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Highlights

  • Accenture and Schaeffler showcase AI-driven solutions for future manufacturing.
  • Proof-of-concept demonstrates AI-powered simulations for optimized factory design.
  • Collaboration with NVIDIA and Microsoft aims to advance humanoid robot integration in factories.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is collaborating with Schaeffler AG to revolutionize industrial automation using physical AI and robotics. At the Hannover Messe 2025, the companies will demonstrate how AI, simulation, and data technologies can improve various industrial scenarios—from human-centric work environments to full automation. The demonstration will feature advanced technologies such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), Schaeffler’s mobile manipulator cobot EMMA, and general-purpose humanoid robots like Agility Robotics’ Digit and Sanctuary AI’s Phoenix.

According to Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler, the company is focused on leveraging cutting-edge technologies like physical AI and digital twins to improve operational efficiency in its global manufacturing network. The collaboration with Accenture, alongside strategic partners like NVIDIA and Microsoft, aims to explore how these innovations can enhance flexibility and efficiency in manufacturing processes.

Accenture’s Global Industry Group Lead, Patrick Vollmer, explains that physical AI is transforming industrial automation by providing efficient methods for managing fleets of AMRs, mobile manipulators, and humanoid robots. The proof-of-concept developed by the companies demonstrates how AI-powered simulations can optimize Schaeffler’s factory layouts and workflows, ultimately reducing commissioning times.

Accenture's technology allows for the creation of digital twins using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, enabling Schaeffler to simulate and plan the ideal layout for their factories and warehouses. The simulations help identify the optimal degree of automation, from manual work to high levels of automation with robots performing tasks like material handling and assembly.

As AI technologies advance, the collaboration between Accenture, Schaeffler, and their partners highlights the potential of humanoid robots to integrate seamlessly into human-centric work environments, offering new opportunities to increase efficiency and flexibility in industrial operations.