In collaboration with Atomic Austria and Wintersteiger AG, Salzburg Research is demonstrating how digital product passports can enhance service, usage, and the circular economy in winter sports. This pilot project is part of the PASSAT research initiative and will be presented at an international showcase during Hannover Messe.

At the IMXC Showcase during Hannover Messe 2026, Salzburg Research will present a digital product passport demonstrator for the ski industry in collaboration with Atomic and Wintersteiger. The demonstration will illustrate how data can be systematically collected, shared, and utilized throughout a product’s entire lifecycle.

This use case demonstrates the potential of the digital product passport for ski maintenance. Skis are tracked digitally throughout their entire lifecycle. Production data, service history, and usage information are consolidated in the passport and made available to authorized parties throughout the supply chain. 

More efficient services and new data-driven applications  

The demonstrator shows how the digital product passport is integrated into service processes. During maintenance, product-specific parameters can be retrieved directly from the passport using automated systems, such as those from Wintersteiger. This enables service processes to be carried out more precisely, quickly, and efficiently.

At the same time, service providers document their work steps in the product passport. This creates a comprehensive, traceable history for each product. This transparency improves service quality and enables new data-driven applications in various sectors, such as the rental sector, safety measures for accident prevention, and product reconditioning.

“With the PASSAT Showcase, we’re demonstrating how digital product passports work in practice, from manufacturing to service and recycling. Our focus is on implementing data spaces that create real added value for companies and enable new business models for sustainable product use,” said Felix Strohmeier of Salzburg Research.

The foundation for a circular economy and transparency

Another focus is supporting circular business models. The digital product passport facilitates keeping products in use longer, optimizing their reuse, and improving recycling processes. Structured data availability enables stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding remanufacturing and end-of-life management.

Role of Salzburg Research  

Salzburg Research will contribute its expertise in data rooms, semantic interoperability, and digital twins to the showcase. Alongside industry partners, the team will demonstrate how standardized data models for an Asset Administration Shell, as well as secure data infrastructure that complies with Gaia-X, enable collaboration across organizational boundaries.

Showcase at the Hannover Messe 

The demonstrator is part of the IMXC Showcase, an international event that uses digital product passports and edge AI to demonstrate how data can be used reliably across global value chains.

The International Manufacturing-X Council (IMXC) facilitates a federated, decentralized data ecosystem to promote resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness worldwide.

HANNOVER MESSE, The World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Manufacturing Industry
April 20-24, 2026 
Location: Hall 13, Booth C24  

More information about the PASSAT project: https://www.salzburgresearch.at/en/projekt/passat/

In Austria, PASSAT is funded by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). In Germany, it is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Aerospace Center Project Management Agency (DLR-PT).