Denmark-based Universal Robots will soon take a decision on setting up its second plant, said a top official.
“With the current production facility [in Denmark], we will be able to match the demand/supply for 2018 and 2019,” said Jurgen Von Hollen, president, Universal Robots.
“We have to take a decision in next six months [on the second plant].”
Higher revenue
Asked about the current production capacity, he said it could not be revealed as it was a private firm. About 50% of sales came from Europe followed by the U.S. with 25% and Asia 25%.
During 2017, the company clocked a revenue of $170 million, an increase of 72% over 2016.
It had a marketshare of 60%. The cobots manufacturer was also considering to increase the headcount from 500 to 700 by the year end. The firm planned to double its sales in India. Last year, it sold 150 collaborative robots (cobots) and this year, it aimed to sell 300. At the same time, it is planning to increase its sales volume to Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to 60% from the present 40%.
While stating they will be increasing the number of distributors and system integrators, he said they have been getting enquiries from auto components, fast moving consumer goods and electronics sectors.
“In the last two years, we have sold nearly 100 cobots in India,” said Pradeep S. David, general manager, South Asia, Universal Robots (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Stating there has been general enquiries from the SMEs for the cobots, he said it worked alongside humans versus industrial robots that were housed inside a fence. Moreover, it was easy to programme and install cobots. It costs between ₹15 lakh and ₹22 lakh, he said.
