One of the most interesting parts of visiting KUKA was realizing that even in a facility filled with advanced robotics, people still were the driving force behind the company. There was next to no automation in the company itself which I found quite ironic. The company was basically making all of their robots top to bottom by hand and there were maybe 2 or 3 machines I actually remember being a part of the production process. It gave off the idea that KUKA still believes in human craftsmanship as being a part and important thing which is reassuring to see from a company that makes the very robots designed to replace that. 

One interesting aspect of KUKA is how global the company has become. Although it remains strongly associated with German engineering and manufacturing, its Chinese ownership reflects how interconnected modern industry has become. The thing is China has been the main driving force regarding automation, EVs, and even AI. With their association with China and Chinese ownership it definitely speaks to their ability to adapt to trends and in my opinion that will be a very important force behind any company’s success in these next coming years. 

KUKA is different from a traditional supplier because it is not simply producing parts for vehicles. Instead, it helps create the automated systems and production lines that manufacturers rely on to build those vehicles efficiently. As far as the downturn of the automotive industry and how it affects KUKA, they will definitely feel it differently than auto manufacturers and OEMs will. When things slow down, companies can put off investments in their automation and delay advancements in their production lines. This means that if the automotive industry either declines or comes to a slow period, their company will most likely be hit harder than others in the production line.