Just how closely quality assurance, innovation and sustainable business practices are now linked is demonstrated by the example set by premium manufacturer Miele. Durable products, circular economy concepts and data-based quality strategies are at the heart of their holistic corporate approach.

Guido Nilgen, director of the Quality Management/Technology Centre for Drives at Miele, will share this perspective from a practical standpoint at the 2026 Control Expert Days. As an enthusiast for quality and sustainability at Miele, he advocates an approach that views quality not only as a technical discipline, but also as a key contributor to lasting value creation.

On the first day of the event, beginning at 3 p.m., he’ll discuss “Sustainability through Quality Assurance” at a panel discussion moderated by QZ editor-in-chief Wolfgang Kräusslich.

Guido Nilgen offers some initial insights in advance – three questions, three answers:

For me personally, it fulfils exactly what’s been motivating me for years. For me, durability isn’t just a technical promise, but rather an expression of respect for people and resources. Testing products for a service life of up to 20 years reflects a commitment to quality. The focus on sustainability has been rooted in Miele’s corporate history right from the very beginning … it’s part of our DNA.

For me, innovation is the second major building block: whether you’re talking about our refurbishment programme, which provides our washing machines with a new lease of life, or circular design as demonstrated by our VOOPER vacuum cleaner study. Examples like these illustrate how closely quality and sustainability are linked to each other.

Finally, for me, sustainable business practices mean taking our “Always Better” motto seriously – not as a quest for perfection, but as a shared journey. All in all, this means that I can follow my passion – creating quality that truly makes a difference.

QA also becomes a real driver of sustainable value creation in everyday practice by means of predictive quality. With the help of AI, we’re now able to look into the future when analysing quality, process, and usage data. We’ve already implemented tangible use cases at Miele – on the shop floor in order to reduce scrap and rework, as well as in customer service to support troubleshooting and corrective action. However, our experience shows that it’s important for people, not machines, to make final decisions based on predictions.

For me, “Always Better” not only stands for durable and reliable products – it also describes the attitude of understanding quality as a contribution to sustainable business practices. Our customers have always associated Miele with both: premium quality and a sense of responsibility. And this is precisely why sustainable quality assurance is a key competitive factor. It promotes longevity, drives innovations such as predictive quality and second-life concepts, and it strengthens the trust our brand has enjoyed for decades. Taking a holistic approach to quality, and not just meeting but also exceeding customer requirements, ensures long-term relevance and success.

Industrial quality assurance is currently undergoing a profound process of transformation. Digitalisation and automation, as well as new regulatory and normative requirements, are bringing about lasting changes to testing processes, documentation and decision-making structures. Companies are faced with the task of simultaneously achieving efficiency, transparency and data integrity.

Against this backdrop, the 2026 Control Expert Days in May will offer a specialised platform for a professional exchange of ideas and the transfer of knowledge. The compact event format combines an exhibition and technical presentations focusing on practical solutions, current technologies and strategic developments in quality assurance.

ComPro GmbH will participate in the event both as an exhibitor and in the presentation programme. A technical presentation on the topic of “Test Process Management in Accordance with VDA 5 using Com.IPM” is scheduled for 20 May at 10:00 a.m. Speakers include:

• Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Stephan Sprink, ComPro general manager
• Dr.-Ing. Edgar Dietrich, ComPro founder and shareholder

Beyond this, Dr. Edgar Dietrich will also join the panel discussion on “AI for QA” on 21 May, which will explore the use of artificial intelligence in testing and quality assurance procedures.

And thus the event offers a concentrated opportunity for discussing current developments in industrial quality assurance, exchanging experiences and examining future requirements for technologies and methods.

Not only does ComPro GmbH share its expertise on test processes, statistics and measuring uncertainty in project work and presentations, but rather also in specialist publications. Together with Carl Hanser Verlag, Dr. Edgar Dietrich has published several practice-oriented technical books that explain statistical methods in an understandable manner based on specific industrial applications.

