With collaborative robot sales exceeding 384,000 units in 2018, and sales projected to be 34 percent of robots sold by 2027, it only seems fitting for Denmark-based OnRobot, a global leader in end-of-arm tooling for collaborative robot applications, to ramp up research and development.
On the heels of opening its first location in the U.S. in November, the company has expanded its North America operations to include a site location dedicated to developing cobots of the future. Located in Culver City, Calif., the new 6,000-square-foot office has ample space for the OnRobot team to explore new offerings.
“As OnRobot continues its aggressive expansion throughout North America, moving to a larger location in Culver City offers multiple benefits,” said Enrico Krog Iversen, OnRobot CEO. “It has space for our current staff of 17, with plenty of room for the research team to use multiple types of collaborative robot arms in our quest to develop new tools for these. It’s also directly across the street from a multimillion-dollar entertainment industry hub that is currently being built called Ivy Station. The new building will be home to HBO, Apple and Amazon, bringing to Culver City a more qualified pool of candidates for us to choose from when we look at increasing our staff next year. We’re excited to be here and are looking forward to all the great things we’re going to accomplish in this region.”
According to the International Federation of Robotics, for the 10th year in a row, cobot use in the U.S. increased, a 15 percent gain in 2018 from 2017 levels. Much of the momentum has been the various uses of cobots as solutions to labor shortages and jobs that require tedious and repetitive tasks.
Designed for enhanced robot and human interactions, cobots are currently most common in the automotive and electronic sectors but continue to show their potential applications in other industries. Often more versatile and less costly than other manufacturing options, they are increasingly becoming a solution for small- and medium-sized industrial applications for automating processes.
To learn more about the ever-growing arena of cobots and their benefits, check out White Paper - Get Your Team on Board with Cobots.