Schaeffler opens Taicang Lighthouse Factory where humanoid robots build humanoid joint modules
Schaeffler has opened a 7,500-square-meter Lighthouse Factory in Taicang, China, where six humanoid robots assemble joint modules for the next generation of humanoids.
- around €400 million
- around 7,500 square meters
- six
- around 100
What Happened
Schaeffler has opened a Lighthouse Factory for humanoid robotics in Taicang, China. The roughly 7,500-square-meter site combines an intelligent assembly line, a training and data acquisition center, a digital twin platform and a data center. It covers the entire process from testing individual robot capabilities to applying them in manufacturing. The guiding idea is "humanoids manufacture humanoids": humanoid robots assemble central joint modules, including actuators for the next generation of humanoid robots.
around €400 million
After Schaeffler won two new customers from Greater China in Q3 2026.
The heart of the facility is a Schaeffler-developed assembly line for key humanoid robot components, including linear and rotary actuators. At five stations, six humanoids work together: they provide and sort parts, join them, inspect, label and pack them. A digital twin represents the line's real processes virtually. Sensors record assembly accuracy, the duration of individual work steps, energy consumption and the condition of equipment, so changes can be tested and optimized digitally before being adopted in real production.
- Visual inspection of components
- Packaging
- Material transport
- Moving containers
- Parts assembly
- Refilling material at production lines
Schaeffler trains humanoid robots for industrial tasks in the training and data acquisition center. The training environments are modeled on real conditions in Schaeffler's roughly 100 production plants, so learned skills can be checked directly at the assembly line and developed further. Data from training, simulation and production are linked to continuously improve robot performance.
“We want to shape the production of the future and become the world's leading supplier and preferred technology partner for humanoid robotics. With the Lighthouse Factory in Taicang, we are creating something that has not existed in Schaeffler's global network until now: a closed manufacturing loop in which humanoids assemble components for humanoids. In the Lighthouse Factory, we are combining decades of manufacturing expertise with Physical AI and digital twins. In this way, we are further expanding our competencies in central robot components and bringing humanoid robotics into industrial production.”
“China's humanoid robotics industry is entering a phase of rapid growth. As a Motion Technology Company, Schaeffler is driving the development of China's humanoid robotics ecosystem and using its local strengths in research and development, manufacturing and industrial collaboration. The opening of the Lighthouse Factory in Taicang is another important step in Schaeffler's long-term commitment in China and for expanding our business in humanoid robotics.”
Previously from Schaeffler Group
Earlier in October 2026, Schaeffler announced a partnership with Qorix to jointly develop, integrate and market software-based platform solutions for future vehicle architectures. The companies said the collaboration would start with automotive and later extend to robotics and industrial automation.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Schaeffler Group's official releases.
Why this matters
The plant puts humanoid robots into real serial production, making components for other humanoids while letting Schaeffler and partners train physical AI under industrial conditions. Schaeffler says global order intake in humanoid robotics has reached around €400 million after two new Greater China customers in the third quarter of 2026, showing growing demand. The facility also draws on know-how from Schaeffler's roughly 100 production plants.
Terms in This Story
- Lighthouse Factory
- A showcase manufacturing site used to demonstrate and deploy advanced digital production technologies.
- Physical AI
- Artificial intelligence systems that perceive and act in the physical world, such as robots.
- Digital twin
- A virtual replica of a physical system that can be used to test and optimize changes before they are applied in reality.
- Actuator
- A component that creates movement in a machine or robot.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.