The Control has always been the international benchmark for quality management. From nextAudit’s perspective, the Expert Days turn this claim into a focused format that addresses the key questions facing the industry: What does modern quality management need to become faster, more resilient, and more sustainable?

Stuttgart provides the ideal place for this event. As an industrial hotspot, the region brings together companies, decision-makers, and industry professionals who are responsible for audit processes on a daily basis. The two-day setting creates a space where solutions are not only presented, but also critically discussed from all perspectives. The mix of “old and new faces” on site makes the format particularly valuable: practical knowledge, new requirements, and technological possibilities come together.

“The Expert Days are a great opportunity for us to contribute our expertise in audit digitalisation. In our client projects, we see how digital workflows simplify audits across departments, companies, and locations. Our digital database is the key to developing audits from a verification process into a learning and control tool,” said Alexander Stoffers, CEO of nextAudit.

AI is not an end in itself, it is an integral part of nextAudit’s DNA and of modern audit processes. It helps transform every audit into actionable insights that support informed business decisions. At the same time, sustainability becomes operationally tangible when requirements are reviewed transparently, measures are tracked systematically, and improvements are made measurable.

“For us, the Control Expert Days are the place where we set standards for the next generation of digital quality processes, in dialogue with the experts who ensure quality every day,” said Alexander Stoffers, CEO of nextAudit.

“Control is still the world’s leading trade fair for quality today – and quality has become a decisive competitive and success factor. In industrial production, it has long been about more than just meeting standards: It is about understanding processes, using data and making knowledge available.

That is why we are not developing quality management as an isolated discipline, but as part of a networked whole. We combine quality management (CAQ), production control (MES) and energy monitoring in a central control system for the digital store floor. This makes quality an active driver for efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness.

Artificial intelligence and sustainability are part of our everyday practice. AI-supported assistance systems are already supporting root cause analysis and knowledge assurance in quality assurance. At the same time, the integration of energy, emissions and production data shows how digital manufacturing is becoming the engine of sustainable value creation.

The Control Expert Days offer the ideal framework for contributing our perspectives to the discussion and gaining new impetus from the industry: How can quality be rethought in an increasingly digital manufacturing world – networked, intelligent and practical? We are looking forward to seeing how this high-caliber format establishes itself and are delighted to be part of it.

Quality that creates the future – on a store floor that thinks for itself. Let’s talk about it!”

– Jörg von Ploetz, CEO, Böhme & Weihs Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG

As a long-standing member of the Control trade fair advisory board, Dr.-Ing. habil. Ralf Christoph has played a key role in shaping the development of Control into the world’s leading trade fair for quality assurance and metrology. Drawing on his extensive experience, he explains the background behind the shift to a new event cycle – and highlights the potential of the new Control Expert Days 2026.

‘For decades, the Control trade fair in Stuttgart has contributed significantly to the successful development of the industry as the world’s largest trade fair for measuring technology and quality assurance. At the request of a narrow majority of our exhibitors, trade fair scheduling has been changed to once every two years.

The Control Expert Days will be held in 2026 in order to bridge the resulting void. This new event format combines the advantages of an expert convention with those of a trade fair. Presentations on current topics in the industry will provide a wealth of information on both days. The accompanying exhibition offers visitors the opportunity of discovering the latest innovations from measuring technology manufacturers and software developers. In addition to their function as platforms for presenting new products, trade fairs are also the most efficient setting for the exchange of technical information amongst suppliers and customers, because numerous meetings with various partners can be concentrated into a relatively short period of time. Innovation, as well as the further development of participating companies, are promoted thanks to the associated exchange of expertise … for manufacturers and users alike.

We trust that the Control Expert Days will be an efficient and successful event, offering numerous opportunities for networking amongst manufacturers of solutions for measuring technology and quality assurance, and their customers.’

For ADDITIVE, as a supplier of innovative software solutions in quality assurance, the new Control Expert Days are an exceptionally valuable platform. As exhibitors, we value this compact event as a forum that promotes a targeted exchange of ideas amongst experts and provides a setting for in-depth discussions on technological developments, digital strategies and practical applications. This is where expertise, innovation and collaborative discourse come together in an exemplary manner.

