With financial support from their joint US parent company Teradyne, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) and Universal Robots (UR) have acquired a 50,000 m² building plot in Odense, Denmark. There they are investing 36 million dollars in the construction of a cobot center in the 'cobot capital' of the world. The two companies will share 32,000 m² of space.

"MiR and UR are global leaders in the collaborative robot revolution, making automation solutions available to businesses of all sizes. Teradyne continues to invest heavily in developing new products, solutions and distribution channels, and the new facility is an important part of our growth strategy," said Mark Jagiela, president and CEO of Teradyne.

The construction site is located in the industrial area of Odense, close to UR's current headquarters, which will also become part of the Cobot center. The two companies will continue to operate as separate entities. The aim is to create an attractive environment for potential new employees and thus facilitate the further growth expected by both companies in the coming years.

"Denmark has a significant lead in the global market for cobots. It therefore makes perfect sense to invest ambitiously in building the world's largest cobot center here in Odense," says Thomas Visti, CEO of Mobile Industrial Robots. MiR hired 100 new employees last year, while UR has hired 280 new employees in the past two years. Today, the two companies employ 160 and 450 people respectively in Denmark. UR employs almost 700 people worldwide, while MiR's workforce totals around 220 employees worldwide.

Boom in the robotics industry in Denmark

The Danish robotics industry is currently booming: the annual survey conducted by the industry association Odense Robotics in 2019 shows that 8,500 people currently work for Danish robotics companies, 3,900 of them in and around Odense, Denmark's third-largest city. If the industry follows the growth forecasts, the Danish robotics industry will employ 25,000 people by 2025, according to the Danish analysis company Damvad.

The total revenue of Danish robotics companies increased by 18% in 2018 and reached 995 million dollars, with exports increasing by 26%. These figures are particularly significant as there was no significant robotics industry in Denmark 15 years ago.

Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), headquartered in Odense, Denmark, was founded in 2013. The company develops and sells autonomous, collaborative mobile robots for inter-company transportation in the industrial and healthcare sectors. Since its foundation, MiR has experienced steep growth, increasing by 500% from 2015 to 2016 alone and by 300% from 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 respectively. In April 2018, MiR was acquired by the American company Teradyne, a provider of automated test equipment. Teradyne also acquired the Danish company Universal Robots in 2015.

Universal Robots was founded in 2005 to make robot technology accessible to all by developing lightweight, user-friendly, affordable and flexible industrial robots that enable safe working. Since the first robot was launched in 2008, the company has experienced significant growth and now sells its user-friendly robotic arms worldwide. Universal Robots is also headquartered in Odense, Denmark. In 2018, the company achieved a turnover of around 234 million US dollars.