Schaeffler opens lighthouse factory in Taicang where ‘humanoids will make humanoids’

What happened

Motion technology company Schaeffler has opened a state-of-the-art lighthouse factory for humanoid robotics in Taicang, China. Schaeffler opens lighthouse factory in Taicang where ‘humanoids will make humanoids’ October 26, 2026 by Sam Francis Motion technology company Schaeffler has opened a state-of-the-art lighthouse factory for humanoid robotics in Taicang, China.

Schaeffler’s business also reflects the booming demand in this growth field: The company recently announced the acquisition of two new customers from the greater China region in Q3 2026. It houses an intelligent assembly line, a training and data acquisition center, a platform for digital twins, and a data center across approximately 7,500 square meters of floor space.

The building covers the entire process from testing of individual robot skills to application in the actual manufacturing environment, showing what “humanoids making humanoids” looks like in practice: humanoid robots assembling key joint modules – including actuators – for the next generation of humanoid robots. The lighthouse factory marks the start of mass production of these components for Schaeffler and offers customers and partners the opportunity to train and test physical AI systems in actual industrial conditions.

It therefore serves to drive adoption of humanoids in industry. With this, global incoming orders for humanoid robotics rose to some €400 million.