Butcher-shop automation creates value only when it returns time to quality and service

Süffa in Stuttgart, running from November 7 to 9, 2026, frames rationalisation as a business-design task rather than a simple cost-cutting programme. In an afz interview, Messe Stuttgart managing director Stefan Lohnert describes an approach linking automation, production organisation, assisted retail and digital self-service formats.

The starting point is practical: when orders, recipes, staff deployment and machinery are not coordinated, friction losses eventually become visible at the counter. The fair will feature technology intended to automate routine work, reduce error sources and free up time for advice and product development. Connected checkout systems, pre-order apps, digital payment, cold-chain and hygiene monitoring, and interfaces to merchandise management are also on the agenda.

For artisan businesses, the decisive point is not that every process should be digitised. The question is whether the combination demonstrably improves supply capability, process reliability and the customer experience. A smart store or self-service module can extend selling hours; it does not, by itself, replace counter expertise. Likewise, new machinery does not create a return if recipes, planning, training and maintenance remain disconnected.