- 10/06/2025
- Article
- Insights
That was excellent! The most popular talks and events on the exhibition stages
Three days of POWTECH TECHNOPHARM – that also meant three days of concentrated knowledge to go, combined with intensive networking. Interesting presentations and events took place every half hour on two stages in Hall 12 and Hall 10. Which topics attracted the most listeners? Another networking highlight was the premiere of the WOMEN4PROCESSING meeting.
Written by Dr. Ulla Reutner
The POWTECH Forum and the TECHNOPHARM Forum stages offered numerous highlights. The VDI Science Slam was the undisputed leader in terms of attendance with 60 spectators. Prof. Samir Salameh, Pierre Cautaerts, and Dr. Daniel Klüh captivated the audience with their engaging insights into their respective fields of research. This was a premiere at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, as was the ChemCar competition, which took place in the foyer of the NCC West. The award ceremony on Wednesday afternoon was attended by 55 people. Team Delta TU from TU Dortmund University won the ChemCar Trophy and 2,000 Euro. Second place went to Team ATOM from Indonesia, and third place went to Team Methanol-O-Bil from RWTH Aachen University.
A series of presentations about starting a career was also well-received. Three young professionals reported on their initial steps in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, academia, and as co-founder of a startup. This program took place on Thursday afternoon as part of Student Day and concluded with career tips from Lisa Schmitz of Hays, a technical recruitment consultancy.
Safety first: Focus on concepts and equipment
"Quality over quantity" — the speakers at the technical presentations agreed on this point. At first glance, the eight listeners for Tuesday morning's technical presentation (Dr. Claas Bierwisch of Fraunhofer IWM on a new test bench for powder characterization) may seem small. However, a small audience of highly interested trade visitors is more valuable than a large audience that is just looking for a place to sit down. It also became clear that explosion protection and safety were among the most popular topics. The IND EX association's presentation on "POWfunding Safety" was the front-runner with 31 listeners. Johannes Lottermann and Aleksandar Agatonović presented a concept designed to enable cross-disciplinary research for greater safety in the bulk solids industry.
The Young Innovators also had the opportunity to present their ideas. Sabrina Fritsche's presentation on Dustlight, a portable measuring device the size of a cigarette pack that uses traffic light colors and emojis to visualize dust exposure in the workplace, was met with particular interest.
Future topics: AI, robotics, augmented reality
The fact that future technologies also have their place at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM was demonstrated on Tuesday afternoon: Several presentations, for example on AI and robotics in powder handling (Thomas Eules, Sacchi) and on augmented reality in pipeline planning (Thomas Werner and Heinrich Nickel, Fr. Jacob Söhne), met with lively interest.
The practice-oriented lecture series by Prof. Barnekow (TH OWL) and industry partners was one of the most popular items on the program, with up to 47 attendees, as in previous years. The lecture series covered the production of powders and instant products, including transport, mixing, and granulation—core topics of POWTECH TECHNOPHARM. There was also a strong response to the presentations on granulation (LB Officine Meccaniche) and powder dispersion (Ystral).
Thinking outside the box: learning from ham processing
The Center for Food and Packaging Technology ZLV, moderated by Managing Director Thomas Lux, provided new impetus, moderated by Managing Director Thomas Lux. Attendees learned about new scientific approaches to the dusting behaviour of shear-sensitive powders and the injector-free introduction of seasoning into ham. Their questions proved that thinking outside the box pays off. For instance, Felix-Alexander Katz from Klevertec presented a high-speed ham processing method using a trajectory mixer that could be useful for many applications. Katz referred to the developers of HS-Tumbler, a young company that also exhibited at POWTECH TECHNOPHARM.
Advanced processes in the pharmaceutical focus
Several presentations, each with around 20 participants, shared the top spot at the TECHNOPHARM FORUM, which was moderated by representatives of the APV. The presentations focused on advanced production processes and the accompanying analytics. Dr. Marcus Knöll (Syntegon) presented the principle of continuous production in mini-batch processes. Dr. Michael Ostendorf (Bayer) discussed measurement methods for powder characterization in developing continuous drug processes. Dr. Yu-Su Chen from Malvern highlighted particle characterization by size and shape.
Structured Plant Design and Containment Trends
Dirk Steinhaeuser (Glatt Ingenieurtechnik) presented a case study on the structured design of biotech plants, which was particularly interesting for visitors with upcoming scale-ups. Reiner Lemperle from Hecht received similar interest for his presentation on plant cleaning in consideration of containment requirements. Michael Maintok of Glatt and Thomas Weingartner of Lugaia also presented on containment trends, an important topic at the exhibition.
Take a very close look – that could be the bottom line from the presentations by Prof. Arnulf Hörtnagl from THWS and Cornelius Mauch, as well as Dr. Torsten Köcher from Dockweiler. Both focused on surface qualities relevant to the adhesion behaviour of powders and liquids. Especially when it comes to stainless steel components for pharmaceutical plant engineering, compromises are out of the question.
Future prospects for the German pharmaceutical industry
It was not technology but people who were the focus of the presentation by Dr. Johannes Krämer from CSL Behring. He portrayed engineers as the drivers of digitalization and showed the future prospects opening up for the German pharmaceutical industry. Digital technologies can be used to enhance efficiency, quality, and sustainability equally.
“A fantastic start for WOMEN4PROCESSING”
Even more networking? The new WOMEN4PROCESSING network has proven that it's possible. A lively community is emerging with space for exchange, inspiration, and ideas. Initiated by POWTECH TECHNOPHARM, women from across the process community met in person for the first time. The event began with a panel discussion by VDI-WoMentorING featuring Dr. Melanie Thaler and Elisa Ruth Bader, who discussed the value of mentoring and networking. In her keynote speech, Vera Strauch demonstrated how networking can become a real superpower. Afterwards, participants from WOMEN4PACKAGING and WOMEN4PROCESSING enjoyed snacks and drinks while discussing their experiences and making new contacts — in keeping with the trade fair motto, "Processing meets Packaging." "The atmosphere was motivating, and the discussions were inspiring — a fantastic start for WOMEN4PROCESSING," said Marianny Eisenhofer, POWTECH TECHNOPHARM Director. "Our participants from industry, research, marketing, and sales have a lot to look forward to. We will maintain the network with additional events until the next trade fair in Nuremberg in 2026."
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