Schaeffler commits fleet rollout
- Schaeffler and Hexagon Robotics said on April 22 they expanded their partnership, with Schaeffler planning to deploy at least 1,000 AEON humanoid robots across its global production network by 2032. - The deal also makes Schaeffler a component supplier: it will provide high-precision strain wave and planetary gear rotary actuators for AEON after a 2025 factory pilot. - Hexagon launched AEON in June 2025 with Schaeffler as an early pilot customer, moving the relationship from testing to a seven-year rollout. (schaeffler.com)
Schaeffler plans to deploy at least 1,000 of Hexagon Robotics’ AEON humanoid robots across its global factories by 2032. (schaeffler.com) The companies announced the expanded partnership on April 22 in Herzogenaurach and Zurich, saying the rollout follows a joint pilot completed in 2025. Schaeffler said the robots will be integrated into its production system over the next seven years. (schaeffler.com) This is not only a purchase agreement. Schaeffler also said it will supply AEON with high-precision strain wave and planetary gear rotary actuators from the actuator platform that won Deutsche Messe’s Hermes Award. (schaeffler.com) A humanoid robot is a general-purpose machine built to work in spaces designed for people, rather than inside a fixed cage like a traditional factory robot. Hexagon says AEON combines sensors, artificial-intelligence-based mission control, and mobility to handle jobs such as manipulation, inspection, reality capture, and operator support. (hexagon.com) (robotics.hexagon.com) Hexagon launched AEON on June 17, 2025, and named Schaeffler and Pilatus as early pilot customers. The company said AEON was designed for automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and other industrial settings. (hexagon.com) Hexagon says AEON uses wheel-based locomotion rather than walking feet for many factory tasks, a design choice aimed at speed and stability on industrial floors. Its product pages describe the robot as a system for moving quickly, attaching different tools, and switching between multiple jobs. (robotics.hexagon.com 1) (robotics.hexagon.com 2) Schaeffler said the goal is to automate production steps gradually and raise efficiency inside its plants. Chief operating officer Jochen Schröder said the company wants to use the robots in its own factories while also selling key components into the broader humanoid market. (schaeffler.com) The announcement puts a concrete number on a humanoid factory rollout at a time when many industrial robot projects are still in pilot mode. Neither company disclosed the cost of the 1,000-unit deployment or a target for productivity gains. (schaeffler.com) (comparethecloud.net) The next test is execution: deploying the same robot platform across multiple plants, tasks, and maintenance cycles without breaking production. For now, Schaeffler and Hexagon have moved AEON from a 2025 pilot to a dated, seven-year factory rollout plan. (schaeffler.com)
