How KRONE and KUKA are modernizing German production with smart factories and mobile robotics

How KRONE and KUKA are modernizing German production with smart factories and mobile robotics

(IN BRIEF) KRONE, in collaboration with KUKA, is reshaping its manufacturing approach by combining established production sites with advanced smart factory concepts. At its Werlte facility, stationary and mobile robots like the KMP 1500P and KMP 3000P are modernizing truck trailer production, replacing forklifts, and optimizing workflows. Meanwhile, a new smart factory in Ibbenbüren has been built in just one year, featuring fully connected machines, self-learning systems, and synchronized robot operations that reduce downtime and boost flexibility. KRONE underscores that automation is not eliminating jobs but creating safer, more attractive roles for employees, particularly appealing to younger generations, while ensuring the company’s competitiveness in Germany.

(PRESS RELEASE) AUGSBURG/ WERTLE/ IBBENBUREN, 1-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — KRONE is embracing the future of manufacturing with the support of KUKA robotics, combining traditional production with cutting-edge smart factory solutions. At its long-standing site in Werlte, Germany, the commercial vehicle manufacturer is transforming established processes through automation with stationary and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Meanwhile, in Ibbenbüren, a completely new smart factory belonging to subsidiary GTS has been established, showcasing state-of-the-art digital and sustainable production concepts.

Modernizing Werlte with intelligent automation
In Werlte’s truck trailer production, KUKA’s six-axis handling and welding robots collaborate seamlessly with AMRs such as the KMP 1500P and KMP 3000P, which are capable of carrying loads of up to three tonnes, or six tonnes in tandem. This integration has allowed KRONE to move away from forklifts, with AMRs autonomously delivering materials like compressed air tanks and door elements directly to the welding systems. Robots handle placement and processing, while finished components are also transported automatically, creating streamlined workflows. The shift to modular construction and autonomous logistics has significantly boosted efficiency, reduced repetitive heavy lifting, and freed employees for more complex, value-driven tasks.

The KMP 3000P can move loads of up to three tonnes, and in tandem with a second platform, it can even move twice that amount.

Volker Perk, Production Director at KRONE Commercial Vehicle Group, highlights the strategic importance of automation: “We want to continue producing our truck trailers, such as the ‘Profi Liner,’ in Germany. Automation ensures we remain competitive despite a shortage of skilled workers, while also enabling our teams to focus on more advanced and meaningful work.”

Ibbenbüren’s greenfield smart factory
While Werlte focuses on upgrading existing systems, KRONE’s new facility in Ibbenbüren was completed in just twelve months and built from the ground up to embrace the latest manufacturing technologies. Every machine, robot, and transport vehicle is digitally connected, allowing immediate response to tolerance deviations or production issues. Systems continuously adapt, learn, and self-correct to ensure optimal performance.

In one production cell, nine KUKA handling and welding robots operate in sync with two machining centers and an automatic measuring cell, minimizing downtime and maximizing flexibility. The Ibbenbüren site is also testing the KMP 3000P AMR, which can autonomously transport loads of up to three tonnes, even navigating tight production spaces with high precision.

Automation as a driver for better work
KRONE emphasizes that robotics is not replacing people but enhancing their roles. Employees themselves are applying for the new, more technologically focused positions, which offer improved ergonomics, safety, and appeal. “The new workplaces are less physically demanding and safer,” Perk adds. “That makes them attractive – particularly to younger generations entering the workforce.”

Through its collaboration with KUKA, KRONE is showing how automation can secure the competitiveness of German production, blending tradition with forward-looking innovation.

Media contact:

Ulrike Götz
Spokesperson Technology
KUKA Aktiengesellschaft, Zugspitzstraße 140, 86165 Augsburg, Germany
+49 821 797-3795

KUKA Group
The KUKA Group is an international automation group with sales of around EUR 3.7 billion and around 15,000 employees. As one of the world’s leading suppliers of intelligent, resource-efficient automation solutions, KUKA offers industrial robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMR) including controllers, software, and cloud-based digital services, as well as fully connected production systems for various industries and markets such as automotive with a focus on e-mobility & battery, electronics, metal & plastic, consumer goods, food, e-commerce, retail, and healthcare. The KUKA Group is active in more than 50 countries with over 100 locations. The largest sites are in Germany, USA, China, and Hungary, with headquarters in Augsburg. The KUKA Group includes the plant engineering division KUKA Systems, the robotics division KUKA Robotics, Swisslog (intralogistics automation), Swisslog Healthcare (hospital and pharmacy automation) and the digital division KUKA Digital with the software specialists Visual Components, Device Insight and mosaixx.

SOURCE: KUKA