InnoTrans 2026: face-to-face discussions and new solutions for future mobility

This year, the focus was on a double anniversary: InnoTrans celebrated its 30th anniversary, while HANNING & KAHL looked back on 20 years of IRIS certification. By Sigrid Riewe-Scholz

Since it was first held in 1996, InnoTrans has become the world’s leading platform for transport technology and mobility. This year’s theme was “The future of mobility”, and the trade fair again showcased the innovations, digitalisation and international collaboration that are shaping future mobility. With record numbers of exhibitors and visitors, it was clear once again that the industry is constantly evolving. 

For HANNING & KAHL, InnoTrans is much more than just a platform for new products. Most importantly, the people and face-to-face interactions are what make this a particularly special event for us. Over four days, visitors came to our stand to discuss ideas, ask questions, try out our exhibits and explore solutions with us. All of these discussions with customers, partners and industry experts demonstrated once again the importance of direct contact: to better understand requirements, further develop existing partnerships and set new ideas in motion.

“Driving mobility, enhancing service, real added value” – that was HANNING & KAHL’s theme at this year’s InnoTrans. This was about more than just new products. The focus was on how we can create real added value with our solutions and services and provide our customers with the best possible support in their daily operations.

Our service offering was therefore a key element of our presence at the trade fair. In the Infrastructure Division, we took a particularly close look at preventative maintenance and spare parts management. Reliable infrastructure must not only function efficiently, but also remain available in the long term. Predictive maintenance helps identify potential issues at an early stage and prevent unplanned outages. Well-thought-out spare parts management, in turn, ensures that the necessary components are available when needed. With the new, innovative filter flushing unit for our brake systems, we also demonstrated a practical solution designed to support the reliable operation of vehicle components. This makes one thing clear: our service does not begin only when a system fails – nor does it end with commissioning.

Our two product innovations – the new point machine H725 and the BrakeMaster hydraulic brake system – were a real highlight at our stand. With the H725, we showcased a new generation of point machine technology for safe and reliable point operation. The compact drive concept combines high operational reliability and availability with a maintenance-friendly design and can be flexibly integrated into existing infrastructures. An innovative locking principle ensures reliable and secure locking of the point tongues – even under demanding conditions.

With BrakeMaster, we also showcased how brake technology can be designed to meet today’s demands as a coordinated, modular, integrated system that combines mechanical and electronic components from the outset. This ensures optimised interfaces, a flexible range of applications and a future-proof system architecture. At the same time, we shone a spotlight on safety and security, digital connectivity, simple maintenance and long-term availability. Two product innovations, two different areas of use – and one shared ambition: to push technology further and develop solutions that create real added value in day-to-day operations.

Another highlight of the trade fair for us was an anniversary that is closely linked to our own company history: UNIFE celebrated 20 years of IRIS certification. As the first company to receive IRIS certification, HANNING & KAHL was invited as a guest of honour to the anniversary event at UNIFE’s stand. There we had the opportunity to present our history and experience with the certification and join with other guests in looking back over two decades of quality and process management in the railway industry.

For four days, our stand in HUB 27 was a place to hold in-depth discussions, establish new contacts, conduct engaging conversations and take a look at the future of mobility. We are so grateful to all our visitors, customers and partners for your great interest, open dialogue and the trust you have placed in us. The many conversations and meetings have given us valuable insights and ideas that we can use – in our daily work and in the solutions that are helping us to shape future mobility together.