For many visitors to our stand at the Hannover Messe, the first stop was a freshly prepared ginger shot. But the real highlight was seeing artificial intelligence (AI) in action.
AI functions from SAP ensured the coordination of the entire ginger shot manufacturing process – from mixing the drink to packaging and delivery to the warehouse. Visitors were able to experience live how we transfer our AI strategy into real manufacturing processes, enable end-to-end supply chain management and support manufacturers in building the necessary resilience.
The Hannover Messe, which took place from April 20th to 24th, is the world's most important industrial trade fair.
On the first day of the trade fair, SAP CEO Christian Klein paid a visit to the SAP stand before taking the stage, as did Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other industry leaders. He reported on how important it is to put AI strategies into practice.
Anyone who visited the SAP stand was able to experience this implementation first hand through the production of the ginger shot.
The drink, packaged in a blue box, not only provided refreshment; rather, it also served to introduce visitors to the latest AI-powered innovations for manufacturing companies and supply chains End-to-end coordination of supply chains with AI make possible.
Supply chain coordination
Using AI, data and agent-based AI capabilities from SAP, visitors were able to see how supply chain coordination works in practice. SAP offers agent-based AItrusted data and applications that enable manufacturers to draw conclusions, analyze and take action in real time.
At the exhibition stand, visitors experienced several processes up close: They were able to see how users interacted with a robot from robot manufacturer ANYbotics using Joule in natural language to carry out live remote monitoring of field service inspections. They were also able to see the “PacXplorer” in action, a high-tech packaging machine with a glass front from the mechanical and systems manufacturer Uhlmann. Opposite, a CNC machine from the mechanical engineering company DMG MORI also produced spare parts for the PacXplorer. And at the end of the production cycle, a robot from the robot manufacturer AIMBO took over the picking and packaging of the ginger shot. Both AIMBO and ANYbotics are part of SAP's growing physical AI partnership network.
In addition to many tours in German and English, there were also tours in Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese on the first day. Brazil was a partner country of the Hannover Messe 2026.
Using headphones that blocked out the ambient noise at the stand, visitors learned how SAP's AI ensures reliable coordination and smarter control the manufacturing and that Supply chain management enabled.
Hands-on AI use cases demonstrate AI capabilities and their benefits
Operations and insights use case
Here visitors experienced SAP's vision of supply chain orchestration. In this vision, supply chain orchestration acts as the nerve center of the company. It uses external signals such as natural disasters, port bottlenecks or supplier routes to optimize company logistics and planning with the help of agents.
Benefits include faster response times through AI-powered monitoring and automated alerts, better data-driven operational decisions based on built-in AI capabilities for business applications, and seamless integration with end-to-end connectivity from supply chain planning to manufacturing control and quality control.
The most important AI functions
- An agent for production planning and manufacturing operations assists with order release and real-time monitoring.
- An AI robot checks for hazards, analyzes inspection data and identifies root causes.
- The analysis of procurement optimization summarizes findings, analyzes and explains the planning run for time series optimization.
Use case for intelligent production
DMG MORI demonstrated the production process on its CNC machine as part of a continuous process – from design to planning to production.
While the white robot arm of the CNC machine silently positioned the slider spare part after the milling process, visitors learned about the advantages of end-to-end integration – from design to tool management and CNC programs to SAP Digital Manufacturing. The dashboard provides the machine operator with AI-powered functions as well as operational and maintenance information.
The process then continues through logistics execution with SAP Logistics Management, which helps combine warehousing and transportation functions for smaller warehouses. An AI-powered logistics assistant automatically filters, summarizes and prioritizes critical shipping information. Additionally, it provides real-time shipping prices, enabling reliable orchestration and smarter execution.
The most important AI functions
Use case: intelligent packaging
Uhlmann PacXplorer and SAP demonstrated a fully integrated high-speed packaging line from SAP S/4HANA through SAP Digital Manufacturing to the Uhlmann automation layer that produces the packaged ginger shot. The packaged shots were transported off the line by a Symovo mobile autonomous robot.
Key benefits include: increased operational speed and throughput through faster order fulfillment, built-in regulatory compliance, reduced manual intervention, inventory visibility and data integrity across the production chain.
The most important AI functions
- Condition monitoring services increase machine availability and improve service efficiency through AI-powered insights. They enable seamless collaboration across the entire service ecosystem.
- AI-based flow analysis enables rapid process modeling and optimization of process engineering.
- Intelligent exception handling is embedded in agent-driven processes.
- The AI agents that Joule is equipped with support decision-making processes throughout the entire workflow.
Use case: Humanoid robots in practice
Before visitors received their ginger shots, at the final station they observed an intelligent humanoid robot performing physical tasks at the end of the packaging line. The robot bridged the gap between digital planning and physical execution and showed SAP's Project Embodied AI in action.
Humanoid robots offer significant advantages: higher work speed through shorter order processing time, higher productive time and cost efficiency especially in areas that are dangerous or difficult for humans, complete inventory transparency with real-time data integration throughout the warehouse, and perfect coordination between planning and execution.
The most important AI functions
- Joule and Joule Studio help robots understand the physical world, make autonomous decisions, and learn from their environment to act more intelligently.
More than just a quick refreshment
At the end of their visit, visitors received much more than just a quick boost of energy. They followed the entire process of creating the ginger shot – from recipe development and planning to production with mixing, filling and packaging – and gained a clear understanding of how SAP translates insights into concrete actions through reliable orchestration and smarter execution. It is this reliable orchestration and smarter execution that gives manufacturers the resiliency they need in today's world.
