UR’s Jonathan Sbert giving his opening keynote at Collaborate North America 2025. | Credit score: Brianna Wessling, The Robotic Report
Common Robots A/S held the primary U.S.-based occasion in its world collection of regional conferences and commerce exhibits this week in Novi, Mich. Collaborate North America 2025 introduced collectively round 750 companions and potential clients to indicate off collaborative robotic applied sciences within the UR+ Accomplice Ecosystem and to debate the way forward for the business.
“The rationale this occasion has been so profitable is as a result of it’s the place the place we really get finish customers, our companions, and our distributors all collectively,” Jonathan Sbert, vice chairman of gross sales for the Americas at Common Robots (UR), instructed The Robotic Report. “Usually, in fact, we’ve got our salespeople on the market speaking to finish customers and speaking to our companions, but it surely’s uncommon that we’re really all collectively in a single place.”
Sbert stated an occasion like this, which the firm has additionally held in Mexico and China, places UR on the heart, in contrast to a typical commerce present. “It tends to be a little bit bit extra about us and fewer concerning the commerce present,” he stated.
“It’s the one time the place we are able to convey finish customers round with our companions as a result of we do have plenty of companions. We’ve received over 1,200 globally, so it’s arduous for us to essentially symbolize all their capabilities,” Sbert stated. “It’s nice for them to sort of showcase their expertise and what they’ll supply so the top customers can see that immediately.”
The U.S. is the third-largest cobot market, says UR
The U.S. presently is the third greatest cobot market on this planet, and Common Robots is thinking about rising its presence. The Odense, Denmark-based unit of Teradyne Inc. hopes to do extra regional exhibits like Collaborate within the Southeast and Northeast, stated Sbert. This fashion, it will probably go on to its clients as a substitute of constructing them spend their already tight budgets on touring to bigger exhibits.
This outreach technique must also assist Common Robots attain extra small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) throughout the U.S., Sbert stated. The variety of SMEs is each a power and a weak spot out there.
“It’s plenty of small and medium-sized enterprises. After all, you will have giant automotive and huge prescribed drugs and the industries that we work in at present,” Sbert stated. “Nonetheless, plenty of these clients are small mom-and-pop outlets, if you’ll, which might be loyal to their workers. And typically, automation could be seen as a risk to these workers.”
Common Robots stated this isn’t the case. As a substitute, it claimed that its robotic arms could make operations extra environment friendly whereas aiding human staff.
Collaborate exhibits off companion community
A.I. Automation demonstrates its explosion-proof portray robotic with the UR20 at Collaborate 2025. | Credit score: Brianna Wessling
The celebs of Collaborate have been the members of the UR+ ecosystem. These companions put collectively about 30 totally different cobot-powered methods to display functions reminiscent of welding, high quality inspection, materials dealing with, machine tending, meeting, portray, and palletizing.
“On the finish of the day, the explanation our companion community works is our robotic actually does nothing out of the field; it’s only a general-purpose product,” Sbert stated. “So, the ecosystem for us is really the best way finish customers make our product do one thing that they want accomplished.”
“After we search for companions, we’re all the time on the lookout for material experience,” he continued. “After all, we’ve got some general-purpose companions that may just about do any answer {that a} buyer wants. However we additionally actually wish to get deep into sure verticals.”
For instance, welding, an more and more frequent software for cobots, requires a excessive stage of experience, Sbert stated. Common Robots then seeks out companions with experience in such functions, making its companion ecosystem important to its enterprise mannequin.
“Constructing one thing that’s outdoors of the robotic just isn’t one thing that’s actually in our ambitions,” Sbert stated. “On the finish of the day, I believe our power is our companion community. In comparison with our competitors, I believe we stand on our personal relating to not solely the breadth of companions however the true engagement that we’ve got with them.”
Register at present to save lots of 40% on convention passes!
UR plans for 2025 and past
At Collaborate, Sbert hinted at Common Robots’ subsequent product releases. “The wonderful thing about having 1,200 companions is you will have 1,200 factors of suggestions on what the following product might be or how one can make this product higher,” he stated.
“For us, the secret on this robotic area is payload, attain, and velocity. These are the three levers that we are able to work with. Proper now, our longest-reaching robots even have among the highest payloads. Typically, you simply want attain; you don’t essentially want payload,” Sbert stated. “I believe there are totally different mixes that you are able to do to essentially be certain the client’s not overpaying for one thing that they’re not likely using.”
As well as, synthetic intelligence and machine studying, paired with fewer folks going to highschool for expert labor positions, means there shall be many alternatives cobots, Sbert stated.
“There’s going to be a scarcity of expert labor,” he stated. “I believe there’s going to be a large alternative to see the place automation can actually assist fill the gaps.”