How companies can turn pressures into opportunities
EDITOR’ S CHOICE HOW INDUSTRY MASTERS CHANGE
HANNOVER MESSE 2026
How companies can turn pressures into opportunities
Global competition, rising cost pressure, and the dynamics of artificial intelligence( AI) are presenting industry with its biggest transformation challenge yet. In this phase of change, companies in the manufacturing sector need a platform to showcase innovation, share knowledge, and highlight best practices. HANNOVER MESSE 2026 will take on precisely this role, demonstrating how automation, digitalization, energy systems, and research can work together to ensure competitiveness.
A new thematic area will focus on production technologies for the defense sector, with exhibitors showcasing specific solutions to help defense manufacturers scale up production in the shortest possible time without compromising on security.
“ At HANNOVER MESSE, attendees from industry will learn how companies can succeed in this phase of rapid industrial transformation,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe.“ From mechanical engineering to the automotive and electrical industries, decision-makers will find solutions here that drive efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness. In short: HANNOVER MESSE highlights the path to the automated, digital, and AI-driven factory.”
Around 4,000 companies from the general engineering, electrical, and digital industries, as well as the energy sector, are set to present solutions for the production and energy supply of today and tomorrow – with AI playing a key role.
“ AI is the decisive technological lever of our time, and opens up new opportunities for industrial companies of all sizes,” says Köckler.“ The show offers attendees hands-on AI applications and direct insights into how AI can boost productivity.”
AI is a common thread running through all exhibition areas, and plays a central role at virtually every stand. This offering is complemented by AI tours, masterclasses, forums, and networking events organized by HANNOVER MESSE.
The exhibiting companies include global tech giants such as AWS, Microsoft, SAP, Schneider Electric and Siemens, as well as technology leaders from the SME segment, for example Beckhoff, Festo, HARTING, ifm, LAPP, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Schaeffler, and SEW. Prominent research institutes such as the Fraunhofer and KIT( Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) will outline the industrial solutions of tomorrow, while more than 300 startups from various technology fields will be showcasing innovations with disruptive potential.
New thematic structure and optimized visitor guidance
A key innovation is the realigned thematic structure, making for a new hall layout. For attendees, this means more direct orientation; for exhibitors, greater visibility in the relevant environment.
Automation and digitalization are being brought closer together, both spatially and in terms of content. In doing so, HANNOVER MESSE reflects a clear trend, namely the increasing convergence of software and hardware – from AI-controlled robots and data-driven manufacturing right through to digitalized supply chains. The updated thematic structure is divided into three main exhibition areas: Automation & Digitalization, Energy & Industrial Infrastructure, and Research & Technology Transfer.
“ The new layout gives visibility to what has long been reality in factories: processes and technologies are no longer separate, but interconnected,” explains Köckler.
New networking formats for more business contacts
Besides the new spatial layout, HANNOVER MESSE 2026 will offer fresh knowledge-sharing and
24 PECM Issue 79