Rexroth acquires majority stake in Kassow Robots

Bosch Rexroth is acquiring a majority stake in cobot manufacturer Kassow Robots, based in Kastrup near Copenhagen. The two companies signed a contract to this effect on 18 March 2022.

The acquisition is intended to provide Bosch Rexroth with solutions for several industries from a single source. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction is subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

Kassow Robots develops and produces collaborative robots (cobots) for industrial applications. The company employs around 25 people at its two sites in Copenhagen and Prague.

"Collaborative industrial robots are another important building block for the transformable factory of the future," says Dr Marc Wucherer, member of the Bosch Rexroth board of management with responsibility for sales and factory automation. The lightweight robots from Kassow Robots can be used in a variety of ways in industrial production. They have a high payload and reach and work in confined spaces. Equipped with seven axes, their arms can also reach around corners.

"The demand for flexible robotics is enormous," Wucherer emphasises: according to the British market research institute Interact Analysis, cobots accounted for around 670 million US dollars in global sales in 2019. "In the coming years, the market for cobots is expected to grow between 15 and 20 per cent annually. We want to take advantage of this potential and are adding Kassow Robots' collaborative robots to our portfolio, which will primarily benefit our customers in the consumer goods and mobility industries, including battery manufacturing, as well as in semiconductor production."

Since the launch of Kassow Robots' first two Cobot models in 2019, the company's product family has grown to five collaborative robot models. The Cobots have seven axes, offer reaches of 850 to 1800 mm with payloads of 5 to 18 kg and achieve joint speeds of up to 225 degrees per second. The software forms a modular platform that enables easy integration of peripheral devices such as grippers, image processing systems or other customised functionalities.