Technologies of the Future and Science that Supports Industry

The ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE 2025 trade fair, which ended on 6 June, clearly showed that modern industry cannot exist without close cooperation with the world of science. This assumption formed the basis for a new strategic undertaking co-creating this year’s edition—the European Science Fair, which has become an integral part of the event.

‘Today, industry needs science more than ever,’ said Tomasz Kobierski, President of the Management Board of Grupa MTP, emphasising that it is the synergy between these environments that creates the foundations for innovative solutions and global competitiveness.

The ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE exhibition was divided into industry showrooms and thematic zones that made it easier to visit. The flagship offer of the ITM trade fair, i.e. Innovations, Technologies and Machines, attracted to Poznań 14,673 visitors, who had the opportunity to see solutions presented by over seven hundred exhibitors from various industry sectors.

During the official opening ceremony of the fair, the most outstanding products on the market were awarded the MTP Gold Medal—a synonym for modernity and unique features.

Golden Solutions and Stands with a Special Vision

As the competition jury emphasised, this year’s selection of the winners was exceptionally difficult—the level of the submitted solutions was extremely high. Six Gold Medals were awarded to exhibitors at the ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE trade fair. The competition jury appreciated such solutions as: ELOfusion (ELOKON), EcoClean EcoCore industrial washer (Ecoclean GmbH / RoTec Polska Sp. z o.o.), AP3015 662MA laser cutter (AEP – AJAN POLSKA), T-Drill CylinWeld welding machine (TARGA Łukasz Kielczyk / T-Drill Oy), Visual Components Robotics OLP (SAP-WELD / Visual Components OY) and TruBend 7050 FlexCell automated bending press (TRUMPF POLSKA). During the gala, the Acanthus Aureus awards were also presented in recognition of outstanding exhibition stands that most effectively combined aesthetics with the marketing vision and brand communication strategy. The winners included: FANUC POLSKA, EROWA TECHNOLOGY, HIGH TECHNOLOGY MACHINES, BACKER SYSTEMS, BERND SIEGMUND, ABH MASZYNY, CENTRUM MASZYN CNC, ECO-LINE, and EUROIMPIANTI.

Industry under the Sign of Automation

The special thematic zones enjoyed great interest. One of them was the Demobus Zone, located outside the exhibition halls, where visitors had the opportunity to test industrial automation solutions in a unique way. The entertainment space combined with the maintenance services competition in the PNEUMAT GAME Zone located in Hall 4, which was bustling with life and advanced automation, was also visited by crowds. It was here that the Collaborative Robot Zone, the undoubted hit of this year’s edition, and the DBR77 Factory of the Future were created.

Both exhibitors and experts invited to the discussion panels emphasised that there is no turning back from advanced automation, but it is to support people and not replace them. ‘Our devices do not take people’s jobs, but provide opportunities for further development and increased productivity. We are moving towards smart factories and automation. We need to be automated, digitalised to be competitive.’ argued Andrzej Janiszewski, CEO of TRUMPF Polska and winner of the Gold Medal 2025.

The key aspect remains awareness and education, as emphasised by another gold medallist of this year, Piotr Cimr from Schenck Rotec Polska: ‘Training, tests, presentations—this is our everyday life. We convince people that balancing technology or automation is not a cost, but an investment in development and competitiveness.’

There were also opinions that mental barriers are a difficulty in implementing automation.

 ‘Education and the right approach to the client are important here. Events like the ITM are invaluable to us because they help build trust and show solutions in action.’ emphasised Grzegorz Bętkowski from Universal Robots, noting that automation today is a comprehensive approach to the process, not just the purchase of a machine.

The topic of automation appeared, among others, during the debate in Studio MM (Industrial Magazine), which showed one thing—the future of industry is not a vision, it is real actions that are happening here and now. And technology? With the right approach—it brings people together, not replaces them.

And what industries are most open to automation today?

‘The sky is the limit! From the automotive industry, through pharmacy, welding, to... serving coffee by cobots,’ Przemysław Uchman from Dematec argued with a smile.

Safety First!

Can the issue of security be spectacular? During this edition of the fair, it turned out that this is definitely the case. The Safety Zone located in Hall 3A featured spectacular crash tests and demonstrations of real threats that can be encountered in modern production plants and warehouses on a daily basis. Participants could see how to protect people and machines—thanks to demonstrations involving cobots, controlled impacts and intelligent security systems. Exhibitors presented solutions that not only meet European standards, but also really change everyday life in industry.

This topic was also discussed during a conference on work safety in warehouses organised by the Office of Technical Inspection and the National Labour Inspectorate. The meeting brought together specialists from across the country to discuss the concept of ‘Vision Zero’ with the goal of completely eliminating accidents at work. Participants had the opportunity to learn about proven practices, innovative technologies supporting a safe working environment and real examples of preventive actions from Polish warehouses.

