AI promises leaps in productivity, automation is expected to ease the skilled-labor shortage, and humanoid robots are moving onto shop floors. At the same time, energy and costs remain key factors. For manufacturing companies, this raises a crucial question: Which technologies create real added value right now?

Exhibitors at HANNOVER MESSE 2027 provide the answers. From 5 to 8 April, companies from mechanical engineering, the electrical and digital industries, energy technology, and industrial subcontracting will meet decision-makers from the manufacturing sector.

Exhibiting companies include global tech giants such as AWS, Microsoft, SAP, Schneider Electric, and Siemens; leading technology providers like Beckhoff, Festo, ifm, LAPP, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Schaeffler, and SEW-EURODRIVE; and highly innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. Renowned research institutes like the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and numerous startups round out the spectrum.

“Competitive pressure on industry is growing rapidly. Companies cannot afford to wait and see when it comes to technological developments,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board, Deutsche Messe AG. “They must invest now in technologies that immediately boost productivity, cut costs and create new competitive advantages. HANNOVER MESSE demonstrates which solutions actually work on the factory floor.”

Industrial AI and technology transfer: application is what matters now

HANNOVER MESSE brings together companies, industries, and technologies in a unique way, covering everything from automation and robotics to software and AI to energy and digitalization. This industrial ecosystem generates new partnerships, business opportunities, and solutions for tomorrow’s industry.

Industrial AI is one of the core topics of HANNOVER MESSE – not as a future vision, but right where AI must deliver industrial value: in engineering and development, on machines and production lines, in quality and maintenance, as well as in robotics, energy management and logistics.

For visitors from manufacturing sectors, Hannover is the central meeting place for Industrial AI: visitors compare applications, speak with providers and users, and discover which solutions generate genuine added value in their own production environments. A key focus is how AI can be integrated sensibly and efficiently into existing plants and production processes, that is, under real “brownfield conditions” with existing machinery, systems, IT infrastructures, and established structures.

Technology transfer across industries also plays a vital role at HANNOVER MESSE. What works in the automotive industry can be valuable for mechanical engineering; solutions from electronics manufacturing can spark new ideas for the food or pharmaceutical sectors.

“The decisive innovation for my company does not necessarily have to come from my own industry,” says Köckler. “That is precisely why industry needs a place where sectors can learn from one another. Thinking creatively on this scale only happens in Hannover.”

New focus areas for drive technology, data centers, energy, and metalworking

With the MOTION & DRIVES display area, drive and fluid technology gets its own dedicated platform in Hannover once again. Under the motto “The Power Behind Industrial AI”, companies including Festo, Flender, Schaeffler Technologies, and SEW-EURODRIVE showcase technologies that power machinery and make automation, robotics and smart manufacturing possible in the first place.

At the same time, HANNOVER MESSE places more emphasis on the infrastructure for Industrial AI, for which high-performance data centers are a critical prerequisite. The show covers this topic holistically, including technology and infrastructure suppliers, energy supply and management, and the policies that govern the expansion of data center capacities.

The exhibit area “Industrial Energy” and the new co-located event “Europe Energy Week” together cover the complete value chain – from energy generation, grids, and infrastructure to actual factory usage. While Europe Energy Week focuses on the market and infrastructure perspective, Industrial Energy concentrates on the factory itself: generation, storage, management, and efficiency.

With the new co-located trade fair NexGeM (Next Generation Metalworking), HANNOVER MESSE also expands its portfolio to include metalworking. Organized by the German Tool Builders’ Association (VDW), NexGeM brings together machine tool manufacturing, IT and software. The focus is on the machine tool as a data provider in an increasingly networked manufacturing environment.

CENTER STAGE: where industry and politics discuss the future

Following its successful premiere at HANNOVER MESSE 2026, the CENTER STAGE expands in 2027. Leading minds from industry, politics, science, and society gather there to discuss technology, competitiveness, and the future of industrial business locations.

The first speakers have already been confirmed: Dr. Irene Bader, Board Member at DMG MORI, brings the perspective of the manufacturing industry to the stage, highlighting how modern production, automation and new technologies strengthen competitiveness. Dr. Maja Göpel, Professor of Sustainability Transformation at Leuphana University Lüneburg, focuses on how the economy and society must change so that transformation, innovation, and competitiveness go hand in hand.

HANNOVER MESSE sends a confident signal for Europe

With Partner Country Spain, HANNOVER MESSE 2027 gains a distinct European dimension. Spain boasts a strong automotive and supplier industry and is investing heavily in digitalization, modern manufacturing, renewable energy, electromobility, and green hydrogen. Germany and Spain share close economic ties.

For Köckler, this partnership exemplifies Europe’s task in global competition: “Europe possesses a strong industrial base, innovative companies, and excellent research. Now we must pool these strengths more consistently, bring innovations into industrial practice faster, and scale them together.”