Segment for software and digital business Kuka establishes a new business division

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With Kuka Digital, the Augsburg-based automation conglomerate known for its orange industrial robots and automation solutions is expanding its software and digital business. The goal is the comprehensive digitization of various machines and systems in production, from the initial 3D simulation through networking and data analysis to the application of artificial intelligence.

In mechanical engineering, software is playing an increasingly crucial role. Where mechanical solutions were used in the past, electronic and software solutions are now increasingly being implemented. "With Kuka Digital, we are expanding our offerings to position ourselves broadly for a market with great growth potential. Our customers need products, solutions, and consulting approaches to digitize more quickly, efficiently, and simply," says Quirin Görz, Kuka Chief Information Officer and CEO of the newly founded digital division. Kuka is working to expand the digital world beyond robot and automation solutions, thus advancing the digitization of the industry throughout the entire life cycle of production.

Portfolio not limited to Kuka robots

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Key to the new digital division is its openness: The software and digital portfolio is not limited to Kuka robots. Regardless of machine type and manufacturer, customers should be able to implement software solutions for their production machines and fully digitize their factory floors. This involves interfaces, data standards, cloud integration, and consulting services. The company relies on a network of competent partners for this purpose.

Kuka has a company history spanning over 125 years, with 50 of those years in the field of robotics. The new business division builds on this knowledge. "We are evolving beyond traditional automation solutions to become a digitization partner for the manufacturing industry," says Quirin Görz. "For this, we utilize the experience we have gathered in robotics and automation over decades. Our goal is to help our customers achieve greater productivity, resilience, and sustainability." With Device Insight and Visual Components, Kuka already has strong, independent brands in the areas of Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analytics, as well as simulation software within the corporate group.

Device Insight helps companies digitize their production and business processes using IoT, Data Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence, making them more transparent and efficient. Visual Components develops 3D simulation software and offline robot programming for manufacturing. The software allows planning of production layouts, pre-simulation of operations, and offline programming of machines before they are commissioned.

Cloud platform for industrial software

Planning, implementing, and later operating a production is a complex process. It involves harmonizing various machines together. Until now, various non-integrated software solutions and manual labor have been used. To bridge this gap, the solution mosaixx will be added to Kuka Digital's portfolio later this year. mosaixx is an open, collaborative cloud platform for Industrial Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and forms the basis for a consistently digital production with a combination of software tools, data management, cloud computing, and process understanding.

With mosaixx, system integrators and other engineering customers gain access to a diverse array of software solutions involving ECAD and MCAD programs, simulation, offline programming, and virtual commissioning. Combined with Kuka's long-standing experience in project business, mosaixx creates a future-proof and specialized complete solution. This allows engineers to efficiently structure and securely link their workflows within a project in a common, location-independent working environment with processes, workflows, and cloud storage. mosaixx thus lays the foundation for seamless digitization—from planning to later application.

“This article was first published on our sister portal "MM MaschinenMarkt" (German Edition), Vogel Communications Group.“