Igus sets the course for growth

At a time when global conflicts and economic uncertainty are holding back many industries, the ability to innovate remains essential for growth and competitiveness. With 227 new motion plastics products, Igus demonstrates that innovation can flourish even when conditions are challenging. To achieve further growth, the company has increased its investment in new infrastructure and automation, enabling even faster delivery times. In addition, Igus is expanding its global operations through new and existing subsidiaries to further strengthen customer proximity through local production.

Despite global challenges, Igus has succeeded in increasing its revenue for 2025 to 1.155 billion euros - a 4.4 percent increase compared to the previous year. Igus’s three largest markets are China, Germany, and the United States, which together account for approximately 60 percent of revenue. Igus employs 5,423 people worldwide - 185 more than in 2024 - with 2,044 of them in Germany alone. To become independent of the external labor market by 2027, the company has established its own training facility at its Cologne headquarters at a cost of 600,000 euros. In total, Igus invested 42.2 million euros in the innovation center in Cologne and 11.5 million euros in equity investments in 2025 alone. Added to this is 70.7 million euros invested in its global subsidiaries. The funds are being channeled into new properties, buildings, and modern tools, among other things. All with the goal of being able to supply customers even faster and more reliably in the future. “Product quality and price are no longer the sole differentiating factors,” says Artur Peplinski, CEO and Spokesman for the Management Board at Igus. “Our customers increasingly need suppliers who can deliver quickly and, above all, reliably, without having to compromise on product quality.” Automation is a key driver for greater speed. As part of the “Phase 8” expansion at the Cologne headquarters, a fully automated small-parts warehouse is being built, which shortens order turnaround times with up to 1,800 storage and retrieval operations per hour. Specially developed automation solutions provide additional speed in production by relieving employees of routine tasks, such as unloading injection molding machines. The 857 injection molding machines in Cologne produce over one billion components annually. In areas such as crimping and soldering, new automation solutions enable throughput times that are 10 to 30 times faster than manual processes.

1,500 square meters of additional testing space for more research and innovation

To ensure consistently high quality, the industry’s largest testing laboratory worldwide has expanded even further, now covering 5,500 square meters. “The 1,500-square-meter expansion of our testing facilities in the new building, dedicated exclusively to our dry-tech products, lays the foundation for new capacities and innovations such as PTFE- and bisphenol-free materials,” said Artur Peplinski. “The number of test benches alone has increased by around 20 percent, and with it the number of tests has risen from 11,000 today to a total of around 17,000 tests per year.” Part of the investment also went toward the development of new online tools that allow designers to configure products automatically—and thus even more easily and quickly - without having to exchange design drawings with the Igus sales team.

New branches and local production for even greater proximity to customers

Although Igus still manufactures around 95 percent of its components in Germany, the trend toward local production is growing worldwide. Developments such as “China First” or “America First” reflect this reality. To better understand and address local challenges, as well as to improve its own environmental footprint, Igus has expanded its facilities in China, the U.S., Poland, Turkey, and Japan by 2025. This has resulted in larger warehousing and assembly facilities in many locations. “Simply by expanding local production capacities in China and the U.S., we saved approximately 1.2 million kg in transport weight in 2025 - a significant contribution to CO₂ reduction,” emphasizes Artur Peplinski. The company has also established new branches in Australia, Morocco, Ivory Coast, and Latvia.

Sustainability remains a central component of the company’s strategy. Since 2025, Igus has been operating in a climate-neutral manner at its headquarters in Cologne in accordance with Scope 1 and 2. The company’s own recycling platform, chainge, also continues to grow: to date, 235 tons of end-of-life energy chains have been collected. “An important step forward is the new ISO-certified validation, which allows us to transparently demonstrate the CO₂ savings from our energy chain recycling to customers,” explains Artur Peplinski.

227 innovations pave the way for further growth

Igus’s new products are also intended to drive international growth and help the company tap into new markets. The plastics specialist is presenting a total of 227 new motion plastics products at the 2026 Hannover Messe. Among them are the first drylin C roller guide, 3D printing materials for the food and beverage industry, and the e-spin energy supply system - a novel cleanroom solution for long travel distances certified to ISO Class 1 by the Fraunhofer IPA. This year, Igus is also introducing new solutions for e-mobility with e-tract AC and DC. Igus sees low-cost robotics as the primary growth driver. “Our goal is the democratization of automation,” says Artur Peplinski. “Even small and medium-sized enterprises with limited budgets and little prior experience should benefit from the advantages of automation.”

To this end, Igus is expanding its RBTX online platform. Igus’s goal is to further develop the RBTX ecosystem into a service hub for complete automation solutions. In the future, RBTX will not only bundle components from more than 260 leading robotics manufacturers, but also connect users with suitable integration partners - quickly, transparently, and independently of any specific manufacturer. The platform already offers around 100 humanoid robot models from 35 manufacturers. Artur Peplinski sums it up: “We want to demonstrate that sustainable growth and technological innovation are possible even in challenging times. With a consistent focus on delivery speed, local presence, and automation solutions, we are setting the course for growth—for us and our customers.”