Co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) and GMTX, the 2026 version of Automation Expo closed just lately, reaching a file 50 per cent year-on-year enhance in attendance.
The occasion was held on the Nongnooch Worldwide Conference and Exhibition Middle (NICE) in Pattaya, inside the Jap Financial Hall (EEC), the nation’s major hub for superior manufacturing and industrial funding. It introduced collectively 11,723 guests to discover the technological developments wanted to reinforce the worldwide competitiveness of Thai business.
Highlights included the IIoT Ecosystem and Future-X zones, alongside a fringe programme that offered producers with sensible steerage on upgrading their manufacturing traces and managing system integration.
Key figures from Automation Expo 2026:
- 11,723 guests
- 150 exhibitors
- 7,500 sqm of ground area
- 8 fringe occasions
Following the shut of the exhibition, Jack Wong, deputy basic supervisor, Messe Frankfurt (HK), highlighted the momentum at the moment driving the Thai market: “Thailand is proving that its industrial infrastructure is able to compete on the highest world degree, backed by a extremely mature manufacturing sector.
“As worldwide corporations search for dependable manufacturing bases, the nation is in a powerful place to seize that demand. We’re very happy with the outcomes from Automation Expo 2026.
“Transferring ahead, Messe Frankfurt will proceed to carry the total weight of our worldwide sources and community to the native market, connecting native producers with the worldwide know-how suppliers they should scale up and improve their place inside world worth chains.”
Teera Kittiteerapornchai, CEO of GMTX, famous that the 50 per cent enhance in attendance was the very best year-on-year progress within the occasion’s historical past.
Kittiteerapornchai stated: “For Thai producers, the stress to adapt is fast. With world provide chains shifting and international funding coming into the EEC, corporations know they should regularly improve their manufacturing applied sciences.
“Suggestions from exhibitors persistently highlighted that guests got here with very particular targets for advancing their technical capabilities, significantly as an ageing workforce drives the seek for applied sciences that make present labour extra succesful.”
The truthful’s 2026 version offered a complete vary of options for key Thai industries, together with electronics, automotive and meals processing.
Main exhibitors equivalent to Advantech, Atlas Copco, Balluff, Beckhoff, Brother, Chiyoda Kihan, Fukutech, igus, Infor, Kardex by Storemaster, Keyence, Murata, Raaspal, Ricoh, San-Ei Tech, Schmersal and Vega demonstrated the most recent developments.
The exhibition ground featured every little thing from low-cost automation and digital manufacturing facility infrastructure to superior robotics, together with humanoid and autonomous service robots. Attendees additionally explored automated storage and retrieval programs (AS/RS), sensible warehouse applied sciences, and seamless OT-IT integration.
To assist guests consider these applied sciences, the ground featured two specialised areas targeted on superior manufacturing programs. The IIoT Ecosystem zone moved past remoted merchandise for example an entire information move, connecting factory-floor sensors and information assortment programs to cloud platforms and analytics engines.
Alongside, the Future-X zone highlighted Thailand’s evolution from a shopper of robotics to an energetic developer and system architect. This part showcased alternatives for Thai producers to supply the important components and electrical automation parts required to construct robotics programs domestically.
The truthful’s fringe programme complemented the exhibition with eight occasions designed to assist producers transfer from exploring new know-how to efficiently utilizing it. Highlights included the aggressive IIoT Tech Problem Creator, the Artistic Manufacturing unit Area, and the MM Stage Tech Assessment.
By providing knowledgeable consulting and enterprise matching alongside hands-on workshops, the programme offered attendees with a transparent path to each justify their know-how investments and handle the technical facet of upgrading their manufacturing traces.
Suggestions from exhibitors
Mr Chotivet Pianpobsuk, gross sales supervisor, Advantech Company (Thailand), stated: “Automation Expo 2026 clearly exhibits that Thai industries are able to leap instantly from Trade 2.0 to 4.0. On the present, we noticed immense curiosity in our AI and predictive upkeep options which forecast and alert customers about gear failures.
“Whereas we anticipated to satisfy primarily with the automotive sector, the precise customer profile was a lot broader, reaching consumers from the electronics, chemical substances, and plastic and moulding industries.”
