On the afternoon of Friday, May 22, 2026, the Swiss Machinery Alliance (China) hosted its 7th Marketing Salon at the TORNOS Shanghai Customer Center located in Pudong, Shanghai. The event featured Gu Qi, Product Manager at TORNOS, and special guest Ma Xinyong, Manager MTI Sales, MTI China at KENNAMETAL, who joined forces to share insights centered on a core theme: refining practical experiences, and driving brand growth.

Held while CCMT 2026 was still fresh in mind, the two speakers—from different fields yet both on the front lines of the market—did not merely revisit their events at a surface level. Instead, they delved beyond surface-level reviews into tactical and strategic layers, systematically unpacking the innovative methods they had implemented, the effective pathways they had validated, and the cross-disciplinary insights they had gained during this exhibition cycle. From how to successfully plan and execute a “breakout” technical seminar to transforming a factory open day into a lasting brand asset, this salon was dedicated to extracting reusable experiences and transferable ideas, providing attendees with highly actionable market insights that go beyond conventional takeaways.

At the beginning of the event, Victor Yan, General Manager of TORNOS and host of this Marketing Salon, delivered the opening remarks. Reflecting on his participation in multiple SMA events as the head of a member company, he pointed out that in today’s volatile industrial landscape, operating in isolation is no longer sufficient to address systemic challenges. Building and engaging deeply within an open, collaborative ecosystem is essential for resilience and growth. He highlighted that SMA provides more than a forum for dialogue—it’s a vital platform that connects technology, markets, talent, and insight, delivering sustained, tangible value to its members.

Gu Qi began by outlining the nearly 150-year development of TORNOS, leveraging his deep technical and market expertise. He provided a swift review of the company’s breakthrough technologies across different eras, from foundational classic models to innovative flagship products like the Swiss Nano and Multi-Swiss, clearly demonstrating its sustained leadership in the niche field of “Swiss-type automatic lathes.” To help the audience understand TORNOS’s unique value, Gu Qi further dissected the fundamental differences between Swiss-type lathes and conventional lathes in terms of structure, working principles, and machining capabilities, explaining their irreplaceable advantages from a technical foundation.

The Value of Open Days

Gu Qi then shifted the focus to the value of open days, sharing multidimensional insights based on his professional experience across different companies. The unique value of a factory open day, he argued, lies in its irreplaceable, hands-on experience and a tangible demonstration of capabilities. It’s a powerful tool for establishing foundational trust with customers, and that goes a long way. Thematic open days, on the other hand, provide greater flexibility and focus, such as technical solution seminars for emerging fields like liquid cooling. Their advantage lies in facilitating in-depth, topic-focused exchanges with engineers, transcending the limitations of standard factory tour routes. In response, Victor Yan, General Manager of TORNOS, added his high praise for the team’s recent showroom open days. He acknowledged that maintaining a showroom and participating in exhibitions involves significant costs, especially amidst tightening budgets, but stressed that for a high-end machine tool brand, this remains a necessary investment—a vital interface for communicating brand value and culture.

Think Globally, Innovate Locally

The sharing on “Experience Accumulation” stemmed from Gu Qi’s firsthand observations of the operational systems of multinational companies. By comparing the strategic differences in how companies from various countries organize open days, manage client interactions, and execute market strategies, he provided valuable cross-cultural perspectives. Victor Yan deepened this discussion by elevating an internal consensus: “The highest form of marketing is cultural marketing,” and pointed out that factory visits are the most direct way for clients to perceive a corporate culture. He challenged the conventional thinking of “taking domestic clients to the Swiss headquarters,” proposing the reverse idea of “bringing international clients to advanced factories in China.” He emphasized that “limited budgets require innovative approaches“—the key is daring to innovate and design flexibly. They subsequently shared a success story: how a three-day open day event evolved, through continuous optimization and process standardization, into an annual company tradition. This not only became a brand asset but also directly facilitated transactions with VIP clients.

