FACTORY OF THE YEAR
Competition & Congress for Production Excellence
FACTORY OF THE YEAR 2027 at a Glance
CONFERENCE AT RITTAL IN HERBORN
Spend two days learning from the best in manufacturing:
The winning plants from the FACTORY OF THE YEAR competition will provide insights
into their strategies, models for success, and best practices—supplemented by a personal exchange of experiences with leading manufacturing executives.
FACTORY TOUR AT RITTAL IN HAIGER
Experience outstanding production right on site:
During the factory tour at the Rittal plant in Haiger, you’ll gain
exclusive insights into the processes, technologies, and production concepts of the overall winner of the FACTORY OF THE YEAR 2025 award—in a practical, first-hand setting.
GALA AT THE NATIONAL CAR MUSEUM
Look forward to a special conclusion to the conference day: At the evening gala at The Loh Collection National Automobile Museum, the winners of the FACTORY OF THE YEAR award will be honored in a festive ceremony. Take advantage of the evening to engage in personal conversations and network in an extraordinary atmosphere.
More than just a competition: the benchmark for
excellence in production for over 35 years
FACTORY OF THE YEAR is one of the leading benchmark competitions for industrial production in Europe. Every year, production sites from various industries are systematically analyzed, compared with each other, and evaluated by an independent jury.
The award is presented in six categories:
Factory of the Year (overall winner), GEO Award, Outstanding Series Production, Outstanding Small Series Production, Outstanding Digitalization & Automation, and Outstanding Transformation: Location.
The award is based on a structured analysis process involving in-depth data collection, site visits, and jury evaluation. The aim is to make operational excellence measurable and to highlight outstanding production strategies as benchmarks for the industry.
The accompanying congress showcases these award-winning works and makes their success models accessible to the industry.
Who the conference is relevant for – and what
added value it offers
Target audience
The congress is aimed at plant and production managers, those responsible for operational excellence, lean management, digitalization, quality, maintenance, and supply chain. It is aimed at decision-makers and implementation teams in the COO environment of manufacturing companies.
Concrete outcomes
Participants gain insights into award-winning plants, reliable key figures, strategies, and implementation models. Best practices will be explained in a comprehensible manner and applied to real production issues. The aim is to provide inspiration that can be applied in your own plant.
Two-day structure
Day 1 combines keynote speeches, best practices, and a trade exhibition with an evening gala and awards ceremony.
Day 2 delves deeper into key production issues through further winning entries, keynotes, and exchange formats.
Participant profile
The expected audience consists of experts from manufacturing companies and selected technology and solution partners. The focus is on professional exchange at the decision-making level.
