The conference will be opened on the evening of 16 September 2026 by Jörg Püttbach, Chairman of the ZVO Board, and Dr Martin Metzner, Chairman of the DGO Board, in the Brahmssaal at the Stadthalle Karlsruhe. 

Keynote: AI in SMEs – not a pipe dream, but a competitive advantage

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work – not at some point in the future, but right now. Yet there is often a gap between the flood of headlines and one’s own desk: Where do I start? What does this really offer me? And what does it have to do with my business?

Torsten J. Koerting, AI strategist, bestselling author and co-founder of the Koerting Institute, bridges this gap. In his keynote, he uses concrete examples from everyday industrial life to show how managing directors and executives can already utilise artificial intelligence today – from accelerated quotation calculation and intelligent data analysis to safeguarding experiential knowledge across generations. No abstract visions of the future, no hype – just honest analysis, live demonstrations and an outside perspective that opens up new horizons. Koerting makes tangible what AI means for industrial SMEs and sparks the desire to engage with this topic not out of fear, but out of curiosity and entrepreneurial ambition.

An impetus that lingers even over the first beer of the welcome evening – and motivates action the next morning. Because then the AI journey with Torsten Koerting goes into extra time: a workshop on the topic ‘AI Compass for SMEs: Identifying My Relevant Use Cases’ can be booked as an add-on. 

Five-track lecture programme with 95 presentations

This year’s congress programme features 95 presentations covering key areas such as fire safety in electroplating/coating companies, securing primary and critical raw materials, energy (systems) of the future, new business areas for surface technology (including B2C), digitalisation, AI, automation opportunities in electroplating/coating companies, hydrogen: the future of surface technology, real-world damage cases and damage analysis for fault prevention and cost reduction.

The conference programme is rounded off by presentations on recurring themes such as circularity, recycling and the circular economy, the ‘Management meets Surface’ business forum, bath and/or surface analysis, research findings – reports from young colleagues, cathodic corrosion protection, functional coatings, new requirements for electroplating and surface technology, from process monitoring to product quality, and future topics in surface technology.

Under the heading “Women in Surface Technology: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects”, Female SurFaces, the ZVO’s women’s network, will once again be participating with a session. The same applies to the established consultation hour of the ZVO’s Environment and Chemicals Policy Department, where questions on European and national environmental and chemicals policy will be answered.  

The full conference programme, including abstracts and CVs of the speakers, online registration and hotel room allocations, can be found at oberflaechentage.zvo.org.