AIR Technologies: Designed to revolutionize smart factory and process solutions

ArticleAIR Technologies

The future of industry requires integrated and disruptive solutions; and it calls for bold vision. Real progress occurs when hardware, software, digital, and AI technologies are combined to deliver customer outcomes. This is the purpose of Körber’s AIR Technologies: Automated, Intelligent, and Regenerative technologies united in an innovation framework to revolutionize the smart factory and process solutions industry.

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As the world becomes more complex, customers seek solutions that make this complexity manageable and provide easy-to-use, end-to-end improvements. The promise of advanced technologies has not yet been fully realized, and that is precisely the challenge Körber is determined to meet.

The smart factory and process solutions industry is undergoing a fundamental shift. Established markets are still strong, while new ones are opening up through integrated solutions, digitalization, sustainability, and automation. At Körber, we believe in our customers’ ability to seize these opportunities. Our mission is to provide the technologies and solutions that help them move faster, stay competitive, and unlock new potential, whether by extending machine uptime, enabling seamless human-machine cooperation, or creating AI-based feedback loops for smarter decisions.

By combining hardware, software, digital, and AI technologies into an integrated solution design, Körber is already creating the conditions for real breakthroughs. The next step is to push this integration further and unlock even greater value for our customers.

What is AIR Technologies?

Automated

Advanced robotics, smart material handling and cutting-edge sensing technologies minimize manual intervention and optimize throughput, forming the backbone of productivity and resilience.

Intelligent

Digital twins, closed-loop AI and unified control systems enable predictive power and autonomous decision-making, creating the foundation for a self-regulating environment.

Regenerative

Sustainability is embedded into the manufacturing process through circular design, energy efficiency and long-term viability.

AIR Technologies for customer impact


The answer is not simply more technology. It is thoughtful, end-to-end integration across advanced technology fields. Group Executive Board Member Arungalai Anbarasu and her team are driving “AIR Technologies”, uniting Automated, Intelligent, and Regenerative technologies into a strategic innovation framework.

“Innovation at isolated points of the value chain may create short-term benefits, but our success is measured by the impact we have on our customers’ end-to-end business processes. Whether that may improve efficiency, resilience or sustainability,” Anbarasu states.

Arungalai Anbarasu, member of the Group Executive Board of Körber AG

“Innovation at isolated points of the value chain may create short-term benefits, but our success is measured by the impact we have on our customers’ end-to-end business processes. Whether that may improve efficiency, resilience or sustainability.”

Arungalai Anbarasu

Körber Group Executive Board Member

Twelve AIR Technologies clusters form the basis for the portfolio roadmap that will lead Körber, our customers, and the industry into the future. These clusters enable companies to minimize downtime, maximize control, and reduce dependencies.

AIR Technologies are already in operational use by customers, yet often in a fragmented way. The AIR framework, by contrast, reflects a technology strategy which is purpose-built to unify the implementation of advanced solutions. The resulting roadmap bridges strategic vision with operational reality, ensuring innovation delivers tangible impact. It enables customers to improve performance today while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.

Three priority clusters

INTELLIGENT

Digital Twins & Virtualization

These dynamic, virtual representations mirror physical systems, enabling real-time simulation, optimization, and autonomous, closed-loop AI-based decision-making. With this capability, factories are equipped to analyze and enhance operations instantaneously.

AUTOMATED

Robotics & Autonomous Systems

By replacing manual labor with programmable, responsive machines, businesses can increase uptime, ensure safety, and reduce operational risks. Robots and autonomous solutions are the building blocks for modern, adaptive manufacturing environments.

AUTOMATED

Perception & Sensing

Advanced sensing technologies transform raw data into actionable insights. Context-aware sensing and smart interpretation ensure that decisions are based on accurate, meaningful information, further enabling automation and efficiency gains.

At Körber, we are focusing on three priority technology clusters in the first phase of our innovation roadmap: robotics & autonomous systems, digital twin & virtualization, and perception & sensing. These clusters will deliver the greatest short-term value for our customers.

How AIR Technologies build upon digitalization and data

The implementation of AIR Technologies is evolving alongside the transition toward digitalization and data-centricity that remain essential prerequisites for implementing our AIR roadmap. A data-centric approach is crucial for developing future ecosystems of artificially intelligent digital twins, optimizing the operation of our solutions and making them more secure and sustainable. The same applies to AI-based optimization tools and the environments in which cognitive robots operate. 

“We are adopting a data-driven approach to innovation, simplifying processes and strengthening collaboration across the organization and with partners,” says Chief Technologist Dr. Dirk Lumma. “All with the clear goal to create solutions that truly move our customers forward.”

A key element of this approach is Körber’s Data Mesh, which combines information from diverse sources to overcome data silos, and which lays the foundation for the use of advanced tools like machine learning and generative AI.

Photo of Dirk Lumma

“We are adopting a data-driven approach to innovation, simplifying processes and strengthening collaboration across the organization and with partners. All with the clear goal to create solutions that truly move our customers forward.”

Dr. Dirk Lumma

Körber Chief Technologist

Industry 5.0 innovations

In China, Körber’s leadership team explored Industry 5.0 innovations, gaining insights into cutting-edge technologies like humanoid robotics, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), AI, smart factories and next-gen production systems.

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Helping customers navigate an ever-evolving world

Whether you call it ‘touchless hub,’ ‘dark factory,’ or ‘the factory of the future,’ our technology vision is clear: factories that run with a minimum of manual intervention, fewer disruptions, far greater precision and maximized productivity.

Arungalai Anbarasu is sure that AIR Technologies represent the right step at the right time to support customers on their digital transformation journey. “Fully automated and intelligent factories are the dream of many customers. With AIR Technologies, we enable real-time data acquisition and analysis, seamlessly connecting customers’ systems and providing end-to-end solutions that unlock the full potential of digital transformation."

Photo of Stephan Seifert, Körber's CEO.

"With Körber’s AIR Technologies, we are taking our vision of 'market leadership through technology leadership' to the next level—always to the benefit of our customers."

Stephan Seifert

Körber CEO and Chairman of the Group Executive Board

Too often, organizations become preoccupied with short-term objectives, chasing immediate market trends or incremental innovations, while losing sight of the bigger picture. At Körber, we recognize the importance of aligning our strategy and short-term innovation initiatives with our long-term vision.

True transformation requires more than keeping pace with the market; it demands the courage to innovate for the future, even when the payoff lies beyond today’s horizon. By ensuring our innovation roadmap is guided by this long-term perspective, we can build solutions that don’t just respond to the present but actively shape what comes next.

Körber—driven by innovation, fueled by AIR to revolutionize the smart factory and process solutions industry.

Fueled by innovation

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