Teradyne Robotics is establishing a U.S. operations center in metro Detroit, where it will manufacture cobots under its Universal Robots brand and - in the future - autonomous mobile robots for its Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) product line. It called the expansion “strategic” and a demonstration of its commitment to operating close to customers and to meeting growing regional demand.
Presently the Teradyne Robotics group is based in North Reading, Mass., and has a regional office in Novi, Mich. The new operation in Wixom, Mich., represents a capital investment of up to $32 million, and will start up in 2026 with an expectation of up to 230 employees. It also will serve as a regional customer training center, service hub, and visitor experience center.
Universal Robots are manufactured mainly at Odense, Denmark. Late last year it announced plans to start producing cobots at a plant in Nantong, China.
Teradyne is a developer of automatic testing equipment that acquired Denmark-based Universal Robots in 2017. Its UR5 cobot is considered a breakthrough development in collaborative robotics, with user-friendly programming that became a selling point for thousands of installations.
Universal Robots now has six models for payloads up to 30 kg, and reports it has sold over 100,000 cobots since its initial launch.
In 2018, Teradyne acquired MiR, which supplies autonomous mobile robots. Teradyne Robotics, which includes both businesses, stated that Michigan expansion reflects its commitment to operating close to its customers and meeting growing U.S. manufacturing demand.
According to a recent market survey the supplier conducted, 73% of North American manufacturers cite “productivity improvement” as their goal when investing in automation. Among manufacturers already using cobots, 87% achieve double-digit productivity improvements; and 83% of survey respondents reported positive employee reception for their cobot investment.
“Our customers are looking to robotics not only to boost competitiveness, but also to make factory floors more attractive to the next generation of workers,” stated Jean-Pierre Hathout, Teradyne Robotics Group president. “With this facility, we’re investing in both automation and education - scaling up deployment, service, and training capabilities to meet the evolving needs of U.S. manufacturing, logistics and warehousing.”