Omron invests in Techman Robot

Omron has announced that it is taking a 10% stake in Taiwanese company Techman Robot. The investment is expected to be completed by December 2021.

In recent years, the need for automation to mitigate labour shortages in the manufacturing sector has become a social issue. In addition, COVID-19 has posed new risks for workers working in close proximity. Under these circumstances, there is a growing demand for collaborative robots that can safely work side by side with humans at manufacturing sites without safety barriers and can flexibly handle multiple tasks. At the same time, in order to accelerate coexistence and coordination between humans and machines, both safety and productivity must be assured.

In 2018, Omron entered into a strategic alliance with Techman. Since then, Techman’s TM Series collaborative robots have been sold as a co-branded product globally through Omron’s distribution network. Omron and Techman have also jointly developed the Mobile Manipulator, a mobile work robot that combines Omron’s mobile robot and the TM series. Through this investment in Techman, Omron aims to jointly develop robot solutions that combine OMRON factory automation equipment with Techman’s collaborative robots.

“The environment surrounding the manufacturing industry is changing significantly,” said Junta Tsujinaga, Company President of Industrial Automation at Omron.

“Anticipating these changes, since 2016 Omron has pursued advanced manufacturing with the unique value-generation concept ‘innovative-Automation’ to resolve issues that manufacturing sites face. We have focused on robot technology and market development since we acquired industrial robot maker Adept Technology Co., Ltd. in 2015. In 2018, we added Techman’s collaborative robots to our product line