Stäubli has already experienced several eras in industrial robotics. The company embarked on the adventure of robotics at the end of the 1980s, with the acquisition of the American company Unimation. Since then, the robotics market has continued to grow and involves many sectors, from medical to agri-food, including automotive and logistics.
Standardized and customized robots
Stäubli did not want to put all its eggs in one basket, preferring to focus on diversity rather than just the automotive sector, which, 20 years ago, monopolized nearly 80% of demand. “Today, we define ourselves as a player in general industry,” Jacques Dupenloup, robotics manager France at Stäubli, told ZDNet.
Between a surgeon and an order picker, the expectations are drastically different. Stäubli has chosen to design and develop a range of standardized robots (fixed and mobile), customized according to technicalities and specifications.
The group does not intend to sacrifice quality for all that, underlines Jacques Dupenloup: “We develop products with high added value from a technological point of view, reputed to be reliable and which last over time. Stäubli goes to meet its customers to adapt its ranges of standardized robots to their specifications.
Double digit growth
To keep pace with double-digit growth, Stäubli plans to expand the surface of its production site by 30,000 m2 in Faverges (Haute-Savoie) and increase its workforce by a third by 2030.
For years, Stäubli has relied on a succession of acquisitions. In 2004, the company accelerated its development by taking over the robotics business from Bosch Rexroth. Focusing on mobility, in 2018 the group also acquired 70% of the German company WFT GmbH & Co. KG, which specializes in the construction of mobile platforms.
Stäubli’s robotics division also offers software. The group designs its own simulation and programming software to support its machines. “Robotics is increasingly associated with vision systems. The robot is able to see around it, detect obstacles and make decisions accordingly,” says Jacques Dupenloup. Like a surgeon in the operating room, “the human and the robot form a duo, and not a duel”, considers the latter.