Revolutionizing Production: RobotIndus Powers Smart Automation at Hansgrohe

RobotIndus

RobotIndus integrates a machine loading solution at Hansgrohe

In short

RobotIndus , a certified Universal Robots integrator based in Sarrebourg in the Grand Est region, has developed a test cycle solution for Hansgrohe , a global player in the faucet and sanitary ware sector. Integrated into its production site in Wasselonne in the Grand Est region, the cobotic cell works in close collaboration with operators. Hansgrohe has observed significant productivity gains, as well as an improvement in the working conditions of its employees.

Manual strain meets operational bottleneck

Hansgrohe's initial goal was to improve the ergonomics and efficiency of a machine loading station where operators had to perform several manual operations. The first involved checking the conformity of each assembled shower head by placing it in a water jet testing machine; the three jet types were checked by pressing a button on the edge of the shower head. The operator then manually placed the shower head in front of a blowing machine to extract water and impurities before loading it into a laser marking machine. The final step involved boxing the shower head.

These various repetitive tasks had a negative impact on the health of the operators, who were exposed to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). They could experience shoulder and neck pain from handling parts at varying heights. Furthermore, these operations, which, carried out manually, did not represent added value for the company, required a great deal of attention, which was likely to decrease at the end of the day.

After a successful initial cobotic integration on a fairly similar swivel station, Hansgrohe again contacted RobotIndus, a certified integrator (CSI) of Universal Robots, to automate this entire cycle of operations.

RobotIndus

Industry Industrial robotics and automation

Country France

Number of employees 5

Cobot used UR10e

Main value drivers:

Simplicity and intuitiveness of the solution

Improving workstation ergonomics

Increased productivity

Tasks solved by collaborative robots:

Loading/unloading machines

Automation challenges solved:

Reduction of cycle times

Reduction of MSDs among operators

Working in hidden time

How they did it

Intelligent end-to-end automation with custom engineering

RobotIndus delivered a fully integrated loading and unloading solution for Hansgrohe’s quality control, blowing, and laser marking stations—powered by the Universal Robots UR10e cobot. Equipped with a custom-designed double gripper with suction cups, the cobot handles multiple tasks simultaneously, optimizing cycle time and precision. The system also includes:

A circular conveyor with ten green bins and a reject zone
A delivery conveyor for final packaging
A smart interface with cameras, screens, and illuminated buttons for real-time quality control

This tailored setup transforms a previously manual workflow into a seamless, automated process—designed for speed, accuracy, and ergonomic efficiency.

Building on a successful earlier deployment

Seamless operator experience with minimal training

Despite the complexity of the system, Hansgrohe operators required just half a day of training to master the solution. The intuitive design allows operators to simply place assembled shower heads into green bins. The cobot then:

Conducts water jet testing with automatic jet mode switching
Uses camera feedback and operator input to identify defects
Routes defective units to the reject zone or continues processing through drying, marking, and boxing

The double gripper enables simultaneous loading and unloading, maximizing throughput while keeping the process fluid and operator-friendly.

The solution we developed allows operators to work in a hidden time and focus fully on higher value-added operations such as assembly, packaging and quality control. With the double gripper specifically designed by RobotIndus, the operation cycle time is reduced, for increased productivity. The cobot can in fact load a handheld scanner into one machine while unloading another.

Raphael Schwartz, Co-manager of RobotIndus