Beyond the Blueprint at Hannover: AI, Digital Twins, and the New Industrial Reality

4 min read

In brief:

SoftServe and Krones showcased their innovations at Hannover Messe, winning the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award for building AI-driven digital twins that enhance production simulation.
In partnership with AWS, SoftServe demonstrated fully autonomous manufacturing workflows driven by physical AI.
Experts from SoftServe and Microsoft shared key insights on using simulated environments to optimize modern supply chains.

Hannover Messe is the stage for unveiling the groundbreaking advancements reshaping industry—SoftServe and its partners showed what that means in 2026.

Hannover Messe remains the premier stage for industrial technology. This year, SoftServe stood alongside leading partners like Microsoft, NVIDIA, and AWS to demonstrate what is possible when visionary technology meets robust manufacturing environments.

Center Stage: Our Joint Demo With Krones and Microsoft

At Hannover Messe 2026, SoftServe showcased an innovative collaboration with Krones, a global process manufacturing line provider for bottling, canning, and packaging. Alongside Microsoft and NVIDIA, we collaborated on a digital twin application that sets new benchmarks for efficiency and rapid technology adoption.

This demo was built on tangible success. By revolutionizing manufacturing processes through advanced AI and data integration, Krones achieved groundbreaking results. Simulation times plummeted by 95%, dropping from hours to under five minutes. Engineers can now test multiple bottle designs and liquid characteristics at scale, powered by AI-driven recommendations.

By abbreviating commissioning times and optimizing line throughput before physical deployment, organizations secure a vital competitive edge. The bottom line is clear: better product viability, heightened operational efficiency, and significantly accelerated time-to-market.

The Evidence is in the Outcome: MIMA Award for Krones and SoftServe

Krones' success with the AI-enhanced digital twin didn't go unnoticed. On the contrary, beyond being the standout technology demonstration at Microsoft's booth at Hannover Messe, it also received the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA).

As industrial companies are rapidly adopting AI to transform the factory floor, Microsoft Germany presents the MIMA to pioneering solutions across the EMEA region. From a highly competitive field, Krones emerged as a key winner by demonstrating not just future vision, but also real-world results.

The new industrial reality relies on powerful partnerships just as much as advanced technology. By combining AI, digital twins, autonomous robotics, and the deep expertise of our collaborators at Hannover Messe 2026, we are fundamentally reshaping manufacturing processes—accelerating production timelines for energy savings and greater output efficiency. — Ben Bach, Senior Vice President & General Manager - D/A/CH, SoftServe

The award-winning project is the result of close collaboration between Ansys, CADFEM, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and SoftServe. We are proud to contribute to a fully integrated solution that merges simulation, AI, and cloud technology into a powerful tool for the future of production.

Automation at Scale: Our Simulation-First Approach With AWS

Our work enhancing the production floor with AI didn’t stop there. Together with AWS, SoftServe demonstrated a fully autonomous, AI-powered manufacturing workflow. The demonstration begins with users designing a product using generative AI. Visitors then watched it move through a complete workflow from engraving to inspection and delivery—all handled by a coordinated mix of robots powered by physical AI on AWS.

Our demo was highlighted by robotics influencer Lukas Ziegler.

SoftServe's simulation-first approach made the demo possible. By enabling faster iterations, safe testing for edge cases, and a significantly reduced sim-to-real gap, simulation-first puts robots into production fast and securely. Robots can now adapt, coordinate, and scale in productive environments without requiring a complete system rebuild.

Featured Talk: Simulating the Future of Logistics, Today

We also took to the stage to share strategic insights on the evolving industrial landscape. SoftServe and Microsoft hosted a highly anticipated session titled "Simulating Supply Chains & Warehouse Operations."

Together Patrick Hoermann from Microsoft and my colleague Oleksandr Yavlinsky, the session explored how simulated environments are dictating the future of supply chain management. With reference to real-world use cases, the audience learned how simulations along the supply chain reduce risk and costs while boosting efficiency and resiliency.

Driving the Future of Industrial Transformation

Hannover Messe 2026 proved that the industrial future is simulated, intelligent, and highly optimized. Alongside our partners, SoftServe is committed to delivering measurable value through AI, digital twins, and simulation-first approaches. We do not just implement technology; we elevate it to build better manufacturing operations.

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