Call for Papers
We would like to invite you to take part in the 33rd German Material Flow Congress 2026. Under the guiding theme ‘Next Stop: Beyond Automation’, we invite companies, universities and experts to present their latest findings and innovations. Together, we want to explore the developments and trends that will shape the intralogistics sector in the coming years.
The congress has changed venue: it will not take place in Garching, but at TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS in the Westfalenhalle Dortmund. The two days of the congress are 15 and 16 April 2026.
Under the guiding theme ‘Next Stop: Beyond Automation’, MFK @TEST CAMP INTRALOGISTICS 2026 will focus on technologies and strategies that go beyond traditional automation. The focus will be on artificial intelligence, robotics and networked systems that not only automate processes, but also intelligently control, learn, act autonomously and reintegrate people.
The congress will shed light on how these developments can be translated into practical and economically viable solutions - with concrete application examples, the latest research findings and space for controversial discussions.
We invite you to submit your contributions on these topics and become part of this forward-looking discussion. We offer you a platform for the exchange of practical examples and research results. Whether manufacturers, users, planners, consultants or scientists - we want all players in intralogistics to share their experiences and findings. Through dialogue and the sharing of best practices, we want to master the challenges of the industry together and open up new perspectives.
Submit your presentation proposals and take an active part in our varied programme. Take the opportunity to present your ideas and visions to an expert audience and provide valuable impetus for the further development of logistics.
We look forward to receiving your submissions and to welcoming you as a speaker at the German Material Flow Congress 2026 in the Westfalenhalle.
Johannes Fottner
Congress Director MFK @TEST CAMP
Holder of the Chair of Materials Handling Material Flow Logistics (fml), TU Munich
Key topics 2026
The duration of the lecture is 25 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for discussion of your presentation with the auditorium. The presentations can be held in German or English. There will be no simultaneous translation.
The independent programme committee with selected representatives from industry and science will decide on the acceptance and classification of the presentations in the conference programme on the basis of the abstract. Each submitter will be notified in writing and will receive information on further steps.
Only one person per contribution can attend the congress free of charge. Each additional speaker must register for the congress for a fee. Travelling expenses will not be reimbursed.
The authors of accepted papers undertake to submit a detailed manuscript (max. 6 pages) by March 15, 2026. The programme committee will decide on the acceptance and inclusion of a presentation in the conference programme.
Programme Committee
Managing Director, mainblick - Agentur für Strategie und Kommunikation GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
Director Business Development D/A/CH, AutoStore System GmbH, Mönchengladbach
Managing Partner B416 Unternehmensberatung GmbH & Co. KG, Langenzenn
AIM-D e. V., Board of Directors, Managing Director, smart-TEC GmbH & Co. KG, Oberhaching
Head of the Chair of Materials Handling Material Flow Logistics (fml), Technical University of Munich, Garching,
Director Sales, Vanderlande Industries GmbH & Co. KG, Mönchengladbach
Managing Director, VDI-Gesellschaft Produktion und Logistik (GPL), VDI e. V., Düsseldorf
Vice President of Automated and Integrated Solutions, KION Industrial Trucks & Services EMEA, Aschaffenburg
Member of the Executive Board, valantic Supply Chain Excellence GmbH, Munich
Partner, ebp-consulting GmbH, Dortmund
Professor of Materials Handling and Warehousing at the Technical University of Dortmund and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund
VDMA e. V., Frankfurt am Main
Professor of Technical Logistics, Institute of Technical Logistics and Work Systems, Dresden University of Technology
Head of Marketing and Communication, VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V., Offenbach am Main
Associate Director, Logivalue GmbH, Berlin
Managing Director, Miebach Consulting GmbH, Berlin
Managing Partner, TUP GmbH & Co. KG, Karlsruhe
Managing Director, Forum-FTS GmbH, Voerde
VDMA e. V., Frankfurt am Main
Specialist management
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Specialist organisation: The VDI specialist society GPL
The VDI Production and Logistics Society (VDI GPL for short) represents the VDI's specialised network in this field. In the three specialist areas of production technology and manufacturing processes, factory planning and operation and technical logistics, specialist topics are discussed by high-calibre experts in committees, described in the form of VDI guidelines and published at events.