Schaeffler expects its humanoid robotics business to build an order book in the hundreds of millions of euros by 2030, the CEO of the German machine and car parts maker said on Tuesday.
CEO Klaus Rosenfeld, talking after the company’s first-quarter results, did not give a more specific estimate for the potential order book.
“We have been investing significantly in the humanoid robotics area and we are collaborating with about 45 humanoid robotics players globally,” Rosenfeld said.
Those collaborations involve exchanging prototypes, discussing potential order intake and, where applicable, jointly developing manufacturing concepts, he added.
Schaeffler has five customer contracts in the segment. While Rosenfeld declined to name customers, he said the largest ones were with leading players in China and the US.
The 2030 target assumes that projected demand for humanoid robots in 2026-30 materialises, including global production of at least a million units by decade’s end, Rosenfeld said.
In recent months, the company has also secured its first meaningful contracts for actuators and other components, including strain wave gears, used in the robotics industry.
The 2030 target assumes that projected demand for humanoid robots in 2026-30 materialises, including global production of at least a million units by decade’s end, Rosenfeld said.
Schaeffler estimates that about 50% of humanoid robots’ materials bill represents an addressable market for the company. It aims to capture about 10% of that opportunity by 2030.
The company’s share performance has been supported by its growing humanoid robotics business, helping shield the stock from volatility in the vehicle sector, even though the segment accounted for less than 1% of group sales in 2025.
Apart from Schaeffler’s robotics exposure, the shares have performed “extremely well” thanks to the company’s relatively good positioning in the electric mobility shift and increased investments in Europe’s defence industry, said Rico Luman, senior economist at ING Research.
“The European automotive market is still not great in terms of volume, at some 85% of prepandemic levels, but Schaeffler seems well under way to diversify,” Luman said.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.