Schaeffler opens lighthouse factory for humanoid robotics in China

Schaeffler has opened a state-of-the-art lighthouse factory for humanoid robotics in Taicang, China. It houses an intelligent assembly line, a training and data acquisition center, a platform for digital twins, and a data center across approximately 7,500 square meters of floor space.

The building covers the entire process from testing of individual robot skills to application in the actual manufacturing environment, showing what “humanoids making humanoids” looks like in practice: humanoid robots assembling key joint modules – including actuators – for the next generation of humanoid robots.

The lighthouse factory marks the start of mass production of these components for Schaeffler and offers customers and partners the opportunity to train and test physical AI systems in actual industrial conditions. It therefore serves to drive adoption of humanoids in industry.

Schaeffler’s business also reflects the booming demand in this growth field: The company recently announced the acquisition of two new customers from the Greater China region in Q3 2026. With this, global incoming orders for humanoid robotics rose to some 400 million euros.

Dr. Jochen Schröder, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler AG, says: “Schaeffler wants to shape the production of the future and become a leading supplier and preferred technology partner for humanoid robotics. 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.”