Voravadhana Asavaphongsavanich, advertising and inside gross sales engineer, igus Movement Plastics (Thailand), stated: “I see Automation Expo as an ‘automation gallery’ that makes high-tech options genuinely accessible to Thai industries.
“The customer turnout has been excellent, drawing a large viewers together with purchasers from the electronics and meals and beverage industries travelling from so far as Northern Thailand to the EEC. This occasion permits guests to discover a wide range of options in a single place, serving to factories discover sensible methods to improve their know-how and reduce upkeep prices.”
Wason Hutapraphin, managing director, TVP Valve and Pneumatic Co, stated: “Automation Expo brings the business collectively for shared studying. Our participation allowed us to showcase applied sciences that clear up conventional effectivity hurdles, securing alternatives with executives from corporations like Mitsubishi and SCGC.
“The viewers high quality was distinctive; following our stay demonstrations, almost one hundred pc of holiday makers with related ache factors requested product trials.”
Suggestions from guests
Traipop Ampai, engineer, Thai Engineering Merchandise, stated: “I attended this occasion to replace my technical information and found many related improvements, particularly within the Artistic Manufacturing unit Area, which confirmed that incorporating creativity can result in a extra productive, lower-pressure work surroundings.
“The classes on Zero Defect AI and human useful resource administration additionally offered glorious insights into bridging the generational hole between employees and advancing know-how.”
Thawatchai Thanunajan, supervisor, Ricoh Manufacturing, stated: “Working in a manufacturing facility day by day, it’s troublesome to see how superior improvements will be utilized to our day by day work till we see them in particular person.
“Attending this occasion has been extremely helpful. I used to be significantly impressed by the cobots and AI Inspection programs utilizing sensible cameras for high quality management. Seeing these applied sciences firsthand opens up clear potentialities for our personal manufacturing traces.”
Asoke Karnasuta, assistant vice chairman, Varopakorn Public Co, stated: “This yr, my focus on the present was on the coaching classes for Procurement KPIs and Company Carbon Footprinting, subjects which are extremely related to the aluminium business, significantly for export-oriented companies the place environmental requirements at the moment are essential.
“The insights shared from real-world expertise make the content material instantly helpful and relevant.”
Suggestions from audio system
Wuttipong Bunnayawa, consulting director, Thailand Productiveness Institute, stated: “I’ve witnessed the outstanding progress of this present since its very first version. This yr, my classes on human administration and know-how have been totally booked, and the excessive degree of curiosity led a number of attendees to method me for additional consulting.
“The truth that my very own purchasers despatched 4 minivans of staff to attend clearly proves the occasion has develop into a revered driver for industries throughout the Jap area.”
Teerapat Thongsuchot, government board member, Thai IoT Affiliation, stated: “The requirements right here elevate yearly, efficiently drawing large crowds to the center of the EEC. My session highlighted that you just don’t have to ‘suppose large’ to undertake know-how; beginning small with IoT can yield fast productiveness good points.
“The excessive curiosity led many attendees to hunt recommendation backstage on fixing particular manufacturing facility ache factors. By connecting innovation with sensible software, this occasion serves as a big platform for pushing Thai industries in direction of Trade 4.0.”
Automation Expo is supported by quite a lot of distinguished organisations and business associations, together with:
- The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)
- Logistics Division, Division of Industrial Promotion
- Industrial Promotion Middle Area 9, Division of Industrial Promotion
- Nationwide Science and Know-how Growth Company (NSTDA)
- Nationwide Electronics and Pc Know-how Middle (NECTEC)
- Software program Park Thailand
- Jap Financial Hall of Innovation (EECi)
- EEC Automation Park
- Thailand Productiveness Institute (FTPI)
- Thai-German Institute (TGI)
- Sumipol Institute of Manufacturing Know-how
- Thai-Nichi Institute of Know-how
- Thai Automation and Robotics Affiliation (TARA)
- Thai IoT Affiliation
- Synthetic Intelligence Affiliation of Thailand (AIAT)
- Know-how Promotion Affiliation (Thailand-Japan)
- Thai PLC Middle
Collectively organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and GMTX Firm Ltd, Automation Expo is a part of Messe Frankfurt’s world portfolio of Electronics & Automation Applied sciences occasions.