‘Occupational safety is the foundation of sustainable economic development of every country. Contemporary challenges, such as globalisation, growing legal requirements and technological innovations, require the creation of a work environment in which accidents should not occur.’ said Magdalena Popowicz, Deputy Director of the Department of Prevention and Promotion of the Chief Labour Inspectorate.

Factory of the Future DBR77 – Women, AI and Robots at the Heart of Industrial Transformation

There were plenty of heated debates and inspiring figures from the world of industry on the stage at the Factory of the Future DBR77—a unique space combining diversity, technology and modern industrial management.

The first day was held under the slogan ‘Women Factory of the Future.’ Experts and leaders from the industrial sector discussed leadership, B2B marketing and the role of women in the world of technology. In the following days, the focus was on managing a modern factory based on artificial intelligence, IoT and digital twins. There was also some practice—robotisation, automation and safety presented in real positions.

Global Trends in the Foundry Industry

The new edition of the FOCAST Foundry Exhibition, organised as part of ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE, attracted the attention of the foundry industry with its fresh approach and strong substantive accent. The key point of the programme was the panel ‘Foundry of the Future: Visions of Development of the Polish Industry in the Context of Global Megatrends,’ which gathered experts from Poland, Germany, Spain and Turkey. The focus was on energy transformation, digitalisation and the role of the foundry industry in the arms, automotive and energy sectors. FOCAST also includes Industry Days—dynamic sessions devoted to, among others, AI in industry, thin-walled castings and ERP systems. This event not only presents innovations, but also really supports the development of competences and building an international network of contacts. The refreshed formula of the Exhibition, implemented in cooperation with the Polish Foundrymen’s Technical Association, has been appreciated by the industry—also internationally.

A Common Voice about the Future of Science

The European Science Fair, co-organised by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Adam Mickiewicz University and Grupa MTP attracted representatives of academic communities and scientific institutions, technology startups, research centres, students and all those interested in using scientific achievements in industry and other sectors of the economy. The event was combined with a conference, which was inaugurated by a lecture by Prof. Andrzej Dragan entitled: ‘Can machines think?,’ encouraging participants to reflect on the limits of human cognition and the development of artificial intelligence.

The fair programme included numerous panel discussions, debates, workshops, popular science exhibitions and interactive zones. The key topics were the transfer of knowledge and solutions for the economy, as well as sustainable development, digital transformation, the future of higher education combined with the role of science in building civil society.

Industrial Cooperation at the SUBCONTRACTING Trade Fair

This year’s edition of the SUBCONTRACTING Industrial Cooperation and Outsourcing Fair attracted to Poznań exhibitors from Poland and abroad, as well as professional visitors representing, among others, the metal, machinery, electrical engineering and plastics processing industries.

The fair was traditionally accompanied by the B2B matchmaking platform—Subcontracting Meetings. It made it possible to conduct quick and specific business talks between potential contractors. They were attended by representatives of manufacturing companies, industrial service providers and investors, who held many effective meetings over the course of two days.

The discussion panel devoted to the idea of the Central Industrial Region 2 also enjoyed particular interest. Experts, representatives of industry, the military and science debated the potential of rebuilding Polish industry in a modern formula. As Włodzimierz Fleischer, President of the Lubuski Metal Cluster, emphasised: ‘Not only strictly industrial issues were discussed, but also accompanying ones, such as the development of housing construction, logistics, transport and vocational education. These elements are an integral part of building a modern industrial base and clearly demonstrate how complex, but also necessary, an undertaking COP2 is.’

MODERNLOG 2025 – Technologies that Change Logistics

The MODERNLOG exhibition accompanying ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE featured, among others, mobile robots, WMS systems, order picking solutions and technologies supporting the automation of warehouse processes.

Participants could take part in inspiring conferences, industry debates and live demonstrations of logistics processes. The conference ‘Logistics for e-Commerce Powered by Allegro,’ devoted to the challenges of logistics in e-commerce, enjoyed great interest. The Start-up Zone Stage powered by Smart Warehouse also provided a lot of excitement with the IDEA Startup Challenge competition, which selected the most innovative young companies.

An interesting element of the Fair was the special In4Log Zone, where one could observe live the complete process of order picking and shipping in a modern and fully automated warehouse.  MODERNLOG 2025 once again confirmed its key role as a platform for dialogue, cooperation and exchange of experiences, setting development directions for the logistics of the future. The Modernlog Fair was accompanied by the 6th edition of the Smart Warehouse Conference powered by Reflex, during which logistics industry specialists and experts from renowned brands discussed the current situation of the Polish logistics sector.

ITM INDUSTRY EUROPE along with the accompanying events were held on 3–6 June on MTP Poznań Expo fairgrounds. The next edition is scheduled for: 26–29.05.2026.