What Visual Components does

Visual Components is a Finland-based (Espoo) software company, founded in 1999 and operating as a privately held subsidiary of KUKA Group, that develops 3D manufacturing simulation and robot offline programming (OLP) software for industrial manufacturers, system integrators, and platform partners. Its core platform enables users to design factory layouts, simulate production processes, program industrial robots offline, and conduct virtual commissioning by connecting simulations to real PLCs and robot controllers from major automation vendors. The technology stack centers on a proprietary simulation engine upgraded to NVIDIA PhysX 5.5 in version 5.1, an eCatalog library of more than 3,000 ready-to-use components including 1,600+ robots from 70+ brands, support for 22 robot brand post-processors and 40+ robot controllers, and an open, well-documented API that enables third-party customization and an expanding ecosystem of partner add-ons.

The product portfolio is structured as two parallel three-tier lineups: Manufacturing Simulation (Essentials, Professional, Premium) and Robot Offline Programming (Robotics OLP, Professional OLP, Premium OLP), with progressively advanced capabilities in custom modeling, industrial protocols (OPC UA, MQTT), PLC connectivity, and robot controller integration at higher tiers. The company distributes through direct enterprise sales (Request a Demo and Contact Us funnels), a self-serve trial and free Visual Components Experience (mobile, desktop VR, web) motion, and OEM/white-label licensing to KUKA.Sim, MELSOFT Gemini (Mitsubishi Electric), and Flexlink's 3D configurator. Visual Components reports serving 2,400+ customer companies globally, with named enterprise users including DHL, Volvo Construction Equipment, Sandvik, Konecranes, Midea, Mazak, and Samsung across automotive, electronics, heavy machinery, intralogistics, packaging, and white goods. Revenue is generated through perpetual license sales, annual maintenance and support agreements (required for version upgrades), OEM and platform licensing royalties, and professional services for training, calibration, and commissioning, with all pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Visual Components

Legal name

Visual Components

Website

https://visualcomponents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Visual Components, a KUKA Group subsidiary founded in 1999 and based in Espoo, Finland, provides 3D manufacturing simulation and robot offline programming software to 2,400+ manufacturers, system integrators, and OEM partners globally, monetizing through perpetual licenses, annual maintenance, and platform licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

3D Manufacturing Simulation Software

NAICS

Electronic Computer Manufacturing (334111), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)

Keywords

• 3D manufacturing simulation
• Robot offline programming
• Virtual commissioning
• Factory layout design
• Digital twin software

Headquarters

HQ city

Espoo

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Essentials, Professional, Premium): Visual Components generates revenue primarily through perpetual software licenses and maintenance agreements. The product family includes Essentials, Professional, Premium tiers for manufacturing simulation, and Robotics OLP, Professional OLP, and Premium OLP for robot offline programming. Customers with valid maintenance agreements receive version upgrades (e.g., 5.0 to 5.1). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
2. Annual Maintenance and Support: Annual maintenance agreements provide access to version upgrades, technical support, and access to the online Academy and Extranet for self-learning. Existing 5.0 product keys can activate 5.1 for customers with valid maintenance.
3. Platform Licensing and OEM Agreements: Visual Components licenses its simulation platform and API to third-party developers (e.g., KUKA.Sim, MELSOFT Gemini by Mitsubishi Electric) who build proprietary solutions on top of the Visual Components engine. This generates licensing and royalty revenue.
4. Professional Services and Training: Turnkey solutions include training, calibration, commissioning services, and ongoing technical support to ensure successful project implementation. The company offers on-site and remote professional services for robot cell implementation and calibration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Visual Components sells 3D manufacturing simulation and robot offline programming (OLP) software that lets manufacturers and system integrators design factory layouts, simulate production, virtually commission PLCs and robot controllers, and program industrial robots offline. The platform is delivered as tiered perpetual licenses (Essentials, Professional, Premium for Manufacturing Simulation; Robotics OLP, Professional OLP, Premium OLP for OLP) with annual maintenance, and is complemented by the free Visual Components Experience viewer, the partner-built VC Ecosystem, and the eCatalog of 3,000+ ready-to-use components.

Product overview

Visual Components offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on 3D manufacturing simulation and robot offline programming (OLP) software. The core offerings include Manufacturing Simulation (available in Essentials, Professional, and Premium tiers) for designing, optimizing, and validating factory layouts, and Robot OLP (available in Robotics OLP, Professional OLP, and Premium OLP tiers) for programming industrial robots offline. These are complemented by Visual Components Experience for viewing simulations on mobile, desktop VR, and web, the VC Ecosystem for partner-developed add-ons, and an eCatalog library with 3,000+ ready-to-use components. The product tiers follow a progressive model where higher tiers add virtual commissioning capabilities, robot controller connectivity, and advanced calibration tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visual Components Experience: Product line allowing users to experience 3D simulations on mobile devices, desktop (including VR), and web. Includes mobile viewer app, desktop Experience application with VR capabilities, and Experience Web for website integration.

