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WE TURN THE AUTOMATION DREAM INTO A REALITY FOR SMALL & LARGE BUSINESSES ALIKE

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS reached a SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE: 25,000 COBOTS SOLD SINCE THE FIRST SALE IN 2008

Universal Robots, the pioneer and market leader in collaborative robots, earlier this year announced that it is celebrating its 25,000^thcobot sale by giving away a Gold Edition cobot, shipped free of cost, to one lucky customer.

However, due to a huge response and interest from customers all around the world, Universal Robots decided to offer a Gold Edition cobot to a customer in each of Universal Robots’ geographical areas worldwide.

The reward for each of these customers is the previously announced Golden Cobot with the joints painted in a rich, gold-colored finish, which is a refreshing take on Universal Robots’ iconic blue and grey cobots.

THE LUCKY WINNERS OF FREE ‘GOLD EDITION’ COBOTs ARE

Northern Europe

Countries: Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, United Kingdom, Ireland

And the winner in NOrthern Europe is ...

B-Loony Ltd.

In Northern Europe the lucky winner was B-Loony Ltd. Based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire B-Loony, which manufactures a wide range of bespoke custom-printed products, was presented with its Gold Edition UR3 cobot at a meeting on 4^th September, 2018. The meeting was attended by Mark Gray, UK Sales Manager at Universal Robots and UK distributor RARUK Automation Limited.

“On behalf of the entire company I’m delighted to receive this special gold edition cobot. It will take pride of place on our production floor and has already proved a real hit with our employees,” says James Clephan, Operations Director at B-Loony. The golden cobot will soon be put to work alongside our existing robots, helping us to grow our market share by producing 2 million metres of promotional bunting each year.”

“B-Loony is the perfect example of how small and medium-sized manufacturers can realise the benefits of flexible automation. Adopting cobots has enabled it to continue manufacturing in the UK and to remain highly responsive to customer demands for personalised products, all while remaining highly competitive and growing their market share,” says Mark Gray, UK Sales Manager, Universal Robots.

“We couldn’t have reached the historic 25,000 cobot landmark without visionary customers like B-Loony”, adds Gray. “Our continued commitment is to make the unlimited potential of robotics accessible for all. It’s therefore fitting that with this golden robot we get to celebrate not just Universal Robots’ success but also that of our customers who are transforming their workplaces, one cobot at a time.”

Since the sale of the its first cobot in December 2008, Universal Robots’ cobots have been utilized in industries ranging from food production to scientific research, taking on tasks that include industrial assembly, pick and place and even quality inspections. Unlike conventional robotic solutions, Universal Robots’ cobots are designed to work hand-in-hand with operators with maximum efficiency, opening up more opportunities for human-robot collaboration in the workplace. These highly versatile cobots can take on a wide spectrum of tasks and have the fastest payback time in the industry, making them a viable option for small-scale businesses where conventional options may be too expensive.

About B-Loony Ltd.

Founded in 1978, B-Loony Ltd is a leading provider of bespoke customer printed products for major retailers, businesses, agencies charities and countless other market sectors across the UK and Europe. Operating from a 20,000 square foot factory in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, the company manufactures a wide range of personalised promotional products, such as latex balloons, gourmet food flags, bunting, sashes and ribbons. It is constantly investing in the latest machinery to be able to meet large volumes and short lead times.

North East Asia

Countries: JAPAN, TAIWAN, SOUTH KOREA

And the winner in North East Asia is...

GKN Driveline Japan Ltd

In North East Asia, the lucky winner was GKN Driveline Japan Ltd based in Tochigi/Japan. GKN Driveline Japan, which manufactures drive system parts for automotive, was presented with its Gold Edition cobot UR5 on Oct 9

GKN Driveline Japan Ltd

The Golden Cobot UR5

“At GKN Driveline Japan we are extremely proud to receive this cool edition of Universal Robots’ cobot. As gold is auspicious color and full of energy, I’m sure it will light up the Tochigi plant to the joy of all our employees,” says Hidefumi Yoshida, Senior Manager, AWD Manufacturing Engineering Section of GKN Driveline Japan. “We used universal robot for product assembly line for a long time. As it is easy to program and easy to use, and workers and robots can collaborate safely in the same space, we decided to install new robots in another line. The two UR5 robots adopted this time are used for judging the front and back of the plate, the component part of the torque coupling unit. It is expected that automation by robot will increase work efficiency and quality, and productivity will be further improved”

“We couldn’t have reached this historic 25,000-cobot landmark without excellent customer like GKN Driveline Japan,” says Tsuyoshi Yamane, General Manager of North East Asia region, Universal Robots. “With this, we celebrate not just the success of Universal Robots in empowering customers, but also the successes of our customers in innovating and changing their workplace with collaborative robots. The Gold Edition cobot reflects our continued commitment towards making the unlimited potential of robotics accessible for all.”

About GKN Driveline Japan, Ltd.

GKN Driveline Japan is the Japan branch of GKN Driveline, the market leader in the development and delivery of contemporary driveline solutions.

