Robotics & Physical AI
ABB Robotics Supplies 1,700+ Robots for BMW’s Neue Klasse Production
Add Unite.AI to your preferred sources on Google
ABB Robotics announced on November 11, 2026 that it is supplying more than 1,700 large industrial robots for BMW Group’s Neue Klasse vehicle generation, covering body-shop production at BMW plants in Munich, Germany, and Tiexi, China.
The robots are being used for welding, gluing, riveting and assembly. ABB presents higher efficiency, precision and production sustainability as the objectives, while Munich’s deployment includes production of the new fully electric Neue Klasse models.
“Our collaboration with the BMW Group underscores a shared vision of flexible and future-proof production,” said Joerg Reger, Automotive Business Line Manager at ABB Robotics. He connected the robot and control package with manufacturing digitalization as well as precision, efficiency and energy savings.
Three Large-Robot Families
The delivery spans three large-robot families. ABB’s product documentation lists the following family-level maxima, with the highest payload and longest reach belonging to different variants:
| Model family | Maximum payload (kg) | Maximum reach (m) |
|---|---|---|
| IRB 6720 | 240 | 3.2 |
| IRB 6740 | 310 | 3.2 |
| IRB 7720 | 620 | 3.5 |
Among the automotive uses listed in ABB’s product documentation are high-precision body assembly, spot welding and gluing for the IRB 6720. The heavier IRB 7720 covers high-payload assembly and handling, electric-vehicle batteries, press tending and friction stir welding. Together, the families address both precise body-assembly operations and heavier handling work.
Standardized components run across ABB’s large-robot platforms, and the IRB 7720 shares its modular design and footprint with the IRB 67X0 family. ABB says this enables faster, more flexible installation when changing robots on production lines. For BMW’s two-plant deployment, that creates a common mechanical basis for line changes alongside the shared control system.
OmniCore Controls and Energy Use
Every robot in the delivery uses the latest generation of ABB’s OmniCore controller. ABB describes it as a unified system for motion, force and sensor applications, with integrated sensor and AI processing, connectivity and cybersecurity. It also supports cloud and edge technologies, providing the deployment’s AI and sensor-integration layer as well as its motion control.
For motion control, ABB reports path accuracy down to 0.6 millimeters at speeds up to 1,600 millimeters per second for OmniCore-controlled robots. These are product specifications rather than reported BMW production results. For repetitive welding and assembly operations, they describe the controller’s intended combination of precise path following and high-speed movement.
OmniCore’s regeneration technology returns power to the grid and is rated by ABB for up to 20% energy savings compared with its predecessor. For the IRB 7720 specifically, the combined robot-and-controller design is rated for an energy reduction of up to 30%. The percentages therefore describe different product scopes, not an aggregate saving across BMW’s fleet.
Integrated communication protocols and pre-engineered software can shorten commissioning from weeks to days, according to ABB. The BMW deployment also combines OmniCore with a commissioning system intended to reduce the production start-up phase.
The deployment links BMW’s Neue Klasse ramp-up to a common control architecture across two plants, making manufacturing flexibility, commissioning and energy recovery part of the same body-shop program as welding and assembly capacity.
