{"id":9574,"date":"2026-04-27T15:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/its-owl.de\/news-events\/news\/nrw-minister-of-economic-affairs-neubaur-visits-its-owl-at-the-hannover-messe\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:20:51","slug":"nrw-minister-of-economic-affairs-neubaur-visits-its-owl-at-the-hannover-messe","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/its-owl.de\/en\/news-events\/news\/nrw-minister-of-economic-affairs-neubaur-visits-its-owl-at-the-hannover-messe\/","title":{"rendered":"NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Neubaur visits it’s OWL at the Hannover Messe"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

How can artificial intelligence make engineers’ work easier? And how can companies develop products in such a way that they can be repaired, reused or recycled more easily later on? The it’s OWL technology network provided answers to these questions at Hannover Messe 2026. At the joint NRW stand, NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur also found out about applications from East Westphalia-Lippe that are designed to make development processes faster, clearer and more sustainable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Together with the Engineering Automation Performance Center<\/a>, it’s OWL presented several demonstrators and live demos in Hall 13 from 20 to 24 April. The focus was on problems that many industrial companies are familiar with: Requirements are not clearly formulated, knowledge is stored in different documents, variants have to be compared and sustainability often only plays a role in product development at a late stage. <\/p>\n

“The Hannover Messe was an important platform to showcase the solutions being developed in industry in East Westphalia-Lippe. At the same time, we were able to make the region more visible as a high-tech location with strong competencies in business and science. We were particularly pleased with the great interest shown by experts from companies, science and politics, as demonstrated by the visit from Minister Mona Neubauer and members of the state parliament,” says Wolfgang Marquardt, Managing Director of OstWestfalenLippe GmbH and member of the management of it’s OWL.<\/p>\n

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NRW Minister Mona Neubaur in conversation with it’s OWL management (from right) G\u00fcnter Korder and Wolfgang Marquardt as well as Wolfgang Landmesser from WDR 5.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the trade fair stand to the network: OWL shows industrial breadth<\/h2>\n

The visit to Hanover was not limited to the it’s OWL stand. A delegation of the it’s OWL Cluster Board<\/a> from business and science also visited member companies and partners from the network. Stops included Festo, Beckhoff Automation, Phoenix Contact, HARTING and the Software Innovation Campus Paderborn at the NRW joint stand. <\/p>\n

The topics clearly illustrated the breadth of industrial expertise in the network. Festo focused on end-to-end automation, i.e. open systems, digital twins and data flows that better connect machines and systems. Beckhoff Automation showed how artificial intelligence and classic machine control are growing closer together. Phoenix Contact presented solutions for a networked and resilient industry, for example for reliable energy supply, safe automation and more efficient control cabinet construction. At HARTING, the focus was on the role of connection technology, energy infrastructure and digital tools for future-proof industrial systems. <\/p>\n

The Software Innovation Campus Paderborn also showed how AI and data-based approaches can help to make energy and industrial processes smarter, more efficient and more sustainable. This made the tour more than just a sequence of individual exhibition stands. It showed how many companies and research institutions from the it’s OWL environment are working on similar questions: How can industry become more productive, more resilient and more sustainable? <\/p>\n

A cobot makes AI visible in engineering<\/h2>\n

At the it’s OWL stand, the approach was illustrated particularly clearly by a cobot. This is a robot that is designed to work safely with humans. At the trade fair, it demonstrated so-called pick-and-place tasks, i.e. picking and placing components. <\/p>\n

It was not about a robot that decides everything independently. Rather, the AI should show how it can help with the setup. When a user gives instructions in natural language, the system combines this information with information from the robot’s workspace. This allows individual configuration steps to be prepared more quickly. <\/p>\n

The decision remains with the human. The AI provides support, guides through the necessary steps and prepares processes. From it’s OWL’s perspective, this example shows what Engineering Automation is all about: less effort during setup, faster commissioning and clearer handovers between development and operation. <\/p>\n

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In conversation (from left): Norbert Gemmeke (Harting), Dr. Arno K\u00fchn (it’s OWL, Fraunhofer IEM), Frank Maier (formerly Lenze), G\u00fcnter Korder (it’s OWL) and Anna Katharina B\u00f6lling (Detmold administrative district).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When AI brings order to technical requirements<\/h2>\n

In addition to the robot, it’s OWL presented several digital applications. One of these provides support in dealing with technical requirements. Such requirements describe what a product or system must be able to do later on. In practice, they are often long, complex or not formulated clearly enough. <\/p>\n

AI can help to structure such requirements, make ambiguities visible and facilitate coordination within the team. Another application showed how different technical solutions can be automatically derived and compared. Put simply, the software helps development teams to check more quickly which variant is the best fit for a product or system. <\/p>\n

It’s OWL also presented a digital knowledge network. It combines information from requirements, models, documents and decisions. The aim is for development teams to understand more quickly what the current status is and why certain decisions were made. This can save a lot of search work, especially in large development projects. <\/p>\n

Sustainability should be on the construction table earlier<\/h2>\n

A second focus at the stand was the question of how products can be developed more sustainably. Here, it’s OWL showcased the GoProZero project. It supports companies in developing products in such a way that materials can be used more sparingly, components can be used for longer and cycles can be better closed. <\/p>\n

Many current challenges facing the industry show why this is important: regulations are becoming stricter, raw materials are becoming scarcer and customers are paying more attention to sustainability. It is therefore becoming less and less sufficient for companies to only check the environmental impact of a product at the end. Sustainability must be incorporated earlier in the development process. <\/p>\n

This was illustrated by a prototype headlight from the research environment. It can be repaired and is constructed in such a way that materials can be recycled more easily. The exhibit was supplemented by a digital “green twin”. This is a digital model that combines development data with information on environmental impact. <\/p>\n

This allows companies to compare which variant is more resource-efficient during the development phase. This is a key benefit for it’s OWL: AI and digital tools should not only speed up processes, but also enable better decisions. <\/p>\n

Why Hannover is more than just a trade fair stage for OWL<\/h2>\n

The visit by Economics Minister Mona Neubaur and the tour of the network showed that the topics from East Westphalia-Lippe are also attracting attention at state level. For it’s OWL, the Hannover Messe is therefore more than just a stage for technical demonstrators. It is also a place where the region can show what role it wants to play in AI, industry and sustainable product development. <\/p>\n

Impressions from the Hannover Messe 2026<\/h2>\n
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