As spring returns and nature comes alive, the 35th Global Foundry Sourcing Conference 2026 opened grandly in Shanghai. Organized by Foundry-Suppliers.Com and Suppliers China Co., Ltd. and co-sponsored by Qingdao Casting Sourcing Co., Ltd., the conference successfully brought together casting buyers and suppliers from around the world to focus on casting procurement project matchmaking and explore new opportunities for cooperation and development.

Strong Highlights from Both Supply and Demand Sides

Buyer Side: Clear Demand Structure and Strong Market Signals

Following multiple rounds of rigorous screening, the organizer extended targeted invitations to numerous leading global casting buyers. Participating buyers mainly came from multinational groups, Asia-Pacific sourcing centers, and leading domestic industrial enterprises. Their sourcing demand structure revealed several clear industry trends. From a regional perspective, demand from Europe accounted for more than 65% of total sourcing interest, with significant year-on-year growth, indicating that Europe’s production capacity gap is accelerating the transfer of sourcing demand to China. North American demand saw some adjustment, with part of the mid- to low-end orders showing a short-term trend of relocation to Southeast Asia. From a project-stage perspective, new orders remained active, and several casting projects at this conference represented first-time sourcing in China by multinational buyers.

During the morning buyer presentation session, Yutong Bus Co., Ltd., one of China’s leading commercial vehicle groups, introduced sourcing plans for chassis brackets, independent suspension systems, and axle components, with planned procurement exceeding RMB 200 million. In addition, the company announced demand for wheel hubs, differential housings, reducer housings, brake discs, and other components totaling RMB 110 million, with plans to introduce new casting suppliers. Yutong’s casting procurement representative also provided a detailed explanation of supplier selection criteria and the specific procedures for entering its supply chain.

During its sourcing presentation, Frese Group, a Danish family-owned enterprise, shared that casting suppliers developed through last year’s Global Foundry Sourcing Conference had already achieved stable mass production deliveries. This year, Frese’s European headquarters decided to relocate pump and valve casting orders traditionally sourced in Europe to China.The company’s procurement representative also introduced its supplier support program.

In addition, Surewell Equities Inc. from the Philippines traveled specifically to China to attend the event. During its presentation, the company introduced sourcing demand for aluminum alloy castings for the construction industry and, under arrangements made by the organizing committee, participated in two days of multiple rounds of one-on-one meetings and open-format negotiations.

A global technical expert from Eaton Corporation, a world leader in intelligent power management, also delivered a special presentation, sharing strategies for developing highly reliable casting suppliers from the perspective of a top-tier global manufacturer, providing valuable insights to all participants.

Supplier Side: Broad Manufacturing Coverage and Concentration of Premium Capacity

Based on buyer demand, the organizing committee invited 150 high-quality casting manufacturers to participate in targeted business matchmaking. These suppliers came from China’s major casting production clusters, including Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hebei, Ningxia, and Taiwan. Their manufacturing capabilities covered a full range of processes, including sand casting, investment casting, die casting, lost foam casting, forging, powder metallurgy, and machining.

Among them, Hebei Longchun General Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a major Hebei-based foundry enterprise with annual output of 100,000 tons, held a dedicated product presentation. The company’s Chief Technical Engineer introduced Longchun’s production capabilities in chassis systems, powertrain systems, pumps and valves, and robotic components, while also showcasing the strong machining capacity of its 60 machining production lines. Backed by its comprehensive manufacturing strength, the company attracted strong interest from buyers from the United States, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, and reached multiple preliminary cooperation intentions for orders.

In addition, DISA (Changzhou) Machinery Ltd., a world-leading foundry equipment supplier and a century-old Danish enterprise under the Norican Group, attended the event with a delegation. Application Manager Zhang Fan introduced innovative green sand molding process solutions for aluminum alloy castings, copper alloy castings, and cast steel components, aimed at helping foundries reduce costs and improve efficiency.

