New pavilions in 2026: Recycling, smart industry, and pharmaceuticals in focus at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM

Sustainability and the circular economy are currently key topics in all sectors of the process industry. Increased automation and digitalisation of production are also in focus. POWTECH TECHNOPHARM 2026 will devote special attention to these topics, including with special exhibition areas known as pavilions. As in 2025 in the Pharma-in-Focus pavilion, visitors will find the combined expertise of exhibitors with the corresponding focus.

Written by Dr. Ulla Reutner

Several visitors stand in front of and on a pavilion-style exhibition stand with several advertising banners — Concentrated expertise at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM: In 2026, the focus in three pavilions will be on recycling, smart industry, and pharmaceutical technology.

The pavilions at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM are popular destinations for visitors with specific interests. Those keen to quickly find their way around and locate specific contacts in their area of interest are particularly keen to visit the communal areas. Networking and in-depth discussions with experts are a top priority there. Innovative first-time exhibitors, smaller companies, and newcomers to process technology will be grouped together. A shared exhibition area ensures high visibility and gives them easier access to the process technology market.

Special setting for pharmaceutical process engineering

In 2025, the Pharma-in-Focus Pavilion was expanded to incorporate the TECHNOPHARM trade fair component, supported by the Working Group for Pharmaceutical Process Engineering (APV e. V.). Alongside highly specialised pharmaceutical equipment suppliers, long-standing POWTECH exhibitors were also present, eager to showcase their expertise in pharmaceutical plant engineering. The impact was reinforced by the high-calibre Pharma Forum, where numerous speakers from the pharmaceutical industry shed light on the future of the industry. In 2026, the Pharma-in-Focus Pavilion will once again offer companies the opportunity to present their innovative and proven range of products for the GxP-compliant manufacture of solid, semi-solid and liquid pharmaceuticals in a special setting.

In 2026, POWTECH TECHNOPHARM will be adding further focal points with the new Recycling-in-Focus and Smart Industry-in-Focus pavilions. This will enable more companies to participate in the trade fair in a straightforward manner and to address topics that are of great importance to the process industry.

Colourful plastic flakes are transported in an open screw conveyor — Process engineering lies at the heart of every recycling process. From 2026, POWTECH TECHNOPHARM will dedicate a separate pavilion to this topic.

Impetus for resource-saving production processes

The Recycling-in-Focus pavilion in Hall 9 will focus on process engineering for the circular economy and sustainable processes. In this way, POWTECH TECHNOPHARM is contributing to NürnbergMesse’ s strategy of creating further platforms for sustainable innovations. In view of resource scarcity and costs, numerous companies in the visitor industries are focusing on ‘green processes’. These range from the already widespread mechanical and chemical recycling of plastics to the recycling of paper, textiles, and biological residues, as well as recyclates in the building materials and cement industries. Recycling also ensures sustainability within companies. When waste is turned into secondary raw materials, process engineering comes into play: for example, in shredding, sorting, separating, and classifying. These processes are the focus of the Recycling-in-Focus pavilion. The possibilities of digitalisation link these individual technical solutions and will shape the future of waste management. Technologies that increase the energy efficiency of processes also have their place here.

Smart systems are the future

More digital, more intelligent, more connected – this is the future of the industries represented at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM. The new Smart Industry-in-Focus pavilion in Hall 7A will reflect this from 2026 onwards. Currently, the level of automation in the various sectors of the process industry varies greatly.

However, it is undisputed that it will continue to advance, ultimately resulting in fully autonomous smart factories where which artificial intelligence assumes the role of the plant operator. In addition to intelligent control concepts and modern automation solutions, this pavilion also offers solutions for digital process integration. Real-time data processing and AI-supported optimisation increase the variability of production processes and improve quality and efficiency. These solutions are also advantageous in areas subject to strict regulatory requirements, such as the pharmaceutical and food industries and parts of the chemical and cosmetics industries. This is because they make traceability, documentation, and validation easier to implement. The broad industry focus of POWTECH TECHNOPHARM in particular enables the transfer of knowledge, paving the way for smart production processes.

High visibility and broad networking

All pavilions offer a straightforward way to participate in the trade fair. Stand spaces of three or twelve square metres, including furniture, can be booked. The open layout with a shared meeting zone supports the networking character. Clustering topics ensures a high level of attention and makes it easy for visitors to find their way around, not least thanks to POWTECH TECHNOPHARM’s intensive advertising.

A very similar concept will also be available again for Young Innovators. The subsidised joint stand for German start-ups will be complemented by an international start-up area. Further pavilions and joint stands are in the planning stage, for example for members of the associations that support POWTECH TECHNOPHARM.

Two young men in blue T-shirts are holding small measuring devices and talking to each other. They are standing at a trade fair stand — In 2025, the joint stand for young innovators proved very popular. In 2026, there will again be a similar offering for start-ups in pavilion format.

Author

Dr. Ulla Reutner

Chemist and freelance specialised journalist