Has Hannover Messe found its footing again?

Hannover Messe appears to be regaining direction, not by returning to its previous scale, but by sharpening its focus on a smaller set of industrial priorities. The key shift this year is from broad, exploratory innovation toward more execution-driven use cases, with clearer links to real-world deployment and operational impact.

In recent years, Hannover Messe has at times felt somewhat unfocused, as the event expanded beyond its traditional core in industrial automation. However, this year points to a more defined direction. Industrial AI, digitalization, and energy infrastructure were consistently reflected at vendor booths. Recurring use cases, such as closed-loop production optimization, appeared across multiple exhibitors, while stands this year were noticeably more focused and grounded in real-world applications. For example, applications showcased at the event included AI utilized to directly adjust machine parameters in real time. This marks a shift from previous years, where many use cases were more disconnected and exploratory, often searching for a problem rather than meeting a defined operational need. While attendance has yet to return to pre-Covid levels, stabilizing at around 130,000 to 140,000 visitors, compared with over 200,000 previously, the latest evolution of the event is less about scale and more about repositioning.

This year, we identified six key themes shaping discussions across the show:

1) Industrial AI going from hype to execution

The Siemens Eigen Engineering Agent can generate control logic and interact directly with automation systems, reducing engineering time and embedding AI into the core of industrial operations.

Industrial AI is shifting from copilots, analysis and recommendations to directly controlling machines, processes, and real-world operations. Siemens showcased closed-loop process optimization, where AI adjusts production parameters in real time, alongside its Eigen Engineering Agent generating PLC logic for the TIA portal. Broader discussions highlighted how AI use cases are increasingly moving from simulation into execution, which signals a fundamental shift, Industrial AI is no longer just a layer on top of operations, but instead is becoming embedded into the control loop itself. At the same time, the rise of agentic AI was a recurring theme, with vendors showcasing early examples of AI agents that can autonomously generate control logic, interact with industrial systems, and execute tasks within defined operational boundaries. This further reinforces the shift toward AI not just supporting decisions, but actively driving execution.

2) Humanoids: Surprisingly high visibility despite low maturity

Humanoid deployments to surge in manufacturing and warehousing, growing over 1,000x by 2030, while other sectors lag. Source: Interact Analysis’ Humanoid Robots 2026 Market Report.

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Humanoid robots had an unusually strong presence at Hannover Messe, particularly compared with their near-absence at LogiMAT or MODEX. This highlights how IT-driven industrial tradeshows emphasize positioning and cutting-edge innovation more than proven, deployable solutions. Across the show, multiple humanoids were on display, including Agile Robots’ Agile ONE, Hexagon’s AEON, and platforms from Unitree (H2), alongside Chinese players such as PaXini, Huayan Robotics, XPeng, and LimX Dynamics; as well as demos from Dassault Systèmes with Azura. In addition, Schaeffler showcased its humanoid technology stack and won the Hermes Award for its actuator platform, reinforcing its role as a key supplier in the humanoid ecosystem. This aligns with our latest forecast, which also highlights a structural disconnect between production momentum and real-world deployment. While 2025 already saw a step-change in unit production of humanoid robots, around 90% of volumes are still dedicated to R&D, training, and data collection, rather than productive applications. China currently dominates both production and early deployments, with vendors such as Unitree and Agibot scaling output to >5,000 units in 2025. This roughly 10x growth year-on-year is supported by strong government investment and an increasing number of pilot projects. However, large-scale commercial deployment remains limited, with most real-world applications still in proof-of-concept or short-term testing phases.

Despite the rapid increase in production and ecosystem activity, meaningful industrial adoption is still several years away. Our forecast shows real-world deployments scaling gradually, from approximately 2,500 units in 2025 to nearly 200,000 by 2032, and >750,000 by 2035, as technical, economic, and integration challenges are progressively resolved.

3) Defense is emerging as a key growth vertical

While most showcased success stories still come from traditional industries like automotive and chemicals & pharmaceuticals, discussions at Hannover Messe clearly pointed to rising demand in defense-related manufacturing. This is particularly apparent in automation, electronics, and data center-adjacent infrastructure in Europe. Across multiple meetings, vendors highlighted increased activity in sectors linked to defense, including aerospace, electronics, and heavy industry, alongside broader conversations around resilience, sovereignty, and secure infrastructure. Our forecast supports this shift, with not only aerospace but also metals and metal products growing steadily by 2030, reflecting upstream demand for materials, components, and industrial capacity tied to defense and reindustrialization.

Aerospace & Defence is significantly outperforming overall industrial production, nearly doubling by 2030, highlighting its role as a key growth driver.

4) Software-defined automation (SDA) is gaining traction, but the end-state remains unclear

There is growing momentum behind open, software-defined automation, with control increasingly shifting from hardware to software layers. Siemens showcased developments in virtual PLCs, edge control, and software orchestration, while discussions across the show emphasized flexibility, modularity, and vendor-agnostic architectures as key requirements. However, the architecture of the future is still up for debate. While software-defined automation is an attractive proposition for some, it’s clear that hardware and software worlds will need to co-exist and peacefully interact for the foreseeable future.

5) IT/OT convergence remains a central industry theme

There is a continued strong presence and discussion around IT/OT convergence at Hannover Messe, as companies push to connect enterprise systems with shopfloor operations. Across vendors like Siemens and Elisa Industriq, the focus was on integrating execution, and design software into a unified environment, with examples such as data-driven manufacturing platforms and supply chain control towers bridging planning and execution. This highlights that convergence is no longer a conceptual goal.

6) Greenfield investment activity is becoming increasingly limited

Global new factory construction remains volatile and subdued, with activity still below 2023 levels and only modest recovery expected by 2030

We asked automation vendors about their customers’ key concerns. An underlying theme is that manufacturers are prioritizing OEE improvement and throughput gains in existing facilities over new capacity, making brownfield optimization the default investment strategy. Across Hannover Messe, most discussions and showcased projects focused on optimizing existing plants through use cases such as digital twins and better planning, with very few examples of large-scale new facility builds. This is reflected in our data, where the index of new factories built globally declines from a peak of ~129 in 2023 to ~78 in 2027, confirming a structural slowdown in greenfield investment.

Final thoughts

Looking ahead, we expect early commercial humanoid pilots to emerge in highly structured environments, while broader industrial investment is increasingly shaped by defense-driven demand across aerospace, and other adjacent sectors. For 2027’s Hannover Messe, we anticipate further progress toward real-world execution, with more measurable ROI, continued focus on brownfield optimization, and growing influence from defense-driven demand.

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