Fraunhofer IOSB at the 2026 Hannover Messe

Messe / April 20, 2026 - April 24, 2026

2026 Hannover Messe – Think Tech Forward

Under the motto “Think Tech Forward,” Hannover Messe will take place this year from April 20 to 24.

Hannover Messe is the world’s leading trade show for all technologies related to industrial transformation. Hannover Messe 2026 focuses on clear structures, targeted exchange, and new formats that provide orientation, promote dialogue, and drive business forward. A new thematic architecture opens up synergies and brings the full scope of industrial transformation to life.

Fraunhofer IOSB will also be there. We look forward to seeing you!

Event details

Program

Once again this year, our “Automation and Digitalization” business unit is showcasing exciting exhibits − see below!

Registration

Get your free visitor ticket!

You can register for the Hannover Messe on the organizer's website.

Location

Hannover
Messegelände
30521 Hannover

Date

April 20, 2026 - April 24, 2026

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An overview of our trade show presence

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AI Systems Engineering in Production

AI-based assembly system for high-variety assembly

KIMoS Screenshot — © Fraunhofer IOSB
User interface of the KIMoS assembly assistant. On the left is the live video stream of the workstation; in the center is the real-time analysis with step detection and confidence values; on the right is the workflow overview showing the current assembly progress.

Our exhibit demonstrates how vision-language models analyze complex workflows − such as assembly steps − in real time and provide targeted support to employees. Video streams are processed efficiently, enabling work steps to be automatically documented, processes to become transparent, and the causes of errors to be traced. This boosts productivity and process quality while significantly simplifying documentation.

The exhibit is located at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 11, Booth D33.

Your contact: Frederik Diederichs

AI in the manufacturing industry

The exhibit demonstrates how the targeted digitalization of production facilities for AI applications can be made faster and more cost-effective .

Quick start instead of a major project: Capture data quickly and get initial answers − without overhauling your IT infrastructure.
Clear basis for decision-making: Automated potential analysis with an easy-to-understand report: Where is AI worthwhile? For what? With what added value?
Broad initial data collection, followed by permanent deployment that uses only what is actually needed
Effective optimization: Adaptive AI continuously adapts to process changes − for higher quality, less scrap, and stable OEE.

ML4Tex

The exhibit is located at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 11, Booth D33.

Your contacts: Jan Scheerer, Benedikt Stratmann

Strategic production planning using mathematics

See firsthand how mathematical optimization makes your production planning more efficient, flexible, and resilient. Using a custom-developed game console, you’ll plan a production run yourself − while our algorithms calculate the optimal solution in the background. This allows you to see immediately how data-driven decisions reduce costs, shorten lead times, and ensure delivery deadlines are met.

Further information on Mathematical Optimization Strategic Production Planning with Mathematics

The exhibit is located at the joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 11, Booth D33.

Your contact: Magnus Redeker

AI data platform of the AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg

How SMEs and local governments can use AI

The AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg eG aims to create an internationally competitive AI ecosystem for Baden-Württemberg. To this end, six regions are pooling their competences. The Fraunhofer IOSB is playing a leading role by contributing its expertise in open data spaces and AI Systems Engineering methodologies.

At the Hannover Messe, the AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg eG will demonstrate how artificial intelligence can be applied in a structured manner within companies and municipalities. The focus of our trade show presence will be on training programs, software solutions, and our demonstrator for the planned AI matchmaking platform ask-bw.io, which specifically match concrete needs from the business sector and public administration with relevant competences from academia and industry.

Together with our members and partners, we will present these offerings at our booth in live sessions using concrete application examples:

best practices for getting started with AI
open-source modules of the AI data platform as the foundation for data ownership and the data economy
concrete approaches to networking and project initiation within the AI ecosystem

We provide guidance in a complex market environment, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as municipalities, and support them in identifying and implementing suitable solutions.

Further information on CC-KING/AI Systems Engineering, AI Systems Engineering for Industrial Production, and AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg.

This exhibit can be found at the Baden-Württemberg International booth in Hall 14 (J140).

Your contact: Dr.-Ing. Thomas Usländer

Safety through AI - Müthing Carpentry in Billerbeck

Visit the Hannover Messe 2026 and experience innovative technologies in the skilled trades up close! At the stand of Müthing Carpentry from Billerbeck, be amazed by custom-made carpentry and the AI-supported Hand Guard system. With tradition, creativity, and state-of-the-art safety technology, the carpentry shop is setting new standards. See how artificial intelligence optimizes processes and enriches craftsmanship.

