supplier’s proven systemic ability to deliver batch-to-batch consistency and total traceability over the lifecycle of a production program.
Strategic Next Step
Before exhibiting, conduct an internal audit of your process stability, data capture capabilities, and readiness for collaborative engineering. For a framework on establishing this essential role as a predictable, data-driven manufacturing partner, review the perspective in our analysis of trade fair visibility in Germany.
Explore the Ecosystem
A practical checklist to prepare for the technical depth and procedural formality expected by German engineering and procurement professionals
Contextualize CastForge within the wider schedule of German advanced manufacturing and materials technology fairs
Strategic FAQs for Exhibitors
How does a foundry/forge move beyond quoting on a drawing to becoming a co-engineering partner?
By proactively offering Design for Manufacturability (DFM) feedback that optimizes the part for your specific process while meeting performance goals. Use simulation to show how a slight rib modification reduces stress or improves fill. Provide comparative data on different alloy choices for the application. Shift the conversation from “can you make this?” to “here is how we can make it better, lighter, or more cost-effectively.”
What is a critical error in discussing “lightweighting” with customers focused on structural components?
Focusing solely on weight reduction without addressing the resultant stiffness, fatigue life, or crash performance. You must present a holistic engineering package: how your process (e.g., squeeze casting, precision forging) and material selection enable thin walls or complex geometries while maintaining or enhancing mechanical properties. Provide FEA-backed case studies, not just weight savings percentages.
For a supplier, how do you effectively communicate value in an era of “green steel” and carbon-neutral manufacturing pressures?
Move beyond aspirations to auditable metrics. Provide specific carbon footprint data per kg of casting/forging, detail your use of recycled material streams, and outline your energy source mix and efficiency projects. Offer to participate in the customer’s Scope 3 emissions reporting. Position your sustainability efforts as a direct contribution to their regulatory compliance and brand goals, making you a strategic enabler, not a cost.
Why is digital process data and traceability becoming a key differentiator at this level of manufacturing?
Because OEMs are building digital twins that require as-manufactured data. Can you provide a digital passport for each batch with melt chemistry, heat treatment curves, and 3D scan data? This allows for predictive maintenance and performance modeling. Your ability to deliver rich, structured manufacturing data integrates you into their digital ecosystem and provides unparalleled quality assurance.
How should a company address the industry’s need for both high-volume automotive and low-volume, high-complexity industrial parts?
Clearly segment and demonstrate dual competencies. For automotive, highlight automated lines, high-speed NDT, and rigorous SPC. For industrial/low-volume, showcase flexible cell-based production, rapid prototyping capabilities, and expertise in exotic alloys. Have separate case studies and, if possible, different technical representatives to communicate your mastery of both distinct business models.