Capital: Japanese Yen 7.6B

Number of employee: 1,400

Southern Europe & MEA

Countries: ITALY, SPAIN, FRANCE, TURKEY

AND THE WINNER IN South EUROPE IS ...

COVAP.

In Southern Europe & MEA region, the lucky winner was Covap, manufacturer of high quality dairy, Iberian cured ham and meat products based in Cordoba, Spain. The company was presented with its Gold Edition cobot during a ceremony on August 1^st 2018

Golden Cobot winner Spain

Juan Antonio Ballesteros García, Covap's Production Manager, said: "Since we incorporated the first Universal Robots cobot, we have increased our productivity whilst maintaining the quality of our products and as a result, we are very satisfied with it. We were planning to purchase and install another new cobot, so it was a great surprise to find out that we were the winners of the UR Golden Cobot. We are delighted.”

“We couldn’t have reached this historic 25,000 cobot milestone without the support and confidence of excellent customers like Covap” says Vincent Chavy, Marketing Manager of Universal Robots in the region. “With this, we celebrate not just the success of Universal Robots in empowering customers, but also the successes of our customers in innovating and changing their workplace with collaborative robots. The Gold Edition cobot reflects our continued commitment towards making the unlimited potential of robotics accessible for all.”

Since the sale of the first commercial model in December 2008, Universal Robots’ cobots have been utilized in industries ranging from food production to scientific research, taking on tasks that include industrial assembly, pick and place and even quality inspections. Unlike conventional robotic solutions, Universal Robots’ cobots are designed to work hand-in-hand with operators with maximum efficiency, opening up more opportunities for human-robot collaboration in the workplace. These highly versatile cobots can take on a wide spectrum of tasks and have the fastest payback time in the industry, making them a viable option for small-scale businesses where conventional automation options may be too expensive.

About Covap, La Cooperativa Ganadera del Valle de los Pedroches

By contributing to the economic and social development of farmlands, animals and environment for more than 50 years, the Covap cooperative is much more than a group of farmers – it’s comprised of 14500 agricultural producers as cooperative members with a shared vision, offering products of high quality from the very source. For this reason, what started out at a project by people determined to show the world the importance of working together is today a Cooperative with a strong presence in the milk, meat and animal feed industries, an organization that has successfully faced up to past challenges and future opportunities for internationalization and commercial development. For more information, please visit www.covap.es

Western Europe

Countries: GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, BENELUX

AND THE WINNER IN Western europe IS...

Heemskerk Fijnmechanica B.V.

In Western Europe, the lucky winner was Heemskerk Fijnmechanica B.V. a supplier of high-precision products in the metalworking industry.

"The new golden robot will be in good company at Heemskerk: 7 UR-Cobots are already integrated into our production and support our employees by freeing them from monotonous tasks like machine tending. We believed in the new technology of UR's collaborative robots from the very beginning. That's why we were the first company in the Netherlands to integrate it in our production."

Lucien Heemskerk, Technical Director

Winner of Golden Cobot, Heemskerk Fijnmechanica B.V

The Golden Cobot, Heemskerk Fijnmechanica B.V

Celebrating the Golden Cobot at Heemskerk Fijnmechanica B.V

Southeast Asia and Oceania

Countries: INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, THAILAND, VIETNAM, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND

AND THE WINNER IN Southeast Asia and Oceania is ...

Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company

Based in Quang Ninh, Vietnam, Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company (VMIC) is engaged in the manufacture, assembly, maintenance and repair of transportation vehicles. The Company's leading products are heavy duty trucks used in the delivery of mining products, together with light trucks and other utility vehicles. Other business activities include the production of automotive parts, industrial machinery and equipment trading, the construction of industrial and civil infrastructure, as well as the provision of technical consulting services.

The Gold Edition UR10 collaborative robot (cobot) that is awarded to VMIC will be deployed to assist in the production of parts for transport vehicles, working alongside VMIC employees.

The VMIC team with the Golden Cobot

Golden robot winner, Vinacomin motor industry joint stock company

“The need to improve productivity and reduce operational cost led Vinacomin Motor Industry Joint Stock Company to opt for cobots as the ideal solution. Since deploying our first cobot in July 2018, we have seen productivity surge of 30 per cent and improvements in product quality and takt time stability.”

PHAM XUAN PHI Chairman and CEO

North America

Countries: USA, Canada

AND THE WINNER IN North america IS ...

kay manufacturing

Universal Robots announced the celebration of this milestone in Chicago at a press conference at IMTS, the nation’s largest manufacturing trade show. Recipient of the Golden Edition Cobot, UR’s 25,000^th unit sold, will be delivered with joints in a rich golden finish to Kay Manufacturing, a small precision machining company headquartered in Calumet City outside Chicago. President of Universal Robots, Jürgen von Hollen, emphasized how the company couldn’t have reached this historic landmark without customers like Kay Manufacturing.

