Koenig & Bauer and Munich-based robotics scale-up RobCo have entered a strategic partnership to automate postpress production steps using no-code robotics, as part of the printing press manufacturer’s 'IMPACT' framework.
The collaboration focuses on closing manual interfaces between printing and finishing processes, with RobCo’s robot systems designed to automate intermediate steps from material feeding through to palletising. The companies say the use of no-code technology allows robots to be configured for new tasks without specialist programming knowledge, enabling these steps to be integrated into continuous workflows.
Koenig & Bauer is positioning the partnership as part of an open automation ecosystem aimed at end-to-end production processes. “The partnership with RobCo aims to break down technological silos and provide the market with scalable solutions in the future,” said Dr Stephen Kimmich, CEO of Koenig & Bauer. “Anyone who wants to remain competitive in modern production needs seamlessly interlocking overall systems and processes, fully orchestrated from a single source.”
The group said the move is a response to structural change in manufacturing, including pressure on margins and a shortage of skilled and unskilled labour.
Roman Hölzl, CEO and co-founder of RobCo, said, “Many automation projects do not fail because of the robotics itself, but because of its complexity. This is exactly where we come in. With our no-code platform, we enable companies to integrate and adapt robotics applications into their production processes much faster and more easily.”
Koenig & Bauer has also established a Factory & Machine Automation unit as a group-wide hub to coordinate its automation strategy. Christian Steinmaßl, member of Group Management, said: “This is precisely why we have deliberately established our Factory & Machine Automation unit as a group-wide automation hub.”
Markus Faude, vice president Factory & Machine Automation, said the focus is on postpress processes, where manual steps remain a constraint on efficiency. “We are deliberately placing our strategic focus on the postpress sector,” he said. “The aim of our partnership is to close these gaps through smartly orchestrated robotics applications from automated material feeding to final palletising.”
Faude also talked about what the company calls a “zero-barrier-automation” approach, aimed at allowing staff to manage systems without specialist IT skills. “The technology is subordinate to the user, not the other way around,” he said.
The first customer installation is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.