Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Reiche meets Wöhner at HANNOVER MESSE

Traditional German company develops key products for European technological sovereignty

Rödental / Hanover, 21 April 2026 – Katherina Reiche (CDU), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, visited the booth of Wöhner, a leading provider of power distribution and control technology, at HANNOVER MESSE. There, she was given an insight into how the solutions from the Upper Franconian family-run business based in Rödental contribute to a safe and digitally controllable energy infrastructure.

“HANNOVER MESSE 2026 impressively demonstrates Germany’s strength in innovation as an industrial hub,” said Katherina Reiche. “Whether it’s automation, manufacturing techniques, drive technology, energy or artificial intelligence – German companies are among the world leaders. The trade fair therefore sends an encouraging signal: we can deliver, we can innovate in Germany.”

Wöhner paves the way to an electrified future

Whether in medium-sized industrial enterprises or in large-scale infrastructure such as the Allianz Arena in Munich: Wöhner’s solutions ensure reliable, efficient and resource-saving power distribution across a wide range of sectors. This applies to the connection of wind power and photovoltaic systems as well as to data centres and other critical infrastructure.

The CrossBoard power distribution system from Wöhner, with its minimal installation effort and particularly high level of safety thanks to integrated touch protection, is the ideal system solution for standardised power distribution. In contrast, the 60Classic power distribution system, with its highly customisable design and extensive portfolio of switching, fuse and adapter technology, can be used for almost any application. Measurement and monitoring technology makes power flows measurable and controllable, creating the transparency that is essential for a modern, electrified infrastructure. Extra safety is provided by the fully electric short-circuit protection using C14-Technology in the control systems, which was invented by Wöhner.

“This recognition from the German government demonstrates that Wöhner is a reliable partner in building a smart and resilient energy infrastructure here in Germany,” said Philipp Steinberger, CEO of Wöhner. “This motivates us to continue applying our technological expertise to create forward-looking solutions for Germany and the global market, and to help shape the digital, electrified infrastructure of tomorrow.”

Upper Franconian family business as a driving force for national policy

On the very first day of the trade fair, CEO Philipp Steinberger took part in the panel discussion ‘Resilient Value Creation: Industrial Base, High-Tech and Start-ups’, which was opened with a keynote address by Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius (SPD). The subsequent panel discussion focused on the question of how technological excellence can be translated into reliable manufacturing, robust supply chains and faster innovation – a key issue for Germany’s industrial security.

Philipp Steinberger also took part in the political roundtable with Dorothee Bär (CSU), Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space. During the discussion, he emphasised a key point: core technologies can and must come from innovative, research-intensive companies in Germany. As the global market leader in power distribution systems, Wöhner plays a crucial role in ensuring that digital hubs and other critical infrastructure serving research and development are operated reliably.

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