On October 23, 2025, the 34th Global Foundry Sourcing Conference, acclaimed as the “barometer of supply and demand” within the global casting procurement sphere, successfully drew to a close at the Suzhou Platinum Hanjue Hotel. Jointly orchestrated by Foundry-Suppliers.Com and Suppliers China Co., Ltd., this edition of the conference was predicated on the core theme of “Synergistic Innovation and Resilient Development.” It convened global industrial forces, not only serving as a crucial vantage point for observing the dynamics of the global casting market but also establishing a pivotal bridge to deepen international cooperation and facilitate the efficient allocation of resources.

A Global Assembly Convenes, Forging New Breakthroughs in the Industrial Landscape

Leveraging its profound industry influence, the conference captured global attention, with its participant roster encompassing a dual-core of “international and domestic” strengths. The international contingent drew buyers from a multitude of nations, including Russia, Germany, Italy, Poland, Canada, and Japan, with the attendance of Fortune 500 corporations such as Siemens, Hitachi, Knorr-Bremse, KSB, DANIELI, Continental, and Decathlon. The domestic front featured participation from leading casting suppliers hailing from Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, with suppliers from the Taiwan region and Thailand also actively engaging, thereby forging a new paradigm of industrial cooperation characterized by “east-west synergy and north-south interconnectivity.” Data indicates that the proportion of buyers from foreign enterprises at this conference reached a remarkable 75%, with the supply-demand structure undergoing continuous optimization.

Inaugural Stop of the National Tour Concludes with Success, Empowering the Industry Through Multifaceted Highlights

As the inaugural stop of the FSC’s autumn activities, upgraded to a national touring format, the Suzhou conference capitalized on the advantages of the regional industrial cluster to create multi-dimensional value propositions:

Vibrant Exhibition Interactions: Over 20 enterprises, including Xuancheng Chieftech Metal Technology Co., Ltd., Wuxi Universal Precision Casting Co., Ltd., Shanxi Xinsheng Malleable Iron Co., Ltd., Wing Kam Bronze Foundry Co., Ltd., and Qingdao Sinocast New Material Technology Development Co., Ltd., showcased high-precision casting samples on-site, attracting buyers for in-depth examinations. Anhui Chenguang and Dongguan Victor shared technological breakthroughs through special sessions, offering practical references for industry upgrading. Concurrently, the Foundry-Suppliers.Com online platform promoted premium suppliers, amplifying industrial influence.

Authoritative Trend Interpretation: Mr. Gong Siqing, Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Foundry Association, delivered a special report titled “An Overview of the Jiangsu Foundry Industry,” providing an in-depth analysis of the advantages of the Yangtze River Delta’s foundry supply chain and offering guidance for global buyers to connect with high-quality suppliers. The head of a Thai foundry made a special trip to China to share “Investment Trends and Opportunities in Thailand’s Foundry Industry,” furnishing Chinese enterprises with policy and market insights to facilitate their global expansion strategies.

Online-Offline Fusion: The Foundry-Suppliers.Com concurrently launched a dedicated online sourcing and matching section, with real-time updates on procurement projects, thereby achieving a synergy between an “online database and offline conference” to efficiently match global casting resources.

Discerning Global Trends, Addressing Key Propositions for Industry Development

FSC continuously tracks the procurement dynamics of global buyers and the operational status of suppliers. Concurrently released, the “Casting Procurement Trends Report” precisely captures three core characteristics of the global casting market, providing a basis for corporate decision-making:

Divergent Regional Demand: Inquiry volumes from Europe and countries along the “Belt and Road” have witnessed a year-on-year growth exceeding 30%, emerging as a new engine for market expansion. In contrast, inquiry volumes from the North American market have fallen to a historic low, with new projects accelerating their transfer to Southeast Asia and Mexico. Data from the Foundry-Suppliers.Com reveals a high degree of congruence between the regional distribution of online inquiries and offline trends.

