RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE 2025: Innovations underline market readiness

Karlsruhe, 13 October 2025. The German government's planned special fund for infrastructure is not yet having the desired effect, even though the ifo Institute in Munich forecasts growth of around 7% for civil engineering in 2026. The industry therefore has high expectations. Although the economic conditions for the recycling and civil engineering sectors remain uncertain, this did not dampen the mood at RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE (RATL) last weekend at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre. On the contrary: the demonstration trade fair for construction, demolition and recycling can look back on three successful days with an nearly constant flow of visitors to the fair in Karlsruhe. While the indoor exhibition area focused on digital technology and service topics, the upgraded outdoor exhibition area Peter-Gross-Bau Areal was impressively used for the presentation and demonstration of machine technology from a wide range of application areas.

Quality of visitors has increased

The proportion of trade visitors increased again in 2025, breaking the 90% mark. Exhibitors were particularly satisfied with the quality of visitors to RATL. It was clear that the focus was not only on discovering innovations, but also on preparing investments and closing deals. This underlines the growing relevance of the trade fair, where initial sales were made and demonstration appointments were arranged. In the visitor survey, more than half specified that they visited only RATL and no other trade fair on a related topic. In addition to the main market of Germany, the demonstration trade fair attracted visitors from 34 countries for the first time and was the final stop on an international delegation trip by UNIDO from Africa, the Middle East and India.

Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe, says as organiser: "With an not been there before broad product range and impressive depth of assortment, RATL has sent a strong signal with an increased live presence at the exhibition stands: industry, trade and crafts are ready for the challenges of tomorrow. What companies need now are reliable framework conditions and more predictability. The technology is there – the exhibitors have impressively demonstrated this. Now it is up to politicians to clear the way. Our trade fair is a driver for investment and creates concrete impetus for the future."

Trade associations make demands on politicians

The RATL trade fair advisory board used the industry platform to present a position paper with demands on politicians on the first day of the fair. The paper

covers five topics that are essential for the joint success of the civil engineering, demolition and recycling, and gardening and landscaping sectors: reducing bureaucracy, with a particular focus on special assets and procurement procedures; the circular economy, with recycling and the Substitute Building Materials Ordinance; making the Working Hours Act more flexible; and heavy goods transport. The leaders of seven trade associations ceremoniously signed the position paper at RATL, thereby underlining their demand for framework conditions.

“We are using the RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE trade fair and the related media attention to address federal and state politicians with a strong voice. This is because a multitude of legal regulations, official orders and a lack of specialist knowledge among authorities and administrations regarding the ‘state of the art’ make it difficult to plan for technical and personnel developments at our member companies. They limit efficiency and innovation in the construction process. In order to implement the largest construction investments in our history, the demolition, recycling and construction industries need not just individual experts in building authorities, but expertise at all decision-making levels. RATL is the ideal training platform, but unfortunately representatives from building authorities and tendering offices were missing. We need a pact for the future with sustainable commitment on both sides," emphasises Dieter Schnittjer, member of the board of the Association of the Construction Industry, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (VDBUM).

Gudrun Bailly, Ammann Verdichtung GmbH, is familiar with this problem and explains: "It was a busy year in our customers' industry, but there was also some uncertainty about the promised investments in infrastructure. Our customers are wondering where the half-trillion-euro projects are. Overall, however, we are satisfied with this year. Order intake is higher than before, with the expansion of the fibre optic network providing one source of momentum. We have been exhibiting at RATL for many years. The trade fair is an ideal platform for us to showcase modern, compact compaction technology in various scenarios. We are represented with our machines and equipment in three demo formats – and this in front of a truly interested audience. So it's great that the trade fair is growing with each edition but still remains manageable and affordable."

RATL can count on a loyal audience and at the same time record an increase in visitors coming to the exhibition centre in Karlsruhe for the first time. Overall, they were very satisfied with their visit. Toni Winter, division manager at SBR, is visiting RATL for the fourth time and says: "We are a mobile crushing service provider and operate 20 crushing plants throughout Germany. My main focus is on recycling, and here at RATL, quality is definitely a priority. What I particularly appreciate about the trade fair is that it's a great place to network. That's why I'm more than satisfied and will definitely be coming back to RATL in two years' time."

Unique added value of live demonstrations

At this year's RATL, numerous special theme areas and demonstration building sites demonstrated the great benefits of demonstration formats for the trade audience. The demonstration building site infrastructure construction was added as a new element. It is the answer to the growing demand for track renovation in Germany. The true-to-life representation of the process chain on the construction site was designed by Messe Karlsruhe in close cooperation with the VDBUM and a track construction company from the region. It proved to be a magnet for visitors and impressed with its sophisticated, practical concept.

In addition to the demonstration areas choreographed and developed by RATL, more and more exhibitors are taking advantage of the unique opportunity to actively present their products and solutions at their own exhibition stands. ‘The live demonstrations at RATL are very important for us and our customers and definitely set us apart from other trade fairs. We have set up a small recycling line here with a crusher, a small conveyor belt and a screening plant. Visitors want to take a closer look at the machines and come to the trade fair specifically to watch the demonstrations,’ says Paula McCusker, Used Machinery Export/Sales Office Staff at Jürgen Kölsch.

Benjamin Schraml, Sales Manager Trade – Construction, Compaction, Power & Access at JCB adds: "For us, RATL is a very good trade fair because it was created from practical experience for practical use and offers us an ideal platform to present the JCB product family from small to large. The live demonstrations are extremely important to us because, in this constellation with RATL, they represent a unique trade fair concept in Germany. As a manufacturer, we have the opportunity to present a wide range of attachments on our carrier machines, allowing customers to see how everything fits together and works for the market. And in combination with this great atmosphere, it's extremely unique."

“This year's RATL in Karlsruhe was a complete success for us. We were particularly impressed by the high quality of trade visitors – there was a noticeable increase compared to the last event,” reports Thomas Knapp, Sales Manager at Wacker Neuson Sales Germany. "This positive development enabled us to hold intensive technical discussions directly at the stand and conclude numerous business deals during the trade fair. In addition, we were able to establish valuable contacts for future projects and initiate concrete plans. A highlight of the trade fair appearance were the practical live demonstrations at our own stand, which met with great interest from visitors and generated consistently positive feedback. We are already looking forward to participating in RATL 2027," Knapp continued.

“With the fifth edition of RATL at our Karlsruhe location, we have achieved a special level of value. It fits perfectly into our overall event portfolio at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre – together with the NUFAM – Trade fair for commercial vehicles, the Platformers' Days and, newly, the International Heavy Load Days,” reports Beate Frères, Head of In-House Exhibitions at Messe Karlsruhe. ”We are confident about the upcoming edition of RATL: on the last day of the 2025 fair, numerous exhibitors already indicated that they would be back for the 2027 edition, including major players in the industry such as JCB, Zeppelin, Wacker Neuson, Arjes and Doppstadt.”

The sixth edition of RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE will take place at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre from 3 to 5 June 2027.