Hannover Messe 2026
Hannover Messe is one of the world’s most prestigious industrial trade fairs — a place where technology meets ambition, and where the future of industry is quietly being written between conversations at exhibition stands. This year, Matris was proud to be part of it, bringing our axial flux AC motors to an international audience and returning home with more than just business cards — we returned with a genuine sense of momentum. Here’s how it went.
What We Brought to Hannover
At the heart of our exhibition were three motors from our industrial axial flux AC motor range: an 11 kW, a 30 kW, and a 55 kW unit. These are part of our full commercial range, which spans 11 to 132 kW, with customisation available beyond both ends of that spectrum for applications with specific requirements.
What makes these motors different? In short: efficiency, compactness, and cost — a combination that, until recently, the industry had largely accepted was impossible to achieve together.
Our axial flux motors exceed the IE5 ultra-premium efficiency class, with many configurations achieving over 96% efficiency — pushing into territory that could be considered IE6, a class the industry is only beginning to define. For context, a standard IE3 motor typically delivers 88–93% efficiency. Every percentage point of efficiency that gets lost in a conventional motor is electricity transformed into heat rather than useful work — a cost that compounds daily, monthly, and across decades of operation.
Perhaps most importantly for industrial buyers evaluating a switch: our motors are priced on par with standard IE5 AC motors. This eliminates the traditional trade-off between premium performance and cost, and dramatically shortens the return-on-investment window.
The Motor That Ran Cool Without Trying
One detail from Hannover that generated a lot of conversation was our 11 kW demonstration unit — which, notably, has no active cooling whatsoever.
When we run-tested this motor in our lab at room temperature, the internal temperature reached approximately 40 degrees Celsius. That’s an extraordinarily low thermal rise for a motor operating at full load, and it speaks directly to how efficiently the axial flux topology converts electrical energy into mechanical work, with very little left over as waste heat.
Our standard production motors use air cooling, and water cooling is available as a customisation option for demanding environments. But the 11 kW unit is a reminder that, in many real-world applications, you may not need either — and that simplicity has its own engineering value.
“Strong Industry. Strong Europe” – An Innovation in a Sea of Standard Motors
Something notable happened at Hannover Messe this year: the fair was considerably smaller than in previous editions. Fewer exhibitors, more focused crowds, a leaner atmosphere overall. For some, that might have been cause for concern. For us, it turned out to be an advantage.
In a more concentrated field, genuine innovation stands out more sharply. And standing next to rows of conventional radial flux motors that have looked essentially the same for decades, our compact, high-efficiency axial flux units attracted sustained, curious attention. The contrast was visible and immediate — both physically and in the conversations that followed.
There’s something meaningful about representing a small country on a stage as large as Hannover Messe.
A Slovenian Presence on a Global Stage
There’s something meaningful about representing a small country on a stage as large as Hannover Messe. Slovenia is home to serious engineering capability, and it was gratifying to see that reflected in the visits and conversations we had throughout the week.
We were proud to welcome a number of Slovenian industrial players to our stand — companies thinking seriously about what’s next for their operations and exploring whether axial flux technology fits into their future. It led to some of the most grounded and forward-looking conversations of the fair.
We were also honoured to receive a visit from the Slovenian delegation from the Berlin Embassy, as well as a visit from Spirit Slovenia — both of which were a reminder that this kind of international presence matters beyond the individual business level. It reflects on what Slovenian industry is capable of, and we take that seriously.
A Note on the Wider Industrial Landscape
It would be dishonest to ignore the broader context. European industry is navigating a difficult period — energy costs, regulatory pressure, shifting supply chains, and slower-than-hoped growth in several key sectors. Hannover Messe reflected this: a quieter fair, more cautious conversations in some corners, a palpable awareness that the easy years are behind us for now.
And yet — the overwhelming impression we took away was one of resilience. The people we met at Hannover were not people waiting for conditions to improve before acting. They were engineers, innovation directors, and founders actively working to build something better, right now, with the tools available to them today.
That energy is contagious. We share it. And we’re confident that the brighter future everyone at Hannover Messe was working toward is genuinely on its way.
If you missed us at Hannover and want to learn more about our axial flux AC motor range — or if you’re one of the companies we spoke with and are ready to take the next step — get in touch.
Thank You
None of what we accomplished at Hannover Messe 2026 would have been possible without the support of the 3D-Art team from Komenda, Slovenia, who handled the design, transport, and assembly of our entire exhibition. From the first concept through to the final bolted-down display — and through more than a few rounds of revisions along the way — they delivered. Thank you. We owe you one. (Sorry for all those changes – Blaž 😄)
And to everyone who visited our stand, asked a hard question, took a brochure, or simply stopped to look at what we’d brought: thank you. You’re the reason we go.