PALMEX 2026 Puts Digitalisation and Automation at the Centre of Indonesia's Palm Oil Industry

PALMEX 2026, the palm oil industry technology exhibition, ran on 6 and 7 May at JIEXPO Kemayoran in Central Jakarta. The 16th edition of the international show carried the theme "Indonesia Driving Global Palm Oil through Innovations and Digital Transformation" and brought together industry operators, stakeholders and global investors to review the latest technology in the sector, including independent smallholders adopting new tools in plantation operations and processing. Around 300 international brands from Asia and Europe exhibited, showing products spanning processing, digitalisation, automation and environmental management. Kenny Yong, chief executive of organiser Fireworks Trade Media Group, said technology is changing the face of a formerly traditional industry, pointing to autonomous tractors operated remotely without a driver, and argued that innovation developed in Indonesia — the world's largest palm oil producer — is fit for use by other producing countries. Three seminar programmes ran alongside the exhibition: the ASEAN Palm Oil Conference (ASPOC) on industry transformation through compliance and technology, the Indonesia Palm Oil Technology Seminar, and the Indonesia Palm Oil Workshop.