The great success is due not least to the impressive sales revenue of around EUR 46 million (DKK 334.3 million - average exchange rate) in the fourth quarter of 2017: These represent a 61 percent increase in revenue for Universal Robots compared to the same period last year, making the final quarter of last year the best ever for the robot manufacturer. "The extraordinary results of the fourth quarter and the year as a whole are above all the fruit of the good teamwork in our Universal Robots community. We all share a common goal: to enable each other to continue to grow successfully and sustainably in the future through the best possible cooperation with all our stakeholders," says Jürgen von Hollen, President of Universal Robots. "Of course, we also attribute the unprecedented sales growth of 72 percent compared to the previous year to the growing awareness on the market of the economic benefits of our collaborative robots, with which we are the global market leader."

Looking ahead to 2018, von Hollen continues to anticipate sales growth of at least 50% for Universal Robots: "According to forecasts, the market for cobots will remain one of the key growth drivers of the entire automation market in the coming years. I firmly believe that Universal Robots will grow at the same rate or even faster than the market for collaborative robots itself in 2018 and that we will therefore expand our position as market leader. To achieve this, we will continue to stay one step ahead of our competitors in terms of technology."

With this in mind, the company will continue to focus heavily on expanding its Universal Robots+ product and developer ecosystem and its online training platform Universal Robots Academy in 2018, whose user numbers recently exceeded the 20,000 mark. The internationalization of the regional sales and service branches and activities will also be a further focus.

Global expansion

The recent openings of two repair and service centers in the USA and China - the first of their kind outside Denmark - are already testimony to Universal Robots' increased investment activities with the aim of being closer to its customers worldwide. "Our customers cannot afford to lose productivity. That's why we want to avoid downtime at all costs. Our aim is to ensure that a Universal Robots cobot never stands still while waiting for spare parts," explains von Hollen.

In Boston, USA, an additional location has also recently opened, expanding central departments and corporate functions beyond the headquarters in Denmark for the first time. According to von Hollen, this will give the company access to additional resources and highly qualified employees: "It will be crucial for us in the coming year to be able to expand and adapt our research and development activities in particular, as well as our sales and service offering, in line with our growth. With now two research and development locations, we are in a position to scale our business activities more quickly. We are also increasing our visibility and attractiveness as an employer." The opening of further branches in Italy, Turkey and Mexico has also been announced for 2018. A third office in China is also already planned.

Successful thanks to committed employees

Jürgen von Hollen believes that a key driver behind the company's continued success is the high level of commitment of its workforce: "The continued dedication of our employees is a key factor in making Universal Robots the first choice when it comes to cobot technology. The results of our recent employee survey showed that 91 percent of our team is proud to work at Universal Robots and I am very pleased about that." One of the President's top priorities is therefore to continue to ensure that Universal Robots is the most attractive company to work for. He wants to continue to offer all his employees the training and development opportunities that will enable them to grow and achieve their personal goals. kp