Instrument Systems, supplier of high-precision light measurement technology and part of the Konica Minolta Group, has appointed Dr. Marc Lünnemann as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Lünnemann took over the position on January 1, 2026.
Infineon Technologies and HTEC have presented the jointly developed '360° Awareness Humanoid Robotic Head'. The technology is the result of close cooperation in the fields of embedded engineering, sensor fusion and AI integration.
The Supervisory Board of Jungheinrich has appointed Dr. Tobias Harzer (50) as the Group's new Board of Management member for Automation & Warehouse Equipment with effect from February 1, 2026. The appointment is for a period of three years.
The robotics industry is developing faster than ever. According to Anders Billesø Beck, Vice President AI Robotics Products at Universal Robots, four key trends are emerging that will fundamentally change how robots create value from 2026.
SPS - Smart Production Solutions Guangzhou has recorded a high level of exhibitor participation just a few months before the start of the trade fair. The trade fair showcases new solutions for automation, robotics and industrial digitalization.
On January 1, 2026, Ad van de Noort officially took over the role of CSO EMEA at the Lapp Group. He had been in charge of sales in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa) on an interim basis since June 2025.
Acquisition in the EDA business
Siemens is integrating Aster's test verification software into its Xpedition and Valor solutions. The acquisition is aimed at end-to-end processes from PCB design to production.
The new Profinet V2.5 integrates real-time and TCP/IP communication, enhanced cyber security, and modern Ethernet technologies. All updates are reflected in GSD/GSDX files and test systems.
From January 2026, the image processing brands Allied Vision, Chromasens, Mikrotron, NET and SVS-Vistek will be merged under the Allied Vision brand. The companies, which are part of TKH Group NV, will combine their technological know-how, individual strengths and industry-specific expertise. This makes them a single-source provider of seamlessly integrated hardware and software solutions.
Dematic and Hai Robotics have recently agreed a Europe-wide partnership to work together as integration partners in the field of warehouse automation. Through this cooperation, the provider of automation solutions for supply chains and the specialist for autonomous mobile robots (AMR) are pooling their core competencies to develop solutions for warehouse and logistics applications.
The German industrial group Schaeffler and the British technology company Humanoid have agreed a strategic partnership for this purpose. The aim is to equip humanoid robots with precise actuators and integrate them into industrial processes on a large scale.
Dr. Jochen Peter (50) joined the Executive Board of Bosch Rexroth AG in Lohr am Main on January 1, 2026 and will become Chairman of the Executive Board on March 1, 2026 after a familiarization phase. He succeeds Dr. Steffen Haack (59), who will step down as Chairman on the same date but remain a member of the divisional board.
Schaeffler has announced the appointment of Maximilian Fiedler (38) as Regional CEO Asia/Pacific effective January 1, 2026. In this role, he will be a member of the Executive Board of the Schaeffler Group and represent the Asia/Pacific region.
Two new positions were filled at ifm at the start of 2026: Markus Wolf becomes Managing Director Sales Germany, Sven Quant takes over the position of Central Managing Director in the Process Sensors division within the ifm Group.
Red Hat is continuously strengthening its dynamic, networked partner ecosystem. Now Kevin Kennedy has been appointed as the new Vice President of the Global Partner Ecosystem.
At CES, Siemens presented technologies to accelerate industrial AI: new digital twins, AI co-pilots, an Industrial AI Operating System and applications in manufacturing, energy and life sciences.
TeamViewer has introduced 'Agentless Access', an extension of the 'Tensor' enterprise platform. The function enables industrial companies to securely maintain machines and control systems remotely without having to install software locally on the devices.
With the new version of its 'Software Defined Automation' platform, Logiccloud shows how virtualization and AI are changing industrial automation. An integrated AI assistant enables the rapid creation of complete automation apps.
Hilscher has released a new version of the 'netField Cloud'. With version 4.0, the company is expanding the platform for industrial device management with new functions and an optimized user experience.
On January 1, 2026, the Lapp Group assumed operational responsibility for the cable business, which was previously managed by the DKSH Business Unit Technology, Taiwan. With this strategic agreement, Lapp establishes its own company in Taiwan.
