Schaeffler opens Taicang humanoid factory as actuator production scales

Schaeffler has opened a 7,500 m² humanoid robotics factory in Taicang, China, where six humanoid robots work across five stations assembling joint modules for other humanoids. The company says the facility marks the start of mass production of components including linear and rotary actuators. Robots sort and position parts, assemble components, inspect them, and carry out labelling and packaging. Schaeffler's accompanying factory footage shows robots bearing ROKAE and Spirit AI branding.

The factory brings component production, a robot training and data acquisition centre, digital twins and computing infrastructure into one site. Its digital twin mirrors assembly-line operations using measurements of accuracy, cycle time, energy use and equipment condition. Changes can be tested digitally before being introduced on the physical line. Schaeffler also trains robots there for inspection, packaging, material handling and line-side replenishment, drawing on tasks from its approximately 100 manufacturing plants.

The opening follows Schaeffler’s 13 October disclosure of approximately €400 million in humanoid robotics orders on hand, after adding two Greater China customers in the third quarter. The Taicang site combines manufacturing of the joint components behind those humanoid programmes with industrial environments for testing robots and collecting application data.

Schaeffler is also a prospective customer for humanoid systems. Its April agreement with Hexagon Robotics covers precision actuator supply for AEON and a plan to deploy at least 1,000 AEON robots across Schaeffler factories by 2032. Hexagon’s 15 October training case study describes work at Schaeffler’s Erlangen Humanoid Gym, where teams train and validate manufacturing tasks before factory rollout.