The results of the latest “Made in Austria IndustriePANEL” – a collaborative project between the Institute for Digital Transformation & Strategy (IDS) and TU Wien – show that companies are investing in digitalization, AI, and the circular economy despite the tense situation.
The Austrian manufacturing industry continues to be under considerable pressure. As the seventh edition of the TU study “Made in Austria: The Future of Manufacturing in Austria” 2025 shows, the mood in the industry remains tense and competitiveness is declining. At the same time, however, many companies are actively driving innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. “Despite difficult conditions, many companies are actively working on sustainable solutions,” emphasizes study director Sebastian Schlund, head of the Industrial Engineering research area at the Institute for Management Sciences (IMW) at TU Wien and managing director of Fraunhofer Austria. The results of the survey, in which more than 100 executives from 94 manufacturing companies in Austria participated again in 2025, were presented on October 13, 2025, as part of the “Made in Austria IndustrieFORUM 2025.”
Research and industry above the rooftops of Vienna’s city center
The event, moderated by Walter Mayrhofer, Head of Research at FHWien and IDS, opened with welcoming remarks from Christian Bauer (TU Wien), Theresa Neuhauser (EIT Manufacturing East), and Georg Eberwein (FMTI). Sebastian Schlund then presented the latest study results, before Gisela Lanza from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) gave a keynote speech on the “Circular factory for the eternally innovative product.”
The afternoon was devoted to fascinating presentations on the topics of the circular economy, digitalization, automation, workplace ergonomics, and AI, as well as a panel discussion entitled “Deindustrialization in Austria – Is the future of industry failing?” The string quartet of the TU Wien Orchestra kicked off the convivial finale of the “Made in Austria IndustrieFORUM 2025” with a musical interlude above the rooftops of Vienna’s city center.
The study is available for download on the TU project page. (in German)