SPS – Where innovation meets industry

ACROSS ITS 15 exhibition halls, the SPS 2025 will welcome around 1150 companies from the automation industry to showcase advanced smart production solutions and their latest product ranges. Besides such international industry giants as Siemens, Beckhoff Automation, Phoenix Contact and Bosch Rexroth, a great many British companies, such as Analog Devices, Motortronics, and Mechan Controls will also be in attendance with their own exhibition booths.

Artificial intelligence in production technology will be a central theme of this year’s SPS. Industrial AI is being adopted by a wide range of industrial products and processes to support process engineering, control devices through various AI models, or as a component of smart tools for predictive maintenance, quality control, and adaptive production control. These technologies are fundamentally changing automation technology and opening up new potential for efficiency, flexibility, and resource conservation. As Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Vice President SPS, explains, “In many production environments, industrial AI is no longer a topic for the future, it is already a reality. At the SPS 2025, our exhibitors will be showing how AI is already being used in practice today and its potential for future automation applications.”

The twice-daily guided tours offered by SmartFactory Kaiserslautern offer practical insights into this. Guided by experts, the tours take in innovative companies in the hardware and software sector, highlighting the technical challenges currently being faced. According to Dr. Ingo Herbst, press spokesperson for SmartFactory Kaiserslautern, “The aim of our tours is to provide targeted insights into key technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and security in system architecture. A key priority for us is facilitating the transfer of technological expertise into industrial practice.”

The diverse solutions, specialist presentations, and live demonstrations also appeal to an international trade audience, including from the UK. In 2024, for example, the number of UK participants exceeded 460. The SPS helps visitors navigate the changing technological landscape and offers inspiration for driving innovation in their own companies.

In addition to the expansive exhibition area, the SPS 2025 will offer a diverse and future-oriented program of supporting events for trade visitors, industry experts, and young talent alike.

Live on stage

A total of four stages in Halls 1, 3, 3C, and 6 offer an opportunity for discussion, knowledge sharing, and inspiration. A particular highlight will be the Technology Stage powered by VDMA/ZVEI in Hall 3, which is organized by the two leading industry associations. In addition to Industrial AI, its focus will be on current developments, trends, and challenges in automation – from digital transformation to sustainable production. What’s more, the neighboring Meet the Speaker zones offer an opportunity to speak to the speakers in person. Visitors can ask specific questions, network, and explore the presentation content in greater depth.

In Hall 6, three shared booths combine expertise and creative inspiration:

- Automation meets IT: At this booth, visitors can dive into digitalization, cybersecurity, and Industry 4.0 topics. Here, the world of traditional automation merges with that of cutting-edge IT

- International Start-up Area: At this hotspot for innovation and networking, start-ups from around the world will present fresh ideas and disruptive technologies

- young INNOVATORS: This shared booth, which is sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), offers young, innovative German companies an opportunity to present their developments to a broad trade audience.

Nurturing talent

With the SPS Makeathon and the Young Talents Day, the event also has a clear focus on nurturing young talent. Aimed at school pupils, students, apprentices, and young professionals, the Makeathon, which will run on all three days of the exhibition, gives participants, working in interdisciplinary teams, 2.5 hours in which to develop their own prototypes live on site and in direct exchange with companies. The format is being supported by ITQ, New Automation, NürnbergMesse, as well as dedicated sponsors from among the exhibitors. The final event will be Young Talents Day on the last day of the exhibition: Guided tours in the morning and afternoon as well as individual careers advice offer young interested parties valuable insights and support with carving out a future career in the automation industry.

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