Kay Manufacturing with Universal Robots President, CTO and RSD for The Americas

The Golden Cobot Application

Unlike conventional industrial robotic solutions that usually stay bolted down in cages dedicated to one task only, the UR cobots are designed to work hand-in-hand with operators on a wide range of tasks, opening up more opportunities for human-robot collaboration. Kay Manufacturing is using Universal Robots for end-of-line tasks, packaging and palletizing parts off a conveyor. The company started to look into automation after it received an order that doubled its production output to over a million pieces per year. The engineering team first considered building a traditional automation cell, but after an internal review they concluded that build time, installation, robot programming, safety hardware requirements, and programming of all safety functional devices would be too costly and take far too long.

“A traditional cell would not justify our internal rate of return and would consume most of our facilities’ technical resources,” said Brian Pelke, president of Kay Manufacturing. “It was a non-starter.”

Instead, the company looked into cobots from Universal Robots that don’t require the same safety set-up due to a built-in safety system in the robot arms that make them automatically stop once they encounter obstacles in their route. “We quickly realized that UR cobots were the most cost-effective option, requiring the least amount of technical resources,” said Pelke, who estimates that each UR robot helps save $150,000 in annual labor costs. “UR has an impressive user interface and was easy to learn and to cross train all of our personnel.”

“The cobots didn’t replace any employees, we were able to meet increased production demand with our existing work force, and we saved twenty minutes of operator time per hour, all while improving our ergonomic work environment and freeing up our staff to handle more value-added tasks,” added Pelke. “We look forward to putting our new golden cobot to work and expect our fleet of UR cobots to grow even further as our production expands.”

Latin America

Countries: MEXICO, BRAZIL, ARGENTINA,

AND THE WINNER IN latin america IS ...

armo

In Latin America the lucky winner was Armo based in Mexico City. Armo, which manufactures turnkey projects for retail sale and exhibits furniture for the point of sale, received its "Golden Edition" cobot during the Golden Robot Award on July 30, 2018.

"At Armo we are very proud to receive this fantastic edition of the" cobot "of Universal Robots and I am sure that it will stand out within our facilities and will make all our employees happy," says Roberto Serrano, CEO of Armo. "This new golden" cobot "will be a great piece that reflects our commitment to the products we develop every day in our facilities here in Mexico City and will be something that we will show to the visitors." Investment in technologies that revolutionize the industry and allow us to achieve our goals will always be one of our priorities "

In turn, Esben Østergaard, CTO and co-founder of Universal Robots said: "We could not have reached this historic event of 25,000" cobots "sold without an excellent customer like Armo." With this, we celebrate not only the success of Universal Robots in the empowerment of customers, but also the success of our customers in innovating and changing their workplace with collaborative robots. This "golden edition" reflects our continued commitment to making the unlimited potential of robotics accessible to all. "

Central Eastern Europe

Countries: Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Hungary

AND THE WINNER IN Central & eastern Europe IS ...

Robe lighting s.r.o.

In the Central and Eastern Europe region, the lucky winner of the GOLDEN ROBOT edition was Robe lighting, a manufacturer innovative, high quality moving lights and digital lighting products based in Valašské Mezirící, Czech Republic.
The company was presented with its Gold Edition cobot during a ceremony on October 18, 2018.
The company has been using two collaborative robots UR5 for the tampoprint machine tending used for contour printing on optical lenses.
As the process is highly delicate and components must be protected from touching by human hands, ROBE decided to automate the process using Universal Robots technology.
The robots application was delivered and deployed by UR distributor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia Amtech together with robot system integrator APLYS.
To extend its automatization efforts, the customer has recently ordered another UR product. The Gold Edition UR5 will be working as a tester operator in Dioflex, a ROBE daughter company focused on electronics manufacturing.

“We were amazed by benefits that reliable, flexible and user friendly UR cobots can provide us,” said David Orság, General Manager, Robe lighting s.r.o.

South Asia

Countries: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

AND THE WINNER IN south asia IS ...

new engineering works

In South Asia, the lucky winner was New Engineering Works based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India. New Engineering Works, which manufactures automotive components, was presented with its Gold Edition cobot at the New Engineering Works facility in Jamshedpur, on November 15^th, 2018.

“Frankly, for all of us at New Engineering Works, it’s a great honor to receive the Golden Robot from UR” says Binod Agarwal, Managing Partner of New Engineering Works. “We are super excited to install it in our facility in Jamshedpur in a new application altogether. Instead of a machine tending operation [which our other cobots are engaged in], the Golden Cobot will be deployed in an anti-rust oil application, something we see as a new challenge for us to look forward to. I would like to congratulate UR for sending 25,000 cobots worldwide, and we look forward to further strengthening our relationship with UR as the years go by.’’

“We couldn’t have reached this historic 25,000-cobot landmark without excellent customer like New Engineering Works,’’ says Mr. Pradeep David, General Manager of Universal Robots South Asia. “With this, we celebrate not just the success of Universal Robots in empowering customers, but also the successes of our customers in innovating and changing their workplace with collaborative robots. The Gold Edition cobot reflects our continued commitment towards making the unlimited potential of robotics accessible for all.”