Insider Brief
- Schaeffler has opened a 7,500-square-meter factory in Taicang, China, where humanoid robots assemble components for other humanoids while the company tests training, simulation and production systems under industrial conditions.
- The facility combines component manufacturing, robot training, data collection and digital twins, with six humanoids working across five assembly stations and a training center modeled on conditions across Schaeffler’s roughly 100 plants.
- Schaeffler said the site also marks the start of mass production for key humanoid components, while two new Greater China customers helped lift global incoming humanoid robotics orders to about 400 million euros.
Schaeffler has opened a 7,500-square-meter factory in Taicang, China, where humanoid robots are assembling components for other humanoid robots while the company tests training, simulation and production systems under industrial conditions.
According to Schaeffler, the facility combines component manufacturing, robot training, data collection, digital twins and data-center infrastructure at one site. The Taicang site also marks the start of mass production for key humanoid components including linear and rotary actuators.
“Schaeffler wants to shape the production of the future and become a leading supplier and preferred technology partner for humanoid robotics,” COO Jochen Schröder noted in the announcement. “With the lighthouse factory in Taicang, we are creating something that has never before been seen in Schaeffler’s global network: a closed manufacturing loop where humanoids assemble components for humanoids. In the lighthouse factory, we combine decades of manufacturing expertise with physical AI and digital twins. With it, we are expanding our capabilities for key robot components and taking humanoid robotics from theory to industrial practice.”
Humanoids Building Humanoids
Schaeffler said six humanoid robots currently work across five stations on the assembly line, handling tasks including staging and sorting parts, joining components, inspection, labeling and packaging. A digital twin mirrors the assembly line and its processes in real time. Sensors collect data on assembly accuracy, the duration of individual work steps, energy use and equipment condition, allowing proposed changes to be tested digitally before being introduced on the production line.
Schaeffler said that approach is intended to shorten development times and improve production stability and reliability.
Training & Data Collection
The factory also includes a training and data-acquisition center where humanoid robots are taught industrial tasks based on conditions found across Schaeffler’s roughly 100 manufacturing plants.
Those tasks include:
Visual inspection: Checking parts for quality and other requirements.
Packaging: Handling and preparing products for shipment or further processing.
Material handling: Moving parts and materials through production environments.
Container movement: Transporting containers between work areas.
Line-side replenishment: Delivering materials needed at production stations.
Schaeffler said the robots can move from those training environments to the assembly line, where their skills can be tested and adjusted under actual manufacturing conditions. Data from training, simulation and production can then be linked to improve robot performance.
The company indicated it is also making the facility available to customers and partners for testing physical AI systems.
Growing Demand for Humanoids
The Taicang facility is part of Schaeffler’s effort to expand its role as a supplier of components and technology for humanoid robots. The company said the site combines its manufacturing experience with physical AI and digital-twin technology while increasing its capacity for key robot components.
Schaeffler said demand for its humanoid robotics business has been growing. The company recently added two customers from the Greater China region during the third quarter of 2026, bringing global incoming orders for humanoid robotics to about 400 million euros.
“China’s humanoid robotics industry is entering a fast growth period,” added Yilin Zhang, CEO Greater China at Schaeffler. “As a motion technology company, Schaeffler is accelerating the development of China’s humanoid robotics ecosystem by leveraging its local capabilities in research and development, manufacturing and industrial collaboration. The opening of the Taicang lighthouse represents another important move in Schaeffler’s long-term commitment to China and business development in humanoid robotics.”
