Kuka The Next Era of Simulation-Controlled Automation

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Together with Visual Components, part of the Kuka Group since 2017, the Kuka Group is driving forward the use of industrial simulation in the areas of engineering, planning, commissioning and life cycle management.

Simulation is becoming a mainstay of industrial automation. According to Global Market Insights, the global market for digital twins reached a volume of USD 13.6 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 18.9 billion by 2025. Forecasts predict a market volume of over 400 billion US dollars by the mid-2030s, primarily due to use cases in the areas of manufacturing, automation and virtual commissioning. Simulation, which has long been established as a proven method in engineering, is now increasingly becoming a strategic lever across the entire automation lifecycle.

Simulation As A Strategic Competence

Together with Visual Components, part of the Kuka Group since 2017, the Kuka Group is driving forward the use of industrial simulation in the areas of engineering, planning, commissioning and life cycle management—creating measurable added value for customers, partners and the manufacturing industry as a whole. "Simulation is no longer an optional engineering tool—it is a strategic competence," says Christoph Schell, CEO of the Kuka Group. "

With Visual Components, we enable our customers and partners to reduce risks, shorten time-to-market and tap into new efficiency potential across the entire automation lifecycle.

Christoph Schell, CEO of Kuka Group

Kuka Group's ecosystem brings together international customers, system integrators and technology experts to demonstrate how simulation-driven approaches are changing the way automation solutions are designed, validated and implemented. A simulation event at Kuka's headquarters in Germany underscored this strategic focus. Visual Components, which launched a major software update in March with Visual Components 5.0, plays a key role: its simulation platform enables high-resolution digital twins, collaborative planning and informed decision-making at a very early stage—long before physical systems are built.

From Planning Tool to Strategic Advantage

Industrial simulation is rapidly evolving from a niche product to a planning aid to a key competitive advantage. By combining Kuka's automation expertise with Visual Components' advanced manufacturing simulation software, customers can virtually design, scale and optimize production systems with high accuracy and reliability. "This approach enables manufacturers to validate layouts and robot concepts at an early stage, identify bottlenecks and optimize cycle times before commissioning, improve collaboration between engineering, production and management, and reduce costly changes during installation and ramp-up," says Mikko Urho, CEO of Visual Components. For Kuka Group, this represents a strategic move towards predictive, data-driven automation solutions—in line with the growing demand for flexibility, reliability and faster innovation cycles.

"As a long-standing strategic partner of Kuka, the integration of Visual Components is a natural and complementary step. One benefit is the improved visualization of large investments, which enables a much faster and clearer understanding of the full potential of both mechanical automation and digitalization," says Alexandra Krupp, Director Process Development at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a valuable partner of the Kuka ecosystem.

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