"Given their strong industries, the DACH and Benelux regions are important target markets for us," says Björn Milsch, General Manager DACH & Benelux at OnRobot. When it comes to automation, Germany ranks particularly highly: according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), no other European country has more industrial robots in use - only South Korea and Singapore have a higher number. "With our new office and a larger team, we are now much closer to our customers and partners in German-speaking countries," says Milsch. "Our collaborative end-of-arm tools give companies the flexibility they need to produce cost-effectively, even in times of batch size 1."

By the end of the year, nine employees will be working in the Soest office. A technical room will provide space for training courses and exchanges with customers and partners, while a showroom will display products and applications. The favorable transport connections, including to the Benelux countries, were the main reason for choosing this location. In addition, many international industrial companies are based in Soest and the surrounding area. As "Susatum", Soest was known throughout Europe as a Hanseatic city in the Middle Ages, and even today the city to the east of the Ruhr area is still characterized by the industrial heritage of South Westphalia.

In terms of the prevailing company structure, the region is dominated by SMEs. For many of these small and medium-sized enterprises, the advance of cobots has opened up access to robotics. The company's collaborative end-of-arm tooling also helps to lower automation barriers. "Our grippers and sensors are characterized by a particularly fast return on investment," explains Milsch. "This means that companies quickly recoup the initial costs. This also makes it affordable for smaller companies to automate their own production processes."