The autonomous factory: Schaeffler wins German Innovation Award for its Industrial Metaverse

Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, says: “We are very pleased to have received the German Innovation Award in the ‘Large Companies’ category. With the Industrial Metaverse, we are not only creating a digital twin of our plants but also a learning ecosystem in manufacturing that will help secure our long-term competitiveness. By using AI in industrial applications and deploying humanoid robots in manufacturing, we are laying the foundation for the factory of the future.”

Industrial Metaverse: From simulation to production applications
The Schaeffler Industrial Metaverse combines a realistic, three-dimensional digital map of the production environment with a life-like simulation of physical processes. In addition, it integrates the control software for autonomous systems such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), humanoids, and programmable logic controllers. With the help of physical AI, sensor signals are evaluated, correlations and patterns are identified, and targeted actions are determined. While robots are practicing their motion sequences in the virtual environment, assembly processes are already being optimized for maximum efficiency prior to their use in the real world. This enables, for the first time, the automation of processes previously regarded as too complex or uneconomical. Schaeffler’s Industrial Metaverse is already being used at ten locations. By 2030, Schaeffler plans to expand it to 50 percent of its plants worldwide.

Dr. Jochen Schröder, COO of Schaeffler AG, says: “For us, the Industrial Metaverse is far more than just a means to optimize processes. It is the key enabler for the scaling up of humanoid robots, as cyber-physical systems can already be trained by physical AI in the virtual space quickly and efficiently. By using the Industrial Metaverse, we are paving the way for flexible, high-level automation and greater efficiency in our worldwide volume production.”