APS has been conducting applied research for more than 25 years now and is developing engineering solutions for miscellaneous problems from the production and manufacturing industry. The non-profit company is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. P. Drews and is located in Aachen, Germany, with pan-European activity.

APS is focussing on research and development of new technologies, processes and systems for manufacturing and production automation, and related areas. The main focus lies on providing solutions for problems from the industry to improve production techniques, products and working conditions. Suitable projects are being conducted mainly financed by national and European research funding programs.

To cope with future demands, interdisciplinary cooperation in research and development is more and more becoming important. Therefore, APS founded the European Centre for Mechatronics in 1994. The goal was to push research in the area of mechatronics as a key technology for progressive technical developments for the future.