The European-backed Chinese fair will first open its doors around this time next year.

The EMTE-Eastpo Machine Tool Exhibition scheduled slated for mid-2014 in Shanghai has been receiving warm responses from leading names of the machine tool industry, according to the show’s European and Chinese organisers.

Announced in February, the joint exhibition will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from 14-17 July 2014 and is expected to cover a gross area of about 100,000 square metres, according to the hosts, namely Europe’s machine tool association Cecimo and the Shanghai Eastpo Culture Development Co., Ltd.

The exhibition is said to have the full support of Cecimo and its 15 national member associations, which represent the machine tool industries in their respective European countries. Martin Kapp, Cecimo president and chairman of the VDW, the German machine tool builders' association, discussed the reasoning behind the decision to create such an event. “Cecimo saw the strong need to have a machine tool show in China and therefore we came up with the idea of having a joint exhibition (...) in Shanghai. This exhibition will be an ideal place for European machine tool companies and other leading manufacturers to show their newest products in China and Asia.”

Eastpo Chairman Li Qiong said, “We warmly welcome Cecimo’s collaboration. Leveraging on our respective strengths, the show will be able to attract global industry brands.” He noted such companies will be able to increase their presence in the region, which will lead established manufacturers from China and other Asian countries to follow suit.