From left to right) Sebastian Jonas (Senior Vice President Advanced Production Technology), Roberto Henkel (Senior Vice President Operations Digitalization & IT), Andreas Schick (Chief Operating Officer) from Schaeffler, and Rev Lebaredian (Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology), Madison Huang (Senior Director of Product Marketing), and Philippe van den Berge (Vice President Automotive EMEA) from NVIDIA, entered into the technology collaboration at GTC Europe in Paris, France. Photo: Schaeffler
Recently, in a landmark move set to reshape the manufacturing era, motion technology leader Schaeffler has announced a strategic technology collaboration with computing giant NVIDIA. The announcement was made during GTC Europe in Paris, with top executives from both companies formalising the partnership, which aims to accelerate the digital transformation of Schaeffler’s global production network.
At the heart of this partnership is the integration of NVIDIA Omniverse, a platform for developing and operating industrial digital twins. Schaeffler will harness this latest technology to simulate, optimise, and scale manufacturing processes across its more than 100 plants globally. The ambitious goal is to integrate 50% of Schaeffler’s global manufacturing facilities into Omniverse by 2030.
“Schaeffler is consistently and persistently driving the digitalisation of its plants,” stated Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer at Schaeffler AG. “To be able to shape the production of the future, you need strong partners like NVIDIA. Together, we will create a digital ecosystem that will sustainably revolutionise our production processes.”
By leveraging digital twins, virtual representations of machines, materials, and processes, The company aims to simulate complex manufacturing scenarios, optimise workflows in real-time, and improve product quality and time-to-market. The technology also enables the integration of emerging innovations such as humanoid robots and AI-powered assembly systems, signalling a major leap toward autonomous manufacturing environments.
“Simulation-first, AI-driven approaches are essential to modernising industrial operations,” said Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA. “With Omniverse, Schaeffler can virtually design, test, and validate manufacturing innovations before physical deployment—accelerating transformation while minimising risk.”
The collaboration reflects a broader industry trend toward the Industrial Metaverse, where virtual and physical manufacturing converge to create intelligent, responsive, and interconnected factories. Schaeffler’s contribution includes decades of expertise in manufacturing and vertical integration, which will support NVIDIA’s ongoing Omniverse development.
Roberto Henkel, Senior Vice President Operations Digitalisation & IT at Schaeffler, emphasised, “This partnership is more than just adopting a new platform; it’s about co-developing the future of manufacturing. Our collaboration with NVIDIA enables us to translate physical industrial operations into realistic digital environments powered by AI.”
The alliance is poised to set new benchmarks in smart manufacturing, reinforcing Schaeffler’s position at the forefront of innovation while underlining NVIDIA’s growing influence in the industrial sector. As both companies look to advance the Industrial Metaverse, this collaboration marks a significant step in building the Factory of the Future, where agility, efficiency, and intelligence are built in by design.
