DFM 2026

DFM 2026 is designed as a concentrated trade platform for decision-makers in footwear and leather goods manufacturing who need to compare equipment, materials and production solutions in a single trip. The official scale is 50,000 square meters with 550 exhibitors, and the exhibition operates from 09:30 to 17:00 over March 25–27, 2026. Admission is organized as trade-only: visitors register at the venue by presenting name cards, with registration closing 30 minutes before the end of each show day; children under 12 are not admitted.

The exhibit scope covers the end-to-end technology stack needed to manufacture modern footwear and adjacent products, with a practical emphasis on factory deployment. Key areas include footwear machinery and fly knit machinery, footwear components and synthetic leather machinery, as well as injection machinery commonly used for soles and molded parts. The show also includes leather chemicals and CAD/CAM information services and professional media, which is relevant for factories upgrading design-to-production workflows, improving repeatability, and shortening development cycles for new models.

The exhibitor profile typically includes machinery manufacturers, automation and tooling providers, component and accessory suppliers, and specialists in chemical inputs for leather and synthetic materials. For buyers, this format is useful when sourcing both core equipment and the “supporting layer” needed to run stable production—process chemicals, compatible components, and design/engineering services that reduce time-to-line qualification. On the visitor side, the event targets professional audiences such as factory owners, production and engineering managers, sourcing teams, brand development units, and trading companies supporting footwear supply chains.

DFM 2026 is structured around solutions that can be evaluated against real production KPIs: throughput, scrap rate, labor substitution, changeover speed and product consistency. Visitors can expect to compare equipment for key operations in footwear manufacturing, including machinery for assembly and material handling, fly knit-related production equipment, and injection machinery for molded elements, alongside synthetic leather machinery and input technologies. The presence of CAD/CAM service providers and industry publications supports vendor discovery for digital pattern development, nesting, and process documentation—often critical for factories that need faster sampling and tighter control over product specifications across multiple production lines.

The venue is Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center, located at No. 1, Furniture Avenue, Houjie, Dongguan, China. This location in Dongguan supports efficient attendance for manufacturers and suppliers across the Greater Bay Area and is suitable for technical evaluation visits where teams may need to bring engineers, purchasing staff and production managers together. When planning a visit, the published show schedule (Wednesday–Friday, 09:30–17:00) should be used to allocate time for supplier meetings, equipment comparisons, and follow-up negotiations.

DFM 2026 is organized by Paper Communication Exhibition Services together with the Guangdong Shoe-Making Machinery Association, and is supported by multiple industry associations across Guangdong and neighboring footwear clusters. For exhibitors and professional visitors, this organizational structure typically translates into a strong concentration of sector-specific suppliers, clearer segmentation by technology area, and a visitor acquisition model focused on trade audiences. As a practical planning note, the official visitor policy emphasizes trade registration procedures and timed cut-offs for daily registration, which should be considered when scheduling arrivals and supplier meetings.