Schaeffler's Embodied Intelligence Robot Digital-Intelligent Factory Opens in Taicang

On October 20, Schaeffler's Embodied Intelligent Robot Digital and Intelligent Factory was officially opened in Taicang. Relying on real industrial manufacturing scenarios, the digital and intelligent factory tests and validates humanoid robots, develops scalable product solutions, and accelerates the industrial application of humanoid robots. Dr. Jochen Schröder, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler Group; Dr. Zhang Yilin, Chief Executive Officer of Schaeffler China; Dr. Chen Xiangbin, Head of Schaeffler China's E-Mobility Business Division; David Keel, Global Head of Humanoid Robotics at Schaeffler Group; Sun Haitian, General Manager of Schaeffler Embodied Intelligent Robot (Taicang) Co., Ltd.; and representatives of some company management attended the opening ceremony together with relevant government leaders and guests, including Chen Gao, Member of the Standing Committee of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Taicang Municipal Party Committee; Sheng Haifeng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Taicang Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Taicang High-tech Zone; and Yan Guoqiang, Deputy Mayor of Taicang. At the ceremony, Dr. Jochen Schröder emphasized the important strategic significance of embodied intelligent robots to Schaeffler Group and noted that China plays a pivotal role in the global humanoid robot business. Dr. Zhang Yilin said that Schaeffler established the digital and intelligent factory to drive robots truly into production and to make physical AI truly land in industry. Sun Haitian emphasized that the digital and intelligent factory, as an open innovation platform, is committed to working with ecosystem partners to jointly advance embodied intelligent robots from concept to production lines and from China to manufacturing sites around the world. In his speech, Taicang Deputy Mayor Yan Guoqiang congratulated the launch of the digital and intelligent factory. He reviewed Schaeffler's more than 30 years of development rooted in Taicang, highly recognized the company's active transformation in keeping with industry trends, and looked forward to government-enterprise collaboration in building Taicang into a highland for the embodied intelligent robot industry. Dr. Jochen Schröder, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler Group: "Schaeffler is committed to shaping the future of production and becoming a globally leading supplier and preferred technology partner in the field of humanoid robotics. Through the Taicang digital and intelligent factory, we are building a closed-loop manufacturing system in which robots assemble robot components—an unprecedented innovation within Schaeffler's global production network. Relying on the Taicang digital and intelligent factory, we are deeply integrating Schaeffler's decades of accumulated manufacturing technology with physical AI and digital twins, further expanding our capabilities in core components, thereby driving humanoid robots from concept toward industrial application." The Taicang digital and intelligent factory integrates an intelligent assembly production line, a scenario-based training and data collection center, a digital twin platform, and a computing power center, covering a total area of approximately 7,500 square meters. It covers the complete process from single-robot skill training to application in real manufacturing scenarios, realizing the industry-leading closed-loop intelligent manufacturing model of "robots making robot components," and producing joint module components, including actuators, for next-generation humanoid robots. The opening of the digital and intelligent factory marks that components such as joint modules have officially entered mass production. In addition, the digital and intelligent factory adopts an open cooperation model. Robot customers and partners can train and test physical AI systems in industrial scenarios, accelerating the widespread application of humanoid robots in the industry. From component manufacturing to industrial application The core of the digital and intelligent factory is an intelligent assembly production line used to produce core humanoid robot components, including linear and rotary joints. The entire line was independently designed by Schaeffler and has five major workstations, equipped with six humanoid robots working collaboratively to complete the full process of material box handling, parts sorting and picking, press-fitting and screw assembly, function testing, marking, and packaging. The factory has built a bidirectional closed-loop digital twin system to achieve real-time mapping between the physical production line and the virtual model. The physical production line is equipped with sensors that can collect physical data in real time, such as assembly accuracy, cycle time of individual processes, energy load, and asset status. When changes are needed, they can be tested and optimized in the virtual environment and then applied to the real manufacturing process, greatly shortening development time and achieving stable and reliable production processes. In addition, in the humanoid robot training and data collection center, humanoid robots conduct a series of task training in industrial application scenarios, including visual inspection, automated packaging, intelligent material picking, logistics material box handling, parts assembly, and production line material replenishment. The training scenarios were selected from approximately 100 Schaeffler factories worldwide, replicating real production conditions to ensure that the trained skills can be directly tested and optimized on the assembly line. Training data, simulation data, and production data are interconnected, continuously driving iterative upgrades of robot performance. At present, market demand for humanoid robots is strong, as fully demonstrated by Schaeffler's rapidly growing customer demand in this field: in the third quarter of 2026, the company won new orders from two Chinese customers, raising the Group's total order volume in the humanoid robot field to 400 million euros. Dr. Zhang Yilin, Chief Executive Officer of Schaeffler China: "China's embodied intelligence and humanoid robot industry is ushering in important development opportunities. As a technology company focused on drive technology, Schaeffler is relying on local R&D, manufacturing, and industrial collaboration advantages to accelerate the layout of China's humanoid robot industry ecosystem. The completion of this digital and intelligent factory in Taicang is an important strategic move for Schaeffler to deepen its roots in China, serve the local market, and further accelerate the development of the embodied intelligent humanoid robot industry."