The new, compact event format is especially appealing to us because it combines efficiency and relevance. The focused atmosphere makes it possible to quickly engage in targeted, personal meetings with customers and contact persons, who are actively promoting the digitalisation and automation of quality assurance in their companies. This makes it possible to strengthen existing customer relationships and also generates valuable new contacts and concrete approaches for joint projects – from the integration of new software solutions to the optimisation of existing processes.
The world-class presentation programme also contributes significant added value. The combination of scientific depth, a technological overview and real-life best practice examples reflects the dynamic nature of the industry. The topics aren’t just informative, they’re inspiring as well. All of this results in a genuine transfer of knowledge.

In short, the Control Expert Days offer an ideal opportunity for experiencing the latest innovations in quality assurance, exchanging ideas with decision-makers on an equal footing and mutually shaping the future of digital quality processes.

Philipp Lorenz
Chief Sales Officer
ADDITIVE Soft- und Hardware für Technik und Wissenschaft GmbH

Arno Schlingermann, Senior Solutions Consultant Sales at Aptean Germany GmbH, offers insights into why the Control Expert Days are especially valuable for Aptean as an exhibitor. He talks about the added value generated by the event format, the professional exchange of ideas and the relevance of the presentation programme.

The Control Expert Days are an excellent platform for a targeted exchange of views amongst experts in industrial quality assurance. In particular, I welcome the focus on current technologies, forward-looking trends and practical solutions. Direct dialogues with other experts from industry and R&D provide valuable inspiration and new perspectives for daily work – far removed from the traditional trade fair environment.

The compact format is convincingly efficient. High-quality content can be absorbed, targeted discussions can be held and meaningful contacts can be established quickly. Concentrated offerings presented at a location like Stuttgart – with its strong industrial presence – underscore the practical relevance of the event. For me, this format is the ideal setting for staying focused and keeping up with the latest industry developments in a time-efficient manner.

The presentation program combines scientific depth with a strong focus on actual practice. It delivers a concise overview of current developments – from innovative measuring methods, digitalisation and AI, right on up to specific application examples. The selection of distinguished speakers promises valuable insights and inspiration that can be directly incorporated into projects and strategies. I especially value the opportunity of exchanging ideas with the speakers for in-depth discussions on an equal footing.

For cluetec, the 2026 Control Expert Days in Stuttgart provide the ideal event for actively advancing innovations in the field of audit digitalisation. Stuttgart connects the quality assurance sector and offers the perfect setting for an inspiring conference with technical discussions and practical input.

“The great demand for, and interest in new technologies, have always been clearly evident at Control. The Control Expert Days will facilitate an intensive exchange of ideas – even with interested parties who have not yet had any contact with auditing software such as cluetec Audit,” says Titus Krauss, head of marketing and sales at cluetec.

The receptiveness of expert visitors is especially valuable to us: in a setting removed from their routine daily business, they take the time to gather fresh impetus. The compact, two-day format with concentrated expertise, short distances and intensive networking offers cluetec the opportunity of familiarising itself with trends and actively shaping the industry sector.

“The Control Expert Days aren’t just an industry gathering, but rather a forum for genuine innovation in industrial quality assurance as well. cluetec will demonstrate how artificial intelligence (AI) creates real added value in auditing and is changing the future of auditing processes.”

As a supplier of digital auditing and checklist solutions, cluetec values direct communication with experts who want to make quality assurance more efficient, transparent and sustainable.

In contrast to the Control trade fair, the Expert Days provide a platform for in-depth discussions and a targeted exchange of knowledge with decision-makers. The focus on AI reflects the essence of our work: with cluetec Audit, we assist companies in establishing paperless, data-driven processes – the basis for AI-supported quality assurance.

For cluetec, the 2026 Control Expert Days serve as a stage on which they’re able to showcase their innovative leadership in audit management, set trends and actively shape the future of digital quality assurance.