Construction will begin on a new joint headquarters for Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) in Odense, Denmark. The building will accommodate up to 600 people and will be the world’s largest cobot and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) hub.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 20 April, and completion expected at the start of 2024. The new headquarters are being built to accommodate the ‘explosive growth’ of both MiR and Universal Robots. In 2021, both companies grew by more than 40%, and between them the companies expect to hire more than 200 new employees in 2022 alone — hence the need for larger premises.

However, Kim Povlsen — Universal Robots’ president — said the new headquarters is not just about the need for more space: “It is also about creating the optimum setting for our employees. We continuously work to innovate and move the limits of what is possible for cobots and automation, and with the new headquarters we will create a work environment that will allow us to benefit from increased cooperation with MiR and synergy between us. The building is designed with focus on the well-being of our employees and on increasing opportunities for informal collaboration during the working day.”

Søren Nielsen, MiR’s president of MiR, says the new Cobot and AMR Hub will be a huge gain, not only for MiR and Universal Robots, but also Odense as a robot city. He added: “The market for both autonomous mobile robots and cobots continues to grow, and we are looking forward to being able to present our current and future employees with an attractive and inspiring setting for their work. Odense has a strong pool of talent and has succeeded in positioning itself in the world as a leading-edge robot city. The building will be a visible testimony that Odense is a robot capital.”

Universal Robots and MiR are both owned by the American company Teradyne and will continue to function as independent companies.