April 23, 2026 | New at BCG
BOSTON—Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and SCHUNK, a global specialist in toolholding, workholding, gripping, and automation technology, today announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate the adoption of physical AI in manufacturing. The partnership aims to help industrial companies unlock new levels of flexibility, productivity, and resilience by bringing advanced AI-driven robotic solution into real-world applications.
Across industries, manufacturers are under increasing pressure. Skilled labor shortages continue to intensify, production costs are rising, and many handling operations remain too complex and variable for traditional automation. Historically, rigid rule-based systems have struggled to keep pace with the demands of modern production environments.
Physical AI represents a fundamental shift. By combining advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and simulation, robots can now learn complex manipulation tasks requiring dexterity directly from demonstrations. High-fidelity simulation environments and synthetic data-generation further accelerate development by overcoming real-world data limitations, enabling faster and more robust model training. As a result, the next generation of automation is being developed in simulation and deployed seamlessly into reality.
Through this collaboration, BCG and SCHUNK will jointly support clients across the full physical AI journey—from identifying high-impact use cases to developing technical proofs of concept and scaling industrial-grade solutions. The partnership brings together BCG’s expertise in AI, digital transformation, and factory operations with SCHUNK’s deep domain knowledge in automation and industrial applications.
“Physical AI is moving from concept to industrial reality,” said Tilman Buchner, partner and director at BCG. “Together with SCHUNK, we are enabling manufacturers to deploy intelligent automation systems that adapt to real-world complexity and deliver measurable value on the shop floor.”
“With our combined strengths, we can bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI and robust industrial performance,” said Timo Gessmann, CTO of SCHUNK. “This enables customers to unlock automation opportunities even faster.”
Clients will benefit from access to a global network of 15 SCHUNK CoLabs, where cross-functional teams of experts can rapidly prototype, test, and scale physical AI solutions tailored to specific factory environments.
Media Contact:
Eric Gregoire
+1 617 850 3783
gregoire.eric@bcg.com
About SCHUNK
SCHUNK is a global technology pioneer in toolholding, workholding, gripping, and automation technology, driving productivity gains for its customers and partners in the industry with a portfolio of components, engineering expertise, and machines—for over 80 years.
About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.
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