Sustainability and New Technologies in Joining

On May 20 and 21, 2026, the Fronius site in Sattledt, Austria will be the center of the action for experts in joining technology working in the automotive industry. The international automotive conference will focus on the diverse requirements of the industry – from sustainability, to economic and political factors, through to the possibilities that artificial intelligence can open up in connection with joining processes.

The eighth edition of Joining Smart Technologies is chaired by Florian Oefele (BMW) and Daniel Rudolph (Audi). Joined by speakers from Lincoln, Trumpf, Fronius, Lufthansa Technik, the Fraunhofer Institute among others, they will offer insights into topics such as sustainability, the outlook for international companies, artificial intelligence and auto body construction from a wide variety of perspectives. Questions on the agenda include: How can international companies in the automotive industry make their production plants successful across different regions given all the political, social and economic challenges they currently face? What carbon footprint do the different joining technologies have, and what prospects are there for a circular economy in joining processes in the automotive industry? What impact are new technologies, such as AI, having on joining technology?

These lectures from the automotive and supplier industry will be the key events at the conference, with selected talks from contributors outside the industry rounding off the agenda. One of them is Thomas Gremsl from Graz University of Technology, who will be taking a look at the bigger picture with the topic of “Artificial intelligence and ethics”.

Key focus: Knowledge sharing and discussion

Since 2008, Joining Smart Technologies has been regarded as a platform for knowledge sharing within the international automotive and supplier industry – and Fronius has been there right from the start. “Close customer relationships and links within the automotive industry are essential. The input we get from events like Joining Smart Technologies is incorporated directly in our innovative products in the form of requirements and customer needs. So we are extra excited to have this high-caliber conference back at our company for another edition,” says Harald Scherleitner, CSO of Fronius International.

Programme and registration

(Source: Fronius International GmbH)