The ILA Berlin is one of the leading aerospace trade shows and brings the international aerospace community in the heart of Europe up to date every two years. In 2026, the focus was on Germany’s future role as an aviation hub–both technologically and economically. This is because the European aerospace industry is undergoing a profound transformation: climate protection, security, and digital sovereignty are shaping investments, development programs, and industrial value creation. Against this backdrop, pressure is growing to design industrial processes that are more robust while also being more productive. Delicate lightweight structures, demanding materials, and strictly certified procedures leave little room for deviation. As a result, the interface between tool, workpiece, and handling is becoming a decisive factor.
This is exactly where SCHUNK came in at ILA: the focus was on industry-specific solutions for workpiece and tool clamping technology as well as automation. The aim is to reduce setup times, ensure process reliability, and standardize manufacturing steps-so that processes not only run reliably, but also become scalable. To achieve this, SCHUNK transfers experience from high-throughput industries such as automotive into aerospace manufacturing–with the aim of increasing output without compromising on quality or reproducibility.
One example is the VERO-S Aviation clamping units. They enable flexible, low-deformation clamping of setup-intensive structural components. Fewer setups and faster changeovers shorten the lead time and fasten the complete manufacturing process. Thereby, SCHUNK deliberately relies on proven standard technology and tailors it into industry-specific applications. This creates robust, high-repeatability clamping concepts that support both process reliability and cost-effectiveness. In addition, SCHUNK showcased workpiece-specific clamping concepts that support secure force transmission, high run-out accuracy and reproducible results-of structural components and aircraft engine components to concepts for one-off workpieces.
SCHUNK demonstrated how clamping technology and machine periphery can be combined into stable, efficient process chains using the example of automated machine tending. Automated changeover of pallets with different clamping devices and workpieces makes it possible to standardize setup processes and increase machine runtimes–while maintaining consistent repeatability. Automation thus becomes effective exactly where utilization, quality, and on-time delivery come together in certified manufacturing environments.
Where standard solutions reach their limits, SCHUNK develops customized concepts in the framework of SCHUNK Engineering. Aerospace workpieces are highly specialized and are subject to particularly stringent requirements for security, precision and documentation. Together with customers, clamping and automation solutions are developed that are consistently designed around the component and the process-and can be reliably transferred from prototype production to series manufacturing.
On the sidelines of the trade show, SCHUNK exchanged views with political representatives on the industry and its role as an engine of innovation in Europe-including Cem Özdemir, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. “The aerospace industry is creating new growth opportunities. What matters are reliable supply chains, robust processes, and the rapid transfer of innovation into industrial application. At SCHUNK, we are doing our part-through technologies that implement our customers’ high requirements in a pragmatic and scalable way,” says Stefan Engelhardt, Executive Vice President Global Sales at SCHUNK.