Products and services

• Manufacturing Simulation 3D manufacturing simulation software for designing, optimizing, and validating factory layouts and production processes. Sold in tiered licenses (Essentials, Professional, Premium), it provides drag-and-drop configuration using the eCatalog, CAD import, process modeling, virtual commissioning with real PLCs and robot controllers, and OPC UA/MQTT industrial protocol support. Used by manufacturers and system integrators in automotive, electronics, heavy machinery, intralogistics, life sciences, packaging, white goods, and food and beverage.
• Robot Offline Programming (OLP) Offline programming software for industrial robots across welding, processing, spraying, jigless assembly, and part handling. Sold in tiered licenses (Robotics OLP, Professional OLP, Premium OLP), it supports post-processors for 22 robot brands and 40+ controllers, automated path solving, multi-robot support, OLP calibration tools, MBD support, and WPS rule management. Used by manufacturers and system integrators to program robots without stopping production.
• Visual Components Experience Free cross-platform viewer for sharing and experiencing 3D simulations on iOS/Android mobile, desktop with VR support, and web. Enables colleagues, customers, and stakeholders to review simulations without requiring a Visual Components license, with an additional Experience Web license required for web embedding.
• VC Ecosystem Partner-developed ecosystem of add-ons, plugins, and integrations that extend the Visual Components platform. Includes ergonomics assessment (Work(s) Ergo), statistics and KPI reporting (DUALIS Statistics Module), hall space planning (DUALIS AREAPLAN), layout building from Excel/flowcharts/value streams (DUALIS LayoutBuilder), AGV/AMR fleet simulation (DUALIS Mobile Robot), and CAD model sourcing (CADENAS 3Dfindit).
• eCatalog Industry-leading ready-to-use component library with over 3,000 components including 1,600+ robots from 70+ brands, plus conveyors, machines, resources, robot tools, and factory facilities. Drag-and-drop into the 3D simulation environment to accelerate factory layout design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce robot programming time by up to 80%
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Work(s) ErgoflagshipTechnology or Integration · 29 January 2026Work(s) Ergo partnered with Visual Components to enable early evaluation of human factors in manufacturing projects through the VC Ecosystem. The partnership brings advanced ergonomics assessment tools that complement Visual Components' simulation capabilities, helping users evaluate human performance and musculoskeletal risk directly within digital manufacturing environments.
• KUKA GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKUKA Group is the parent company of Visual Components and its primary strategic partner. KUKA uses Visual Components technology internally to simulate hundreds of AMRs in factory layouts, demonstrating the platform's capabilities. The partnership aligns with KUKA's 'Automation 2.0' vision for connected, intelligent, and software-driven production systems. Visual Components also powers KUKA.Sim, a proprietary robot simulation tool built on the Visual Components platform.
• CADENASflagshipTechnology or IntegrationVisual Components partnered with CADENAS to deliver millions of vendor-verified CAD models directly within the Visual Components eCatalog. The CADENAS 3Dfindit add-on enables users to easily access and import millions of 3D CAD models from the CADENAS library, streamlining the sourcing of CAD models and accelerating the design process.
• DUALIS (Statistics Module, AREAPLAN, LayoutBuilder, Mobile Robot)coreTechnology or IntegrationDUALIS has developed multiple add-ons available through the Visual Components VC Ecosystem: Statistics Module (turns simulation results into KPI reports and Excel-based analysis), AREAPLAN (plan and optimize assembly and production hall space), LayoutBuilder (create layouts from Excel data, flowcharts, or value stream inputs), and Mobile Robot (plan and simulate AGV and AMR fleets with realistic fleet behavior and traffic logic).
• Mitsubishi Electric (MELSOFT Gemini)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerVisual Components teamed up with Mitsubishi Electric to create MELSOFT Gemini, a user-friendly 3D simulation tool that simplifies production equipment design, boosts productivity, and makes manufacturing operations more efficient. Mitsubishi Electric markets and sells MELSOFT Gemini as its own branded product.
• Flexlink (3D Configurator)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerVisual Components offered Flexlink a drag-and-drop interface, parametric components, and an easy-to-use configuration environment to help sell their automation solutions. Flexlink built a proprietary 3D configurator on the Visual Components platform for their own product sales and marketing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dassault Systèmes DELMIA: Dassault's DELMIA is a flagship 3D manufacturing simulation and digital-twin platform serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. It directly competes with Visual Components in factory layout, robotic workcell simulation, and virtual commissioning.
• Siemens Tecnomatix: Siemens Tecnomatix (now part of Siemens Xcelerator) provides plant layout, process simulation, and robotic offline programming. It overlaps with Visual Components on factory layout design and virtual commissioning, typically bundled with Siemens PLM/MES offerings.
• FANUC ROBOGUIDE: FANUC ROBOGUIDE is the standard offline programming tool for FANUC robots and one of the most widely deployed robot simulators globally. It competes with Visual Components OLP wherever FANUC robots dominate the install base.
• AnyLogic: AnyLogic is a multi-method (discrete event, agent-based, system dynamics) simulation platform widely used in manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain. It overlaps with Visual Components on factory and intralogistics simulation use cases.
• Yaskawa MotoSim: Yaskawa's MotoSim EG-VRC is an offline programming and simulation environment for Yaskawa/Motoman robots. It competes directly with Visual Components OLP for Yaskawa-anchored robotic workcells.
• FlexSim: FlexSim provides 3D simulation software for manufacturing, material handling, and logistics. It is a direct peer in factory and warehouse simulation, often competing for the same manufacturer and system-integrator RFPs.
• Simio: Simio offers 3D digital-twin simulation for production, logistics, and healthcare. It is a direct peer in manufacturing process simulation and shares target customers in system integration and operations consulting.
• Universal Robots URSim: Universal Robots' URSim simulates and offline-programs UR cobots, the largest collaborative robot install base. It is a direct competitor in cobot OLP and lighter-weight cell programming.
• ABB RobotStudio: ABB's RobotStudio is the dominant single-vendor robot simulation and offline programming suite, used to program ABB robots offline. It competes with Visual Components' OLP modules in robot cell programming and cycle-time validation.

Broad incumbents

• Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence: Hexagon's Manufacturing Intelligence division provides simulation, metrology, and production software across discrete and process manufacturing. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in factory simulation and digital twin, but as part of a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/viscomp1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Visualcomponents
• Facebookfacebook.com/visualcomponents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visual-components
• Instagraminstagram.com/visualcomponentsoy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visual Components