Demand for autonomous mobile robots continues to grow worldwide. Mobile Industrial Robots ApS today said that its sales last year increased by 40% over 2020. The Odense, Denmark-based company noted that it set a record in December 2021, with close to 300 robots shipped, more than in any previous month.
“We grew significantly in 2021 despite component shortages as customers recognize the value of our safe, reliable and easy-to-deploy AMRs,” said Søren E. Nielsen, president of Mobile Industrial Robots. “We enter 2022 with strong expectations that growth will continue and with a very strong order book.”
Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) said its collaborative autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can quickly, easily and cost-effectively manage internal logistics, freeing employees to carry out activities that create more value. The company claimed that hundreds of midsized companies, major international enterprises, distribution centers, and hospitals around the world have installed its robots.
MiR has a global distribution network in over 60 countries and regional offices in New York, San Diego, Singapore, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai. The company was founded in 2013 by experts from the Danish robotics industry, and it was acquired by Teradyne in 2018.
New sectors use MiR heavy robots
Mobile Industrial Robots noted that since it launched its first robot in 2015, its products have been especially popular in the automotive and electronics industries, with major multinational customers such as Schneider Electric, Ford, and Faurecia (see video at bottom of this article).
While those sectors continue to invest in MiR AMRs, the company said it has also increased sales to logistics and consumer packaged goods (CPG) customers wanting to optimize and automate their internal transport. MiR noted that its new, heavy-duty MiR600 and MiR1350 robots, both introduced in 2021, have been top sellers in the new markets.
“These new robots have clearly expanded our market because we can operate in more environments and transport heavier items,” Nielsen said. “Another new solution introduced last year, the MiR250 Hook, has also been highly popular within the logistics sector, which has been waiting for a way to streamline the towing of multiple types of transport carts.”
Fleet management software crucial to effective deployments
As part of growing global demand for autonomous materials handling, more companies are focusing on how AMRs can be integrated with other automation, said Mobile Industrial Robots. To meet this need, MiR said a large number of its customer projects include its MiRFleet fleet management software.
“Our customers are focused on how they can effectively use multiple mobile robots at the same time, and MiRFleet plays a key role in making that happen,” Nielsen said. “No matter their industry, each company has stringent requirements for user-friendliness, navigation, scalability, and safety, and they appreciate our ability to integrate complete, reliable solutions together and into their own IT systems.”
Mobile Industrial Robots grows to support demand
MiR said it plans to continue hiring employees in 2022, with more than 50 job openings at its headquarters in Denmark, as well as in North America, the company's fastest-growing market.
The company said its main office will eventually be in the planned Cobot Hub in Odense, which is being built with collaborative robotics leader Universal Robots A/S, which is also owned by Terradyne.
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