With financial support from their joint US parent company Teradyne, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) and Universal Robots (UR) have acquired a 50,000 square meter building plot in Odense. They are investing 36 million dollars in the construction of a large cobot center there. Collaborative robots are considered to be the fastest growing segment of industrial automation.

The construction site is located in the industrial area of Odense near the current headquarters of UR, which will also become part of the new 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.

Jürgen von Hollen, President of Universal Robots, sees potential in the market for cobots. "According to ABI Research, this market will grow to a total value of almost twelve billion dollars by 2030. Thanks to the demand for Danish cobots, we are already outgrowing our current offices in Odense, both at UR and MiR," says the UR President.

Danish robotics cluster on course for success
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 whom are based 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.

But it is not only the number of employees that is growing. The total revenue of Danish robotics companies rose by 18 percent in 2018, reaching 995 million dollars, with exports increasing by 26 percent. These figures are particularly significant as there was no significant robotics industry in Denmark just 15 years ago. as