Teradyne, the US parent company of Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) and Universal Robots (UR), is investing US$36m (£27.7m) in the construction of the world’s largest cobot development and production hub in Odense, Denmark.
The 50,000m2 (538000ft2) building site is in Odense’s industrial district, close to UR’s current headquarters, which will also become part of the new facility.
The two companies will continue as separate entities, sharing 32,000m2 (334,000ft2) in the the heart of Denmark’s rapidly expanding robotics cluster.
Mark Jagiela, president and CEO of Teradyne, said: “We have found something very special in Denmark.
“The Danes’ combination of innovative industrial design, combined with a practical business sense, have created a perfect combination for this emerging industry.
“The ability to make robots work in collaboration with humans in a user-friendly manner is something we have not encountered to this degree anywhere else in the world and we’re very excited to expand our capabilities in Odense.”
This is not the first time the MiR and UR owner has provided cash support for robot development in Denmark.
To-date, Teradyne has invested more than US$500m (£385m) in the two Danish robotic companies.
Teradyne hopes the new facility will attract new employees to help facilitate the continued growth expected by the two companies in the coming years.
MiR has hired 100 new employees the past year and UR has added 280 new staff members during the past two years.
The two companies currently have 160 and 450 employees respectively based in Denmark.
UR employs almost 700 employees worldwide while MiR’s staff counts a total of around 220 globally.
According to ABI Research, the cobot market is expected to grow to a total value of almost US$12bn [£9.2m] in 2030 – making it the fastest growing segment in industrial automation.
Jürgen von Hollen, president of Universal Robots, said: “Demand for Danish cobots already means that we are outgrowing our current offices in Odense, both at UR and MiR.
“Odense has a strong ecosystem of talent and we are pleased to have the opportunity to invest long-term in the unique robotics environment that we have been building here over the last 10 years.”
A 2019 annual survey from trade association Odense Robotics shows that 8,500 people now work for Danish robotics companies, 3,900 of them in and around Odense, Denmark’s third largest city.
If the industry follows projected growth forecasts, the Danish robot industry will employ 25,000 employees in 2025 according to the Danish analysis firm Damvad.
Furthermore, Danish robotics companies’ total revenue rose by 18% in 2018, reaching US$995m (£768m) with exports increasing 26%.
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