At the on-site exhibition area, more than 20 suppliers, including Xuancheng Chieftech Metal Technology Co., Ltd., Wing Kam Bronze Foundry (Shijiazhuang) Co., Ltd., Changge Shuoyu Machinery Co., Ltd., Luoyang Easy 3D Printing Technologies Co., Ltd., Shanghai Jiuxi Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd., and Hebei Gongde Foundry Co., Ltd., displayed casting samples in a wide range of materials, attracting strong interest and continuous visits from buyers.

Industry Insights: Three Major Trends Shaping Future Growth

Foundry-Suppliers.Com has continued to track procurement movements of global casting buyers and the operating conditions of suppliers within its database. Current market analysis indicates three major trends defining the industry’s direction.

China’s Core Position Continues to Strengthen

Since the beginning of this year, first-time China sourcing demand from European companies has increased by 30% year on year. In previous years, some multinational groups tentatively shifted certain mid- to low-end orders to Southeast Asia. However, after multiple rounds of supply chain disruptions, the market has largely reached a consensus: the stability, supply chain completeness, and responsiveness of China’s supply chain are unmatched by other regions. Particularly in the mid- to high-end casting segment, China remains the preferred sourcing destination for global buyers.

Downstream Demand Structure Is Rapidly Evolving

On one hand, the short-term trend of mid- to low-end North American orders shifting to Southeast Asia is expected to continue, while the room for homogeneous low-price competition is shrinking steadily. On the other hand, driven by emerging sectors such as new energy vehicles, the low-altitude economy, and industrial robotics, demand for nonferrous alloy castings, particularly aluminum and magnesium alloy castings has surged by more than 60% year on year. Among buyers attending this year’s conference, the share of buyers sourcing aluminum and magnesium alloy castings increased significantly, while the number of buyers from the humanoid robotics and NEV sectors also rose sharply compared with previous editions. According to FSC, inquiries received in the first quarter of this year for robotic castings and UAV components had already exceeded the total volume for all of last year, making it a clear new blue-ocean growth opportunity.

Risk Control Has Become More Strategically Important

Against the backdrop of slowing global economic growth, persistent geopolitical tensions, and continuous cost reduction pressure from downstream customers being passed upstream through the supply chain, homogeneous competition within the industry is intensifying.Under such circumstances, FSC issued an industry alert that foundries must attach great importance to cash-flow security and remain cautious about orders with low margins and extended payment terms. The current market environment is both an accelerator of industry reshuffling and a strategic window for high-quality enterprises to stand out, testing companies’ ability to achieve stable and sustainable growth.

FSC Platform Upgrade: Stronger Service Capabilities

To adapt to industry transformation, FSC has continuously upgraded its service capabilities. Over the past six months, the platform completed a major upgrade of its AI-powered matching system, doubling sourcing and matchmaking efficiency for buyers. Buyer matchmaking requests received by the FSC platform increased by 50% year on year.The precision of FSC’s online and offline dual-channel matching services, as well as order conversion rates, improved significantly, creating a more efficient bridge for cooperation between buyers and suppliers.For this conference, the organizing committee launched pre-event business matching services 30 days in advance through FSC’s online platform, including its website and WeChat Mini Program. Mr. Akhmadb, Purchasing Manager of TOOLSHED Slovakia spol. s r.o., who traveled from Slovakia to attend the event, commented that they had already connected with multiple suppliers via email before traveling to China, which greatly improved the efficiency of on-site negotiations.

Looking Ahead: Cooperation and Innovation as the Mainstream of Competition

In his opening remarks, Mr. Wang Longhe, head of Foundry-Suppliers.Com, stated that global foundry competition over the next decade will fundamentally revolve around cooperation and innovation centered on China’s supply chain. As an important platform connecting global resources and strengthening supply chain resilience, this conference will continue to play an important role.

FSC will remain committed to its mission of helping Chinese foundries expand globally and connect with international markets, while also enabling global buyers to share the advantages of China’s casting supply chain, jointly driving the casting industry into a new stage of development.