"Given their strong industries, the DACH and Benelux regions are important target markets for us," explains 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.

Automation for SMEs
By the end of the year, nine OnRobot 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.

Products and applications were shown in action in the new showroom. © OnRobot

In terms of the prevailing corporate structure, the region is dominated by SMEs. For many of these small and medium-sized enterprises, the advance of collaborative robots has opened up access to robotics. OnRobot'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 makes it affordable even for smaller companies to automate their own production processes."

Plans for the future
The new branch opens a new chapter for OnRobot. The company emerged from the merger of several robotics start-ups just last year. Today, it is represented by a total of seven sales offices and three development and production centers not only in Europe, but also in Asia and the USA. The partner network now spans the entire globe and the number of employees is over 160.

OnRobot also has big plans for its product portfolio, as CEO Enrico Krog Iversen reveals: "We are planning to expand our range of innovative robotic accessories by 40 to 50 products within the next year. Against this backdrop, further company acquisitions are also conceivable for us." This brings OnRobot one step closer to its vision: to be a one-stop store that supplies the market with everything it needs for collaborative automation. as