Industry Innovation Up Close: Insights from PMW Expo 2025

Written by Joshua England on 21st November 2025

PMW Expo 2025 in Cologne was one of the most energising industry events I’ve attended in recent years. The show struck a rare balance: deep technical expertise, genuine innovation, and conversations that made it easy to see where high-performance vehicle engineering is heading. For anyone working in manufacturing technology, it was a clear reminder of how quickly digital tools and advanced production methods are reshaping the industry.

An exciting future built from real working technology

What set this year’s expo apart was how real and tangible the technology felt. Booth after booth showcased finished components, functioning systems, and live demonstrations, not just concept renderings or speculative ideas.

Heat exchangers with complex internal lattices, made possible only through advanced manufacturing, demonstrated how far design freedom has come. Actuation systems responded with near-instant precision, a visible example of increasing electronics-software-mechanical integration.

For those of us working in manufacturing software, these are powerful indicators that demonstrate engineers are designing more complex geometries, demanding shorter iteration cycles, and expecting digital tools to support manufacturability from day one.

Motorsport and road cars: a two-way Exchange

A recurring theme throughout the expo were the exchange of innovations between motorsport and road-car programmes. Technologies traditionally born on the racetrack such as lightweight structures, integrated thermal systems and advanced control software are now flowing into commercial vehicle development. At the same time, motorsport is adopting road-car strengths such as higher reliability tolerances, scalable production methods, and more robust testing workflows.

This convergence reinforces something we see daily: manufacturing software must support both worlds, seamlessly handling high-mix, low-volume components whilst enabling repeatability and traceability for larger programmes.

Performance meets sustainability without the usual debate

Instead of the typical “electric vs combustion” narrative, the expo showed a more nuanced and optimistic future. Electric systems continue to get lighter and more capable and combustion engines are becoming cleaner and more efficient through smarter engineering.

What matters is not the powertrain but the ecosystem supporting it. Both approaches benefit from advanced manufacturing and digital tools that improve precision, reduce waste, and shorten development loops.

Advanced manufacturing takes centre stage

One of the most obvious trends was the maturity of advanced manufacturing. This year, printed and precision-fabricated parts didn’t look like prototypes, they looked like production-ready components destined for race cars and low-volume performance vehicles.

For a manufacturing software business, this shift is pivotal. As advanced manufacturing becomes mainstream:

• Data workflows must be cleaner and more automated
• Simulation and manufacturability checks must integrate early in the design process
• Production systems must support flexibility without sacrificing quality

The confidence in these new methods shows that the industry is ready and expecting software to keep pace.

Conversations that drive collaboration

While the technology was inspiring, for me personally the real highlight was meeting others in the industry. The expo made it easy to move between conversations with engineers, decision-makers, customers, and potential partners. Everyone was open to sharing insights, comparing experiences, and exploring new approaches.

This sense of collaboration is exactly what fuels progress in manufacturing. It’s also why software ecosystems matter: teams want tools that let them connect data, processes, and expertise across organisations.

A glimpse at what’s next

Looking back, PMW Expo 2025 offered a clear picture of where high-performance engineering and manufacturing are heading over the next 12 – 24 months:

• Systems will become more integrated, blending hardware, software, and data
• Vehicle performance will increasingly be shaped by intelligent control software
• Manufacturing will grow more adaptive, with digital tools guiding flexible, efficient production
• The boundary between motorsport and road-car development will continue to dissolve

For our team, the expo was a reminder of why we do what we do. Innovation is accelerating, collaboration is strengthening, and manufacturing is becoming more intelligent and interconnected than ever.

PMW Expo 2025 delivered more than inspiration because it underscored the importance of modern manufacturing software in enabling the next wave of engineering breakthroughs. We’re so excited to be leading that journey and to be a collaborator both now and into the future.

Wish to speak to us about a project?