With financial backing from their joint US parent company, Teradyne, MiR and UR have acquired a 50,000 sq m building site in Odense, where $36 million will be invested in the construction of a major cobot hub in what has become the cobot capital of the world. Collaborative robots – or cobots – are now the fastest growing segment of industrial automation.
“MiR and UR are leading the world in the cobot revolution that’s making automation solutions available to companies of all sizes,” says Mark Jagiela, president and CEO of Teradyne. “Teradyne continues to invest aggressively in the development of new products, solutions and sales channels, and this new facility is a key part of our growth strategy. 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.”
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 half a billion US dollars in the two young Danish robotic companies, both of which are growing rapidly.
The building site is in Odense’s industrial district, close to UR’s current headquarters, which will also become part of the cobot hub. Both companies will continue as separate entities, with the aim to create an attractive environment that will help attract employees to facilitate the continued growth expected by the companies in the coming years.
“Denmark has a significant lead in the global market for cobots,” says Thomas Visti, CEO of MiR.“Investing ambitiously in building the world’s largest cobot hub right here in Odense makes a lot of sense. Offering a strong, professional environment with superb facilities enables us to attract talent from all over the world.”
MiR has hired 100 new employees in the past year, with UR adding 280 new staff members during the past two years. Today, the two companies have 160 and 450 employees, respectively, based in Denmark. UR employs almost 700 employees worldwide while MiR’s global staff count totals around 220.
Jürgen von Hollen, president of UR, sees enormous potential in the cobot market: “This is a market expected to grow to a total value of almost $12 billion in 2030, according to ABI Research. 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 past 10 years.”
The Danish robotics industry is currently booming; the 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 growth forecasts, the Danish robot industry will employ 25,000 employees by 2025, according to Danish analysis firm, Damvad.
And it is not just the number of employees that is growing. Total revenue at Danish robotics companies rose by 18% in 2018, reaching $995 million, with exports increasing by 26%.