Iteration in Material Demand: The demand for ferrous castings used in fuel-powered vehicles continues to shrink, with buyers showing a greater inclination to consolidate their supplier base and focus on long-term collaborations. Conversely, sectors such as new energy vehicles and the low-altitude economy are driving a surge in demand for aluminum and magnesium alloy die-castings, spurring strong investment intentions and carving out a new blue ocean for growth. The Foundry-Suppliers.Com also leverages AI algorithm-driven recommendations to precisely match suppliers with buyers possessing lightweighting requirements.

Supply Chain Security Challenges: FSC has issued a cautionary note: the current global economic slowdown, coupled with market demand fatigue and excessive competition within the industry, has exerted significant cost-reduction pressure on downstream buyers. As a core segment of the foundational components industry, the casting sector has consequently borne a direct impact. Foundry entrepreneurs must accord the highest priority to the security risks of their capital chains and implement preventive and responsive measures in advance. In the prevailing market environment, this presents both an opportunity to catalyze industry consolidation, enabling superior enterprises to seize a developmental first-mover advantage, and a severe test of the operational robustness and risk mitigation capabilities of all enterprises within the industry.

Anchoring a Development Trajectory, Co-Creating a Decadal Blueprint for the Industry

In response to the industry’s opportunities and challenges, the conference delineated a dual-driven development path of “Technology Empowerment + Market Expansion”:

Penetrating High-End Markets: Encouraging enterprises to augment R&D investment in areas such as lightweight materials and intelligent foundry technologies. For instance, Guangdong Hunter Valley Precision Casting Technology, leveraging its flexible precision casting production line and capacity for accepting orders with high variety and low volume, secured a long-term order with an Austrian buyer through the Global Foundry Sourcing Conference. To date, it has completed the delivery of over a dozen products, with dozens more currently in development. A European buyer stated unequivocally, “Disengaging from the Chinese supply chain would increase product costs by over 20%; the cost-effectiveness and delivery efficiency of Chinese castings are irreplaceable.”

A Dual-Driven Approach of Technological Innovation and Market Expansion: FSC advises casting factories with the requisite capabilities to enhance their core competitiveness through this dual-driven strategy, thereby seizing the initiative in trade negotiations, securing pricing advantages, and breaking free from the predicament of involution in the low-end market. For low-end orders, a selective acceptance strategy is advocated, focusing on high-value business domains. Through the FSC Casting Think Tank, composed of senior purchasers from multinational corporations and renowned foundry technology experts, the Foundry-Suppliers.Com provides market positioning recommendations for casting manufacturing enterprises.

Deepening Globalization Strategy: FSC assists Chinese enterprises in connecting with policy resources in regions such as Thailand and Vietnam, mitigating the risks of overseas expansion, promoting the global configuration of supply chains, and enhancing international competitiveness.

Wang Longhe, the person in charge of the Global Foundry Sourcing Conference, emphasized, “For the coming decades, the essence of competition in the global foundry industry will be the competition centered on cooperation and innovation within the Chinese casting supply chain.” Through supply-demand matching, trend analysis, and resource integration, this conference provided critical support for enhancing industrial chain efficiency and reinforcing supply chain resilience.

It is reported that the 35th Global Foundry Sourcing Conference has been scheduled for April 22, 2026, in Shanghai for its spring event. At that time, it will feature an upgraded “Global Casting Supplier Database” and an AI intelligent matching system to further elevate the efficiency of supply-demand matching.

As an industry benchmark platform established in 2007, the Global Foundry Sourcing Conference is held biannually in spring and autumn, serving over 120 Fortune 500 enterprises. The online Foundry-Suppliers.Com has already served more than 20,000 companies. Moving forward, FSC will continue in its role as a “bridge,” leveraging its online-offline integrated service model to facilitate the deep integration of Chinese foundry enterprises into the global market, assist global buyers in sharing the advantages of China’s casting industrial chain, and jointly create a new future for the global casting industry.