With over 220 participants, the Wire Harness Innovation Forum 2025, held on April 9 at ARENA2036, was a resounding success. The event was not only a highlight in the Wire Harness Transformation Hub's calendar, but also provided concrete impetus for the automation of wire harness production through the presentation of the results of the Robotics Challenge.

The Innovation Forum was opened by Ernst Stöckl-Pukall, Head of the “Digitalization, Industry 4.0” department in Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate ProtectionIn his welcoming address, he praised the work of the Transformation Hub Leitungssatz – particularly the Robotics Challenge – and gave an outlook on the industrial policy framework for the current year.

Wolf Rumpelt (ARENA2036), Matthias Mederer (Bayern Innovativ) and Matthias Heck (OHLF) then provided insights into the hub's topics and activities – from the automation of wiring harness production and the trend radar to sustainability and new ideas for the industry.

Three keynotes subsequently provided concrete impetus for technological developments:

• Bernd Weiss (Mercedes-Benz) presented the motivation for automating cable harness assembly and highlighted the Robotics Challenge as an enabler for cable manufacturers.
• Stefan Glaser (TE Connectivity) presented plug-in systems that were specially developed for machine handling.
• Stefan Trippler (SEI Automotive Europe) demonstrated how sustainable wiring systems can contribute to CO₂ reduction in the automotive industry.

All presentations and keynotes are available in the right column. Download as a PDF. The keynotes are also available there as videos.

The Robotics Challenge was the focus of the Innovation Forum. Five teams – Agile Robots SE, the Chair of FAPS FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, Leverage Robotics GmbH, an ISW of the University of Stuttgart As well as the CERI of the Technical University of Schweinfurt Würzburg (THWS) – each developed a solution for the automated assembly of a partial cable harness with multiple cables and connector systems. The diverse approaches ranged from multifunctional grippers to specially developed control software. Many of the concepts presented have already proven surprisingly practical and offer potential for integration into real production processes.

Robert Süß-Wolf (ARENA2036) gave a brief introduction to the motivation and task before all five teams presented their solutions for the automated assembly of a partial cable harness with multiple cables and connector systems. The concepts were vividly presented during small group tours and discussed with the development teams. A subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Jürgen Reinert, addressed key challenges for successful transfer to industrial process chains.

The jury awarded two teams: Agile Robots SE was for the Cost effectiveness their solution because their technology enabled the fastest production time. Chair of FAPS at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg received the Innovation & Technology Award for creative solutions such as the multifunctional gripper and the secondary locking mechanism without additional mechanics. The other participating teams – Leverage Robotics GmbH, ISW University of Stuttgart, and CERI at the Technical University of Schweinfurt Würzburg – also presented valuable contributions.

All results and solutions, including the videos submitted by the teams, can be found at Results of the Robotics Challenge 2025.

In addition to the challenge, the keynote speeches, and the panel discussion, the forum offered ample opportunities for networking and professional exchange. Companies such as Mercedes-Benz, TE Connectivity, SEI Automotive, and Dräxlmaier, as well as numerous research institutions and companies from the robotics and automation technology sectors, were represented on site and contributed to the event's professional depth.

In addition to the challenge, other innovative solutions were presented in the context – including the RoboCable cell of the Fraunhofer IPA for the AI-based integration of plug-in systems in vehicle doors as well as a flexibly deployable robot module from LR Automation, which was developed in cooperation with Neura Robotics developed for wire processing. Both exhibits enriched the challenge environment and demonstrated practical approaches to automation.

The Innovation Forum "Leitssatz 2025" made it clear that the industry is ready to take further steps toward automation. The solutions presented demonstrate the potential that is already available today – and where the next development steps lie. The team at the "Leitssatz" Transformation Hub would like to sincerely thank all participants, speakers, and exhibitors for their commitment.

The course has been set – now it is a matter of putting the presented solutions into practice.

The agenda for the Innovation Forum on Cable Set on 9 April 2025 can be found in the overview below. This is also available as Download are available to support you.

from 09.00:XNUMX am |  
Registration and networking at breakfast

10.00:XNUMX am |  
Welcome and opening
Georg Schnauffer, Deputy Managing Director, ARENA2036
Ernst Stöckl-Pukall, Head of the Department "Digitalization, Industry 4.0", Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection 

10:15 am |

The Transformation Hub Wiring Harness: Hub for Innovations in the Wiring Harness Industry

Insights into key technologies, automation, trend radar and sustainability strategies

Wolf Rumpelt, Hub Coordinator & Research Coordinator, ARENA2036

Matthias Mederer, Project Manager Mobility, Bayern Innovativ

Matthias Heck, project engineer, Open Hybrid LabFactory

10.30:XNUMX am |  
Keynotes

Innovation Increase in Wiring Harness Automation: Importance for Mercedes-Benz
Bernd Weiß, Development of Cable Harness Processes & Tools
Dr.-Ing. Jerome Trommnau, Development of wiring harness concepts

Perspective of a component manufacturer on wiring harness production
Stefan Glaser, Director Product Management New Technologies & Standardization, Automotive, TE Connectivity

Green on-board network - analysis and potential for CO2 reduction
Stefan Trippler, Coordinator Environment & Sustainability, SEI Automotive Europe

12.00:XNUMX am |  
Lunch break
Networking and lunch at the Innovation Forum

13.15:XNUMX am |  
The Robotics Challenge Guideline: Motivation, Task and Participants
Robert Süß-Wolf, Research Coordinator ARENA2036

13.30:XNUMX am |  
results of the robotics challenge
Presentation of the technical solutions by the participating companies and institutes
Moderation: Robert Süß-Wolf, research coordinator ARENA2036

• Agile Robots, Munich
• Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Equipment ISW, Stuttgart
• Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems FAPS, Nuremberg
• Leverage Robotics, Garching b. Munich
• Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Technology, Schweinfurt

15:30 am |
Coffee break
In-depth discussions and networking with the exhibitors

16.00:XNUMX am |  
Panel discussion Robotics Challenge: Exchange between participants and the audience
Moderation: Jürgen Reinert, Technical Advisor Wiring Systems

16.30:XNUMX am |  
Awarding of the awards to the Robotics Challenge participants
Moderation and individual awarding of prizes by the jury members

16.45:XNUMX am |  
Outlook and closing words: Automated wiring harness industry – What’s next after the Robotics Challenge?
Georg Schnauffer, Deputy Managing Director ARENA2036

17:00 am |  
Get together
Networking with street food and cold drinks