Dear Reader,

Europe’s industrial backbone is under pressure—but it is not standing still. This issue of heat processing brings together voices from across the metals and thermoprocessing sector who share a sense of urgency, and a determination to act.

Till Schreiter, CEO of ABP Induction Systems, speaks plainly in our lead interview: political uncertainty has become a poison for investment, and the window for meaningful change is closing fast. Yet his message is not one of resignation—it is a call to innovate, to digitalize, and to build the resilience that no policy framework can substitute.

That call resonates throughout this issue. Our CBAM special brings together three critical perspectives from Assofermet Ferramenta, VDMA, and Wirtschaftsverband Stahl- und Metallverarbeitung—each pointing to the same structural flaw: well-intentioned climate policy is creating disproportionate burdens for the industries best placed to deliver decarbonization. The mechanism needs fundamental reform before it undermines the very enabling technologies Europe depends on.

On the technology front, innovation continues to advance. SMS group’s RailCool® Air system demonstrates how air-based cooling can replace water in rail head hardening—improving performance, reducing maintenance, and eliminating chemical additives. In die casting, our authors from Otto-von-Guericke University and Montanuniversität Leoben map the evolving landscape of GIGAcasting and CT-based quality control. And in digitalization, contributions from Fill Gesellschaft and MAGMA show how simulation and digital twins are reshaping product development from the ground up.

Cybersecurity, too, enters the conversation—through the lens of NIS-2, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the very real risks facing connected industrial infrastructure.

The common thread running through all of it is this: Europe’s industrial future will be shaped not by those who wait for clarity, but by those who build it.

Wishing you an inspiring and forward-looking read!