Further information: Safety through AI

The exhibit is located at the NRW joint booth in Hall 13, Booth C14.

it’s OWL cluster management at the NRW joint booth: high-performance center for engineering automation

Discover how artificial intelligence and automation can accelerate your product development at the 2026 Hannover Messe: At the NRW joint booth, the Engineering Automation High-Performance Center, together with Fraunhofer IOSB-INA and Fraunhofer IEM, will present field-proven AI solutions for industrial engineering.

Visit us and talk to our experts about your specific development processes, tools, and data flows.

The exhibit is located at the NRW joint booth in Hall 13, Booth C14.

Digital twins

FA³ST Ecosystem

FA³ST Ecosystem: AI-powered development and integration of the Asset Administration Shell for an easy introduction to the Asset Administration Shell (AAS)

Companies face numerous challenges when developing and using Asset Administration Shells (AAS): heterogeneous data sources, complex specifications, and the significant effort required to ensure compliance with standards. The FA³ST Ecosystem significantly reduces these hurdles and enables efficient, standards-compliant implementation.

Thanks to its modular structure, Asset Administration Shells can be flexibly created, validated, hosted, and used. At the trade show, we will demonstrate the use of FA³ST tools for robots and products. Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to create a simple AAS as the basis for a Digital Product Passport (DPP) with just a few clicks and − without any prior knowledge of AAS − to interactively work with the AAS.

FA³ST PRoduct pAGE

This exhibit is located at the Baden-Württemberg International joint booth, Hall 14, Booth J40.

Your contacts: Dr. Ljiljana Stojanovic, Dr.-Ing. Michael Baumann

KI-sy Twin – AI-generated digital twin for existing facilities

KI-sy Twin demonstrates how heterogeneous plant documentation from brownfield facilities is automatically analyzed and processed into Asset Administration Shells compliant with Industrie 4.0 standards. Building on this, a digital twin is created, including a consistent 3D model that replicates the structure and function of the real plant and establishes an interoperable database for planning, operation, and modernization. Plant data is shared confidently and securely between partners via data space connectors without disrupting the core process. The underlying pilot plant with a closed water circuit demonstrates practical IT/OT networking and cybersecurity.

Further information:
KI-sy Twin project page
High-Performance Center for Engineering Automation at the NRW joint booth

Your contact: Gesa Benndorf

data spaces

Factory-X – A data ecosystem for factory equipment suppliers and customers

In Factory-X, several dozen project partners are building an open data ecosystem for factory equipment suppliers and their customers − ranging from factory operators and machine builders and their component suppliers to providers of automation technology and industrial software. The goals are to enable secure data exchange and to develop software solutions, known as business applications, for various use cases. Factory-X is a beacon project within the Manufacturing-X initiative and builds on the groundwork of relevant projects, such as Gaia-X and Catena-X. Fraunhofer IOSB represents the participating research partners on the Factory-X steering committee.

The exhibit is located at the Industrie 4.0 booth, Hall 13, Booth C24.

Your contact: Dr. Olaf Sauer

energy data-X

Our mission is to build a data ecosystem with future viability for the Digital Transformation of all market participants. Our goal is to advance the energy transition by creating a shared data space for innovative, data-driven business models, as well as enabling standardized, efficient data exchange within the Energy Sector and with adjacent sectors. Data security and individual decisions regarding data exchange are reliably ensured in accordance with the European Gaia-X standards.

Further information at energydata-x.eu

The exhibit is located at the Industrie 4.0 Platform booth, Hall 13, Booth C24.

Your contact: Dr. Daniel Rohrbach, Arne Martin

Manufacturing as a service: using open standards for effortless matchmaking

At the 2026 Hannover Messe, Fraunhofer and its partners will present a live demonstration at the “KETI” exhibit showcasing automated, AAS-based Digital Product Passports (DPP) and capability descriptions within a federated Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem. Using a networked micro-factory equipped with a MIR250 robot, an automatic tool changer, and a sensor-integrated LED cube, the exhibit will demonstrate an end-to-end process ranging from capability matchmaking and data-driven quality assurance to CO₂e-based partner selection − including a Digital Twin Registry, AAS server, and Factory-X EDC for interoperable data spaces.

Experience firsthand at the trade show how standardized AAS models enable transparency, sustainability in production decisions, and new data-driven business models.

Further information on the exhibit can be found on the Fraunhofer IOSB-INA website: Automated AAS-based DPP and capability descriptions for a federated MaaS ecosystem

This exhibit is located at the Baden-Württemberg International joint booth, Hall 14, Booth J40.

Your contacts: Reinhard Herzog, Boris Schnebel

industrial cybersecurity

ISuTest^® – automated vulnerability scanning for industrial automation components

The Industrial Security Testing Framework ISuTest^® is a tool for identifying vulnerabilities in the implementations of automation components. ISuTest^® is designed as an open, extensible framework, setting it apart from commercial competitors that use closed-source software. The primary target audience for ISuTest^® is manufacturers and integrators of automation components. It supports its users from setting up a vulnerability test through execution to isolating vulnerabilities so that the developer can reproduce the error and subsequently fix it

ISuTest^® product page

This exhibit can be found at the Industrial Security Circus joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 26 (F06).