The success of an open day depends not only on the execution of the event itself but also on the subsequent communication strategy and conversion of engagement. Gu Qi emphasized that in today’s context of intertwined digitalization and localization trends, a significant divide has emerged between the communication systems typically used by European/American enterprises and the rapidly evolving social media landscape, content preferences, and customer outreach methods in the Chinese market. For large multinational manufacturers, whether to invest in building localized communication capabilities is no longer optional but a strategic decision requiring serious cost-benefit analysis—weighing the costs of internal system upgrades and team capability restructuring against the long-term opportunity cost of missing out on localized communication channels.

Beyond the Sales Pitch: Open Days as Content Hubs and Growth Engines

Gu Qi and Victor Yan also shared proactive approaches. They believe that moving beyond the simple product launch model to plan thematic open days around high-engagement topics like “F1” can often generate attention far beyond expectations. Through precise content design, such activities attract professionals who may not have a direct interest in “machine tools” but are passionate about “cutting-edge manufacturing” or “motorsport technology,” thereby achieving “crossover” communication. The inherent storytelling and shareable value of this content can create periodic topic resurgences and secondary dissemination on social platforms and within industry communities, helping the brand build an image of technical leadership and thought influence that transcends product functionality within professional circles. This insight suggests that open days are not just the “final push” for sales, but also a source for brand content creation and a nurturing ground for long-term client relationship— True growth is powered by converting in-person touchpoints into digital stories, durable data, and dialogue that extends beyond the event.

During CCMT 2026, KENNAMETAL organized a “breakout” technical seminar. Partnering with domestic and international machine tool manufacturers, the event delivered 16 in-depth technical sessions over two days (April 22–23). The discussions focused on practical solutions for machining challenges in key industries, including semiconductors, aerospace, new energy vehicles, and oil, gas, and energy. More than just a series of presentations, the seminar provided the industry with a high-level platform for technical exchange, showcased targeted products and technologies, and served as a valuable “learning hub” amid the busy fair schedule. At this SMA Marketing Salon, guest speaker Ma Xinyong from KENNAMETAL used this seminar to systematically review and analyze the key reasons behind its success—a holistic methodology that integrated strategy, execution, and ecosystem building.

“组合营销”与内部协同的高效落地●●

这不仅意味着市场与销售部门的紧密协作——销售深入倾听客户需求并向市场部传递一线声音，市场部则基于这些洞察，以清晰的价值主张为导向策划活动，将客户最需要的产品、解决方案与技术内容进行整合包装，从而显著提升了营销活动的投资回报率。

Integrated Marketing & Internal Practice●●

对B2B采购决策的深刻理解与精准触达●●

Understanding B2B Decision-Making ●●

此次活动的成功，很大程度上得益于与国内外知名机床厂商建立的长期深度合作伙伴关系。通过这些活动，肯纳也强化了与客户群体的有效深度互动。

The success of the event was due in large part to the long-term, deep partnerships established with renowned domestic and international machine tool manufacturers. These initiatives have also strengthened KENNAMETAL’s effective and substantive engagement with its customer base.

突破行业惯性思维的“平台主导”角色转换●●

A Paradigm Shift of Role

Ma Xinyong then transported the audience back to the seminar with a series of live photos. He showcased the venue’s thoughtful design and highlighted key moments with speakers and partners. He noted that engagement tactics, such as offering rewards for participation (“check-in rewards”), successfully directed targeted visitors from the CCMT 2026 exhibition floor into the seminar, effectively converting foot traffic into genuine connections.

The salon maintained a relaxed and open atmosphere throughout. During the presentations, the audience was highly attentive and interactive, with attendees frequently joining the discussion and raising thoughtful questions. This level of engagement was fostered by the safe, trusting community environment that SMA cultivates. Within this more intimate and collegial setting, speakers felt comfortable going beyond standard pitches to candidly share the practical methods and on-the-ground insights that proved valuable during CCMT 2026.

Wrapping up the event, Yu Jun shared why KENNAMETAL, a leading U.S. cutting tool company, was pleased to accept SMA’s invitation. She acknowledged that, despite different national and corporate backgrounds, everyone present is part of the same interconnected precision manufacturing ecosystem, united by the common goals of industry advancement and solving customer challenges. It is this shared purpose, she noted, that drives leading companies to increasingly seek collaboration and openly exchange knowledge and resources. She concluded by expressing her hope for future, deeper collaboration with SMA and its network of member companies, to co-innovate and create shared value within this ecosystem.