Teradyne, the parent company of Mobile Industrial Robots and Universal Robots, announced Tuesday it would invest $36 million in a new headquarters for both companies. The “cobot hub” will be 32 square kilometers (about 12.3 square miles) and be situated in Odense, Denmark. Teradyne is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
In a statement, Mark Jagiela, President and CEO of Teradyne, said MiR and UR are worldwide leaders in collaborative robots, and that Odense is a good fit for them. “The Danes’ combination of innovative industrial design, combined with a practical business sense, have created a perfect combination for this emerging industry,” he said. The President of Universal Robots, Jürgen von Hollen, concurred.
“Demand for Danish cobots already means that we are growing out of our current offices in Odense, both at UR and MiR,” he said. He said Odense already has a “strong ecosystem of talent” to tap into.
Cobot construction in Odense is big: Trade association Odense Robotics says that, of 8,500 people working for Danish robotics companies, 3,900 of them work in or around Odense. It’s also booming: Danish analyst firm Damvad predicts that the Danes will employ 25,000 people in 2025 if current trends continue, and according to Teradyne, Danish robotics total revenue rose by 18% in 2018.
Although the two companies will share the same campus, they will remain independent of each other. Mobile Industrial Robots specializes in autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, flat-topped drones which can perform logistical tasks like moving heavy pallets and loads. Universal Robots, founded in 2005, offers collaborative robot arms which can work at benches and on assembly lines.