Your contact: Steffen Pfrang

OPC UA – global discovery service for certificate management

Modern industrial systems are highly interconnected and must be secured. As a key component of Industrie 4.0 systems, the established OPC UA protocol provides exactly the security functions required for this purpose. However, implementing these functions in practice and integrating them into existing security infrastructures requires careful planning.

Thanks to our many years of OPC UA security expertise, we at Fraunhofer IOSB can support our partners precisely in this area. We offer evaluated security concepts for OPC UA Pub/Sub and Client/Server, such as:

Deployment / implementation of a Global Discovery Server for certificate management
Integration with Public Key Infrastructures
Security analyses of existing OPC UA environments and networks
Planning and design of new OPC UA environments and networks

OPC UA GDS product page

This exhibit can be found at the Industrial Security Circus joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 26 (F06).

Your contacts: Dr.-Ing. Christian Haas, David Meier

Cybersecurity training lab for the energy and water supply sector

The Cybersecurity Training Lab at Fraunhofer IOSB-AST offers a comprehensive portfolio of training and consulting services for operators of critical infrastructure. From awareness workshops, cybersecurity assessments, and cyber resilience training to intensive technical courses, the entire spectrum of security-related aspects is covered.

Our trade show highlights:

Hack the Grid - Mission OT Security for Energy and Water Supply: A game-based training approach using “Capture the Flag” to adopt the perspectives of both attackers and defenders, identify vulnerabilities in a fictional facility, detect threats proactively, and develop appropriate defense strategies.

→ View the latest press release

Mobile Training Platform: Practical instruction on real-world processes at the field level. From fundamental techniques to monitoring and analyzing IT and OT network traffic, as well as hardening automation systems.

cybersecurity training Lab

This exhibit is located at the Industrial Security Circus joint Fraunhofer booth in Hall 26 (F06).

Your contacts: Steffen Nicolai, Dennis Rösch, Markus Wappler

Presentations & Events

Monday, April 20

Pfrang, Steffen:
Automated black-box vulnerability scanning in compliance with the Cyber Resilience Act and IEC 62443,
3:00–3:15 p.m., Hall 26, Solution Lab (E43), Spotlight Stage

Fraunhofer IOSB at the 2026 Hannover Messe

Messe / April 20, 2026 - April 24, 2026

2026 Hannover Messe – Think Tech Forward

Event details

Program

Registration

Location

An overview of our trade show presence

AI Systems Engineering in Production

AI-based assembly system for high-variety assembly

AI in the manufacturing industry

Strategic production planning using mathematics

AI data platform of the AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg

Safety through AI - Müthing Carpentry in Billerbeck

it’s OWL cluster management at the NRW joint booth: high-performance center for engineering automation

Digital twins

FA³ST Ecosystem

KI-sy Twin – AI-generated digital twin for existing facilities

data spaces

Factory-X – A data ecosystem for factory equipment suppliers and customers

energy data-X

Manufacturing as a service: using open standards for effortless matchmaking

industrial cybersecurity

ISuTest^® – automated vulnerability scanning for industrial automation components

OPC UA – global discovery service for certificate management

Cybersecurity training lab for the energy and water supply sector

Presentations & Events

Monday, April 20

Contact Press / Media

Dr.-Ing. Olaf Sauer

Contact Press / Media

M.A. M.Eng. Nissrin Heymann

Contact Press / Media

Dr.-Ing. Thomas Usländer

Messe / April 20, 2026 - April 24, 2026

2026 Hannover Messe – Think Tech Forward

Event details

Program

Registration

Location

An overview of our trade show presence

AI Systems Engineering in Production

AI-based assembly system for high-variety assembly

AI in the manufacturing industry

Strategic production planning using mathematics

AI data platform of the AI Alliance Baden-Württemberg

Safety through AI - Müthing Carpentry in Billerbeck

it’s OWL cluster management at the NRW joint booth: high-performance center for engineering automation

Digital twins

FA³ST Ecosystem

KI-sy Twin – AI-generated digital twin for existing facilities

data spaces

Factory-X – A data ecosystem for factory equipment suppliers and customers

energy data-X

Manufacturing as a service: using open standards for effortless matchmaking

industrial cybersecurity

ISuTest® – automated vulnerability scanning for industrial automation components

OPC UA – global discovery service for certificate management

Cybersecurity training lab for the energy and water supply sector

Presentations & Events

Monday, April 20

ISuTest^® – automated vulnerability scanning for industrial automation components