Fraunhofer Group for Production
Robotics – Using Automation for More Flexible, Efficient, and Resilient Manufacturing Processes
Companies today face profound changes: rising customer demands, increasing global competitive pressure, skilled labor shortages, volatile supply chains, and the need for sustainable, more efficient production processes. Traditional manufacturing structures are increasingly reaching their limits – flexibility, quality, and cost must be optimized simultaneously.
Industrial robotics provides the decisive answer to these developments. Modern robotic systems enable precise, repeatable, and around-the-clock production processes. They boost productivity, improve process reliability, and reduce production costs in the long term. At the same time, they relieve employees of monotonous or physically demanding tasks, creating space for higher-value activities. A key advantage lies in their high adaptability: robots can be seamlessly integrated into existing production environments, support variant-rich manufacturing, and enable short response times to market changes. This makes companies more resilient to fluctuations and allows them to bring new products to market faster. Industrial robotics is therefore not just a technological advancement but a strategic success factor – for future-proof production, stronger competitiveness, and sustainable growth in the era of Industry 4.0.
The Fraunhofer Production Alliance offers comprehensive robotics expertise: from analyzing industrial processes to developing flexible industrial robots, collaborative systems (HRC), and autonomous mobile robots, as well as intelligent gripping and sensor systems, AI-based perception, digital simulation, and secure system integration. With practice-oriented research, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and direct industry relevance, the institutes develop customized solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs, and make companies sustainably future-ready.