Congratulations on 125 years of Kuka! Looking back: What was the most significant technological development of your company?

Andreas Röhring: Thank you very much - I am of course very happy to return the congratulations for a quarter of a century of Computer&Automation. With regard to Kukawas one of the most significant developments was certainly our 'Famulus' - the world's first industrial robot with six axes driven electrically by disk motors. That was real pioneering work at the time. We presented the robot in 1973, after three years of development. However, it would take a few years before Kuka robots really became a success story. In 1977, the time had come when Daimler-Benz ordered 20 Famulus successors for a new system. Kuka now stands for much more than 'just' industrial robots, but the Famulus was already a major milestone in our history - and one that still has an impact today.

Is there an absolute 'bestseller' and what makes it so?

Röhring: Yes, there is one and it can also be found in our robot division. Since its market launch in 2010, we have sold more than 130,000 robots from our KR Quantec series. The robot is a true all-rounder and, with its payload capacity of 120 to 300 kilograms, is used in the automotive industry, in foundries, in the medical sector and for processing and handling tasks. We only launched the new generation of the series on the market in 2019. So we are always working on optimizing our portfolio. Naturally also with a view to sustainability. The dead weight of the new KR Quantec generation and its operating modes have been updated so that it requires considerably less energy to operate than its predecessor models. In combination with the new robot controller, this effect is even greater. Together, the robot and controller can be used 55 percent more energy-efficiently compared to a KR Quantec of the 2000 series generation produced until 2010 and the KR C2 controller. If production halls are completely supplied with direct current in future, energy savings of as much as 60 percent can be achieved compared to 2010.

It's not all rosy in 125 years - what do you think was the most difficult time for the company?

Röhring : The origins of today's Kuka Group lie in the production of acetylene lamps, back then with 20 employees. It was like a start-up that experienced its first disruption early on. With the invention of the light bulb, something new was needed. And even back then, it was clear that a wealth of ideas and staying power were the cornerstones of our company. In fact, only one in four companies in Germany is more than 20 years old. This was revealed by a Creditreform analysis from 2019. The fact that we can celebrate 125 years of Kuka this year is therefore not least due to our resilience in times of crisis, but also to our ability to change. For example, there was the global economic crisis in October 1930, which led to Kuka becoming insolvent and on the verge of bankruptcy.

What does the roadmap for the next ten to 15 years look like?

Röhring: Kuka is now broadly positioned worldwide. We generate a third of our turnover in America, a quarter in China and a large part in Europe. Our focus is shifting from being a product manufacturer to a provider of solutions and software. And with AI-supported automation, we are at the beginning of a new era, comparable to the early days of the internet. Automation has become an integral part of global industry. The world is changing, and new technologies such as robotics, AI, digitalization and automation are helping us to adapt to this changing world. We spend a large part of our investment in research & development on software. We want to simplify our customers' working lives and are merging our different software worlds such as engineering, robot operating systems, simulation and cloud tools over the next few years.

What technological trends do you see that are or will be important for Kuka?

Röhring : Intelligent robotics is being used in areas that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago - from dismantling nuclear facilities and stacking crates in breweries to huge high-bay warehouses. They glue battery packs for electric cars or handle highly sensitive wafers for semiconductor chips - and are more energy-efficient and resource-saving than ever before.

Robotics is currently conquering new areas, such as modular house construction, but also SMEs, which are increasingly discovering the benefits of automation for themselves. It is therefore becoming increasingly important that robotics and automation become more accessible - especially for sectors that have not yet been highly automated. Our aim here is to drastically lower the entry threshold. There is also potential in the food and electronics industries. In addition, autonomous, mobile robots will play an increasingly important role - closely followed by cobots and intelligent software. In addition, there are digital solutions such as the digital twin for greater efficiency or more resource-efficient commissioning.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge in the coming years, in terms of business and/or technology?

Röhring : One of the biggest challenges in the coming years will certainly be the question of how we, as a globally active company, will master the crises that come our way. We rely on flexibility, resilience and openness. We can only achieve success if we are flexible and act close to the market. A look at the most important trends of our time shows that robotics and automation are becoming increasingly important. Our products and solutions help to counteract the effects of an ageing society. They help to mitigate the shortage of skilled workers, bring back production or automate processes to make them more robust. We support our customers in finding solutions to these challenges.