November 25, 2026
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The Handelsblatt Industrie-Gipfel 2026 is the flagship annual summit on the future of Germany's industrial economy, held on 25 and 26 November 2026 at the Turbinenhalle der Stadtwerke Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf. Organised by Euroforum Deutschland GmbH in cooperation with Handelsblatt, the event is hosted by Stadtwerke Düsseldorf in a historically significant industrial venue that combines heritage industrial architecture with modern glass and steel design and a striking light art installation. The 2026 edition is framed around the theme "Industrieller Neustart -- Wie Deutschland jetzt handelt" (Industrial Restart -- How Germany Acts Now), addressing the pivotal moment at which Germany's industrial economy finds itself amid rising costs, geopolitical tension, new global competitors, shifting capital flows, and the transformative pressure of AI and new production technologies. Day One focuses on situational diagnosis -- Germany's competitiveness, energy and capital conditions, and the immediate pressures on enterprises. Day Two looks ahead to transformation in practice, the role of AI and technology in production, and the emerging markets of tomorrow from quantum computing to the New Space Economy. The event also includes an optional pre-summit programme of exclusive factory tours on the evening before the conference as part of the Lange Nacht der Industrie, with reserved places at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Düsseldorf, TRIMET Aluminium in Essen, and BASF in Düsseldorf.
The event is designed for senior executives, board members, and transformation leaders from Germany's large industrial enterprises, mid-sized champions, and technology companies, alongside representatives from politics, investment, and energy. Confirmed speakers for 2026 include Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of Voestalpine; Stefan Klebert, CEO of GEA; Julien Mounier, CEO of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf; Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall; Claudia Pohlink, Chief Data Officer of FIEGE; Deniz Serifsoy, Chief Transformation Officer of Heraeus; and Dr. Alireza Tavakoli, Managing Director of Schunk Digital Industries and Group CDO of Schunk. Past contributor perspectives have come from senior leaders at Covestro, EOS, Deutz, OHB System, eleQtron, HD Advanced Technologies, and the Handelsblatt editorial team. The intimate summit format facilitates direct peer exchange among Germany's most senior industrial decision-makers.
The two-day programme is structured across two thematic days. Day One on 25 November addresses Germany's industrial position and the forces shaping its competitive environment: a geopolitical and macroeconomic assessment, energy security and infrastructure as competitive factors, capital selectivity and investment conditions for industrial enterprises, and the immediate organisational challenges facing German industry. Day Two on 26 November focuses on the path to transformation: AI and automation in production, new technologies and future markets including quantum computing and the space economy, leadership models for industrial transformation, and concrete examples of how companies are restructuring for the challenges ahead. Both days combine keynote addresses with panel discussions and structured peer exchange. The pre-summit factory tour programme on the evening of 24 November, conducted in partnership with Zukunft durch Industrie as part of the Lange Nacht der Industrie, offers a rare opportunity for participants to experience industrial transformation live at Mercedes-Benz, TRIMET Aluminium, and BASF.
The 2026 agenda addresses the most pressing strategic questions facing Germany's industrial economy. Key themes include Germany's competitive positioning in a global comparison, and which factors will determine future investment and growth; the new capital selectivity and which industrial business models continue to attract financing; the impact of geopolitical power shifts, US tariff policy, and European economic fragmentation on supply chains and strategic decisions; energy prices, grid infrastructure, and supply security as decisive industrial cost factors; AI and automation as fundamental transformers of industrial value creation, from efficiency gains to full organisational redesign; leadership in transformation and the new forms of collaboration required within and between organisations; quantum computing as a German and European strategic technology opportunity; the New Space Economy and space as an enabler of industrial growth models; dual-use technologies and the convergence of defence, energy, and advanced manufacturing; digital sovereignty as a strategic industrial necessity; and additive manufacturing as a driver of flexibility, speed, and resilience in industrial production.
The Handelsblatt Industrie-Gipfel 2026 concludes on 26 November at the Turbinenhalle der Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, bringing two days of high-level debate on Germany's industrial future to a close in one of Düsseldorf's most distinctive venues. The summit's combination of strategic orientation, peer exchange, and exclusive access to industrial production environments establishes it as the most senior annual gathering for German industrial decision-makers.
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