It's no surprise: industrial change will continue to be dominated by automation and digitalization...
Roughly 20% of global CO₂ emissions—one-third of electricity consumption—and the future of our planet: In 2025, the industry carries more responsibility than ever before (IEA, 2023). Decarbonization, the circular economy, and digital efficiency are key levers. But while technology advances, political uncertainties act as a brake. Climate goals are being rolled back in major economies like the U.S. and Germany, which raises the question: How committed are we to sustainability, really? And is industry driving transformation—or being driven by it? Let’s take a look at key trends and how SCIO is putting them into practice.
Reducing CO₂ emissions - Ambition vs. Reality
Decarbonization remains the top priority. With 23% of global CO₂ emissions attributed to the industrial sector, the industry must finally deliver in 2025. The concept is crystal clear: Electrify industrial processes, implement carbon capture and storage (CCS), and expand green hydrogen technologies. But implementation is lagging behing. Forecasts indicate that full electrification of industry would double electricity demand—an enormous challenge given the slow expansion of renewable energy. Political dynamics don’t help matters: When major industrial nations weaken their climate strategies or even roll back targets, the pressure shifts onto companies. The question remains: Are voluntary initiatives enough, or are stricter regulations needed?
Cutting CO₂ with automation
Despite these hurdles, we take responsibility at SCIO. Our projects, like the automated high-bay warehouse for Vitakraft, don’t just improve logistics efficiency—they also make a crucial impact on reducing CO₂ emissions:
- 12,000 liters of diesel saved per year by reducing transport needs
- Sustainable fuel cells for supplying energy
With innovations like the ATi-M (Autonomous Tugger Train Indoor-Medium), we’re setting new benchmarks in automated material flow—without human intervention. This not only reduces emissions, but also frees up skilled workers for more tasks that add value. At the same time, automation increases flexibility: When employees can handle part of their workload remotely, commuting decreases—and so do CO₂ emissions. A person working from home 50% of the time avoids producing 0.36 tons of CO₂ annually (assuming a 25 km commute per day over 220 work days). Learn more about our autonomous tugger trains here.
Expanding renewable energy
Through our subsidiary, VESCON Energy, we actively support the expansion of renewable energy and grid optimization. One example of this is our wind energy integration project that’s driving the energy transition forward. Learn more about the project here.
The Circular Economy – From concept to reality
A significant portion of global waste comes from industry. In 2025, it’s time to move away from a throwaway mentality and toward circular business models that recycle raw materials and minimize waste. Germany introduced a "National Circular Economy Strategy" in 2024, setting clear targets—but due to political shifts, its future remains uncertain. That means companies must take the lead in developing resilient, resource-efficient solutions. The global industrial waste management market was valued at $1.05 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow by 6.22% annually, reflecting increased investments in waste management solutions worldwide (Fortune Business Insights, 2025). Modern technologies and retrofitting offer enormous potential to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.
Retrofitting
The circular economy starts small—with better waste management in our internal strategy. But we’re thinking big. That’s why retrofitting projects are an essential part of our portfolio. Upgrading existing facilities and logistics systems instead of scrapping them? That’s our approach. See here how we’re implementing retrofitting in a Spanish logistics center.
Utilizing resources efficiently by using 3D printing
"The transition to a circular economy has its challenges—mainly due to a lack of infrastructure and standardized processes. But with technologies like 3D printing and non-destructive testing, we’re already reducing expensive prototypes and conserving valuable resources in our projects." – Michael Goepfarth, CEO at SCIO Automation. Small steps have a big impact.
Digitalization for sustainability – Getting off to a slow start
AI, IoT, predictive maintenance, and smart cobots have enormous potential to optimize processes, improve resource efficiency, and reduce emissions (Reichelt elektronik, 2024). So why is digitalization still moving so slowly? There are a multitude of reasons for this: high implementation costs, a lack of expertise, and slow adoption are major roadblocks. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle the most, while large corporations benefit from economies of scale (BVMW, 2022).
Predictive Maintenance
“To make predictive maintenance more accessible to companies, we’re continuously expanding our expertise at SCIO Automation. One example is our pilot project optimizing maintenance for air filtration systems - cutting energy consumption while improving efficiency. Our traceability and shop-floor data collection software, HIBERION, serves as the smart interface between systems and operators.” – Hans-Peter Zobl, CTO at SCIO Automation. Explore the project here.
Human-Robot collaboration
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) have already revolutionized intralogistics and will continue to drive Industry 5.0 in 2025. Despite typical challenges in adopting new technologies, we’ve successfully integrated AMR solutions in numerous customer projects at SCIO Automation. The result? Automated material transport and optimized energy consumption—not just for efficiency, but as a sustainble solution to the skilled labor shortage. Meet our new robot colleagues here.
Resilient supply chains – Transparency as a factor for success
According to an EU survey, 37% of companies struggle with accessing raw materials, and the trend toward reshoring—bringing production back home—is accelerating (EIB.ORG, 2024). While this increases supply chain control and security, the cost is still a major challenge. This is where digital solutions come into play: With digital twins and AI-driven data analytics, companies can align production processes with sustainability goals cost-effectively. But the path isn’t easy-investments in IT infrastructure are needed, posing a major challenge for many businesses. Is it a vicious cycle?
Reshoring – A smarter way out
We help our customers implement reshoring cost-effectively - with smart systems and facilities that offer real solutions. Take cable assembly, for example: This complex craft was often outsourced to low-wage countries, an approach that entails significant risk. Our answer: an automated system enabling local production with precision and customization. This ultimately results in future-proof processes, reduced dependencies, and a perfect balance of innovation and cost-effectiveness. Discover the project here.
Virtual planning, real results
Simulation and Virtual Commissioning have long been our gold standard —and they pave the way for advanced virtual engineering solutions like the Digital Twin. “With this approach, we can analyze and optimize facilities and processes in detail, adapting flexibly to new requirements. This makes reshoring and efficient production tangible.” – Hans-Peter Zobl, CTO at SCIO Automation. Take a behind-the-scenes look at virtual commissioning & much more here.
Conclusion
CO₂ reduction, circular economy, transparent supply chains, and digitalization: These are the areas where the industry must prove in 2025 that it’s taking responsibility. But the reality still looks different: Many companies struggle to implement sustainable solutions due to lacking infrastructure and technology. And it’s not just technological or economic hurdles—political decisions are also slowing progress. As climate goals falter, the industry's responsibility grows—not to wait for regulatory incentives, but to proactively drive sustainability. The vision might still be bigger than what’s being implemented right now, but that doesn’t mean the path isn’t achievable. This is where we at SCIO Automation steps in.
“This transformation is a long-term process—and we communicate that openly. That’s why we set clear milestones, both internally and externally, measuring progress to keep moving in the right direction. Today, as an end-to-end automation partner, we offer solutions across various industries that support companies in transitioning to a sustainable factory and increasing their competitiveness—let’s continue this journey together!”
[Michael Goepfarth, CEO SCIO Automation]
