Universal Robots reached a milestone of 1,000 employees. This news is the second milestone for the company since January, when it reported record annual revenue in 2021.
Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots, said: "This is an historic milestone for us, and we are proud of how we have evolved from being a local startup in the basement under the university to becoming a global cobot pioneer and market leader. Above all, it shows that we have a fantastic product and that many companies around the world can see the benefits of using our robots to develop their business."
Universal Robots started in 2005, when three young researchers – Esben Østergaard, Kasper Støy and Kristian Kassow – from the University of Southern Denmark were frustrated by how the robots of the time were heavy, expensive and complicated to use. This gave them the idea to create a robot that is flexible, safe to work with, and easier to install and program.
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The company's first collaborative robot (cobot) was launched in 2008. Since then, Universal Robots has developed a range of cobot products, most recently adding the new UR20 to its portfolio.
Since its beginning, Universal Robots has grown to encompass offices in more than 20 countries worldwide. During the past year, the company hired more than 200 employees to ensure it is ready to realize the growth potential that lies ahead.
"From the outside there is, quite naturally, a lot of focus on the product and the technology,” Povlsen said. “But the tech does not just arise by itself. It's about having the right people on board, and at Universal Robots we have some exceptionally skilled and innovative employees who are able to constantly push the boundaries of what can be automated and how easily it can be done. If people 10 years ago could have seen what cobots can do today, they would have been amazed. Looking forward, the same should be the case in another 10 years’ time. Making it easier to solve ever more complex automation tasks is a very motivating goal.”
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Povlsen predicts an increasing need for automation in the coming years, driven by a desire to protect employees from dangerous and monotonous tasks, reshoring, and a shortage of labor.
"We have a new generation of cobots on the way, with the UR20 being the first model, and our own figures show that we have only reached approximately 2% of all potential customers worldwide. So, the potential is enormous and while we celebrate the journey we've been on today, our eyes are firmly set on the future,” Povlsen said.
