iba 2025 in düsseldorf: what the world's top bakery trade show put on display

iba — the largest trade show on earth for baking and confectionery — ran May 18–22, 2025 in Düsseldorf. 983 exhibitors from 46 countries, more than 98,000 m² of floor space.

Automation moves up a level. MIWE's Future Lab laid out the autonomous-bakery concept: a cobot loading and unloading ovens, a floor-level conveyor moving rack carts, and the MIWE voicebot driving the whole cell by spoken command.

The energy transition. MECATHERM put forward a portfolio aimed squarely at carbon-footprint reduction: vertical ovens engineered to minimize heat loss, hybrid drive systems, and aggressive heat-recovery packages.

AI-driven quality control. AMF Bakery Systems showed STAQ for automated product inspection. Reading Bakery Systems unveiled the Emithermic XE oven with centralized combustion.

Proofing and freezing. The clear trend: killing the overnight shift. Frozen dough pieces get prepped during the day; baking happens in the morning. Doing it right requires dependable delayed-start proof cabinets and solid blast-freeze capacity.

The next iba moves to Munich in October 2027.