Robotics and Industrial Automation

Physical AI is at a tipping point. You want to be on the right side of that point. So, whether you’re an automation giant or a robotics start-up, you’ll need a real, actionable strategy you can execute today and adapt tomorrow. That means tackling the challenges right in front of you—like stalled productivity, talent shortages, and rising costs as well as preparing for a future where physical AI reshapes entire industries.

We help legacy companies stay ahead by combining hardware with digital, and newer companies break into the right industries—building their capabilities and their business. What sets us apart is our unique vantage point. We work across the whole ecosystem: technology builders, adopters and investors, and the institutions shaping the field. This helps us accelerate what matters, and position you to lead as physical AI enters its next era.

Your products are largely hardware. But your clients want to reap the benefits of software-based automation. How do you meaningfully embed software across your portfolio? How do you invest in new capabilities, without taking on risk? How do you sell your automation tech not as a transactional product, but as a platform for transformation?

Through deep technical knowledge and domain expertise, we help established companies expand their portfolio, and reassess their place in the value chain. Helping organizations understand how the latest technologies fit into their offerings while building the operating models, capabilities, and culture needed to deliver outcomes—not just products.

Building a robot is one thing. Scaling a business around it is another. Having served every sector, we have a unique understanding of your end customers, the industries they work in, and the trends and opportunities shaping those industries—as well as the challenges you face in serving them.

We know that AI model complexity is doubling every 3.5 months. That implementing physical AI is limited by power, materials, and infrastructure. And that staying ahead in these areas while trying to secure investment, build supply chains, and navigate your place in the robotics ecosystem is nearly impossible alone.

The immense tech bench inside McKinsey, combined with our domain expertise, means we understand your product and its possibilities. We map out the end users who will benefit from your tech, how to reach and educate them, and where to find the pockets of cost optimization along the way. To fuel your growth, and help you land in your target industry with efficiency, speed, and purpose.