Shenzhen, June 25, 2026 β Orbbec and Freudenberg Group, the German industrial technology giant with 177 years of heritage, have announced a strategic partnership to co-shape the future of embodied intelligence and industrial automation. The collaboration brings together Orbbec’s next-generation 3D vision technologies with Freudenberg’s deep expertise in sealing, specialty lubrication, and NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) solutions.
## A Meeting of Two Industrial Powerhouses
A senior delegation from Freudenberg Group recently visited Orbbec’s 3D Vision Intelligent Manufacturing Base in Shunde, Foshan, and its Shenzhen headquarters. The delegation was led by Dr. Matthias Sckuhr, CEO of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, accompanied by senior executives from Vibracoustic, Kluber Lubrication, Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions (FHCS), and Freudenberg Technology Innovation (FTI).
They were hosted by Dr. Howard Huang, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Orbbec, and Len Zhong, Head of the Product and Technical Support Center. The discussions covered embodied intelligence, smart manufacturing, and industrial automation, reaching preliminary cooperation intentions across several key directions.
With 177 years of heritage, Freudenberg posted EUR 11.73 billion in sales in fiscal 2025, operating across approximately 60 countries with around 51,000 employees. The visit marked a pivotal step in Freudenberg’s strategic exploration of China’s 3D vision and robotics frontier, particularly in humanoid robotics and intelligent manufacturing.
## Two-Way Technical Collaboration
The two sides reached a preliminary understanding of cooperation in two areas. On the technical side, both parties plan to explore bidirectional cooperation:
**Freudenberg enabling Orbbec:** Freudenberg may provide sealing, lubrication, and NVH solutions for Orbbec’s 3D vision systems, related applications, and robotics manufacturing services, thereby enhancing their reliability, durability, and adaptability in demanding industrial environments. By combining Freudenberg’s expertise in materials and manufacturing with Orbbec’s next-generation solutions, the two sides aim to further enhance performance and cost efficiency.
**Orbbec enabling Freudenberg:** The parties will explore applying Orbbec’s 3D vision sensing technologies and customized robotics solutions to Freudenberg’s manufacturing lines, with the goal of improving production automation and operational efficiency and unlocking synergies in advanced manufacturing.
## Global Go-to-Market Collaboration
In terms of global market expansion, the two parties plan to participate jointly in major international exhibitions and conduct coordinated customer visits across Europe, North America, and China. They will leverage Tech Day events to jointly showcase Orbbec’s 3D vision technologies and Freudenberg’s expertise in sealing, specialty lubrication, and NVH, while also exploring co-creation opportunities in emerging fields such as humanoid robotics.
## Industry Context
The partnership comes at a critical inflection point for the robotics and 3D vision industry. As Physical AI and embodied intelligence move from laboratory demonstrations toward large-scale deployment, 3D vision perception is becoming the foundational infrastructure for environmental awareness, autonomous decision-making, and precise execution. The collaboration between a 177-year-old industrial materials specialist and a decade-old 3D vision pioneer signals that the robotics supply chain is maturing, with cross-disciplinary partnerships becoming essential for delivering production-grade solutions.
“Orbbec has built a strong leadership position in 3D vision in a remarkably short time,” said Dr. Sckuhr. “Its manufacturing base in Shunde, Foshan, and automated production management reflect substantial technical depth in 3D perception and a clear strategic ambition in robotics. Several Freudenberg business units have already identified clear collaboration opportunities, and we look forward to turning this alignment into concrete business outcomes.”
Dr. Huang added: “Freudenberg is one of the most respected industrial enterprises in the world. As Physical AI and embodied intelligence move toward large-scale deployment, 3D vision perception is becoming the foundational infrastructure. Precision manufacturing in the AI era, across sealing, lubrication, and NVH, demands smarter perception and automation. Together with Freudenberg, we are confident in bringing this technology into broader global industrial scenarios.”
## What This Means for the Industry
The partnership highlights a broader trend in the robotics vision market: the convergence of traditional industrial engineering with AI-native perception technology. As robots move from structured factory environments into unstructured real-world settings, the reliability requirements for vision systems extend far beyond sensor specifications to encompass sealing against dust and moisture, lubrication for mechanical longevity, and vibration isolation for optical stability β domains where Freudenberg brings world-class expertise.
For Orbbec, the partnership strengthens its position in industrial automation markets, building on its existing collaborations with Robbyant, D-Robotics, SmartSens, and partners like Teradyne Robotics, Bear Robotics, and LionsBot. For Freudenberg, it represents a strategic entry point into the embodied AI supply chain, positioning the company to participate in the next wave of industrial transformation driven by humanoid robots and autonomous systems.
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