Industrial supplier Schaeffler has received the German Innovation Award 2026 in the "Large Companies" category. The prize was awarded for the implementation of an industrial metaverse that digitally maps production processes and links them to real processes. The prize is awarded annually by WirtschaftsWoche together with Accenture, the BMW Foundation and O2 Telefónica.

The system combines a three-dimensional model of production with physical simulations and integrates control software for autonomous systems. These include automated guided vehicles (AGVs), humanoid robots and programmable logic controllers. The aim is to analyze and optimize production processes virtually before they are implemented in the real environment.

The core of the approach is the use of AI-supported simulation models and physical AI. This involves evaluating sensor data, recognizing patterns and deriving control decisions from them. Robots can initially train motion sequences in the digital environment, while assembly processes are checked for efficiency in parallel. This should also enable the automation of previously inaccessible or inefficient processes.

According to the company, the Industrial Metaverse is already in use at ten locations. By 2030, the technology is to be extended to half of the plants worldwide. Schaeffler is thus pursuing the goal of automating production systems to a greater extent and creating the conditions for the use of autonomous resources.

"For us, the Industrial Metaverse is much more than just a means of process optimization. It is the central enabler for scaling humanoid robots, as cyber-physical systems can be trained quickly and efficiently in virtual space using physical AI. By using the Industrial Metaverse, we are paving the way for flexible high automation and increasing the efficiency of our global series production."

The award emphasizes the importance of digital twins and AI-supported simulations for industrial transformation. In particular, the combination of real production and virtual planning is seen as a central building block for future manufacturing concepts.