For a quarter of a century, LogiMAT in Stuttgart has provided the intralogistics industry with a platform to discover emerging technologies, exchange ideas and explore the future of warehouse and process management.
Exhibition Director at LogiMAT
As the event prepares to celebrate 25 years in Stuttgart, Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty reflects on its evolution from a regional exhibition into a major international meeting place for the sector.
How has LogiMAT evolved since 2003?
LogiMAT has evolved enormously since its debut at Stuttgart’s former Killesberg exhibition grounds in 2003. From the outset, however, the fundamental concept was already in place: clearly organised exhibition segments combined with an extensive supporting programme designed to address the issues shaping intralogistics.
Over the past 25 years, the event has developed from a largely regional exhibition into a major international trade show for intralogistics and process management.
In many ways, LogiMAT’s development mirrors the transformation of the industry itself. Technologies that were once considered experimental have become central to efficient warehouse and production operations.
Throughout that transition, our aim has remained consistent: to provide businesses with practical access to new technologies, solutions and expertise that can help them improve their logistics and production processes.
Do you believe LogiMAT has successfully anticipated industry developments?
Yes. One of LogiMAT’s strengths has always been its ability to identify important developments at an early stage and provide a platform for companies pioneering those technologies.
As far back as 2006, we were examining the impact e-commerce would have on logistics and the solutions businesses would need in response. Cloud-based solutions, then commonly referred to as Software as a Service, followed in 2007.
By 2009, attention was already turning towards automated guided vehicles, swarm technology and greater system integration. A year later, energy efficiency, sustainable warehouse construction and environmentally friendly industrial trucks were firmly on the agenda.
Many technologies showcased during those years, including shuttle systems, robotics, machine vision, intelligent software and advanced energy storage, have subsequently become established elements of modern intralogistics.
How has LogiMAT grown since its early beginnings?
The numbers demonstrate just how dramatically the event has developed.
The first LogiMAT featured 160 exhibitors and attracted approximately 3,700 visitors. Even then, topics such as robots, AGVs, RFID, pick-by-light, pick-by-voice and cloud-based software were pointing towards the increasingly technology-driven future of intralogistics.
By 2005, attendance had risen to 7,230 visitors, with 289 exhibitors. Just two years later, our final event at Killesberg welcomed 463 exhibitors and 11,000 visitors.
Compare that with 2026, when LogiMAT attracted 69,856 professionals and 1,671 exhibitors from around the world, and the scale of that growth becomes clear. Today, 37% of exhibitors travel to Stuttgart from 46 countries, demonstrating LogiMAT’s increasingly international character.
Can you tell us about the move to the Messe Stuttgart exhibition centre?
The move in 2008 represented an important milestone.
LogiMAT initially occupied three halls at the new Messe Stuttgart site, welcoming more than 571 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors. From there, sustained demand allowed the exhibition to expand significantly.
During the following years, topics including automation, AGVs, the Internet of Things, sustainable packaging, green logistics, shuttle systems and energy-efficient technologies became increasingly prominent.
Demand continued to grow, resulting in the addition of exhibition space almost every year from 2012 onwards. By 2019, LogiMAT occupied all ten halls at Messe Stuttgart.
That growth has allowed us to represent virtually every aspect of modern intralogistics under one roof while maintaining the business-focused character that has always been important to the event.
What key trends has LogiMAT covered over the years?
Technology has continually reshaped the exhibition.
Between 2015 and 2019, AGVs, shuttle systems and robotics became increasingly visible, while industrial automation, e-commerce and the Internet of Things dominated many discussions.
Following the interruption caused by the pandemic, LogiMAT returned to Stuttgart in 2022, once again occupying all ten halls. Since then, the integration of robotics, smart sensors and artificial intelligence has accelerated considerably.
We are now seeing powerful autonomous mobile robots, drones, increasingly sophisticated forklift trucks and AGVs using energy-efficient drive and storage systems.
Warehouse automation has also become far more scalable, while cloud-based technologies are supporting warehouse management, data analytics and system control. At the same time, issues such as cybersecurity and supply chain resilience have grown significantly in importance.
Do you think LogiMAT is becoming more successful?
Absolutely. Recent events have recorded further growth in visitors, exhibitors, exhibition space and product premieres, together with an increasingly international audience.
LogiMAT 2026 represented another high point in that development.
But our 25-year anniversary is about much more than looking back at what has been achieved. Intralogistics continues to evolve at tremendous speed, and there are still enormous opportunities ahead.
Together with our exhibitors, partners and visitors, we intend to continue identifying the technologies and ideas that will shape efficient, flexible and sustainable intralogistics.
Stuttgart has been central to LogiMAT’s story, and it remains our home. As the industry enters its next technological chapter, we want LogiMAT to continue providing the place where that future can be seen, discussed and ultimately turned into reality.
LogiMAT
+49 89 32391-259
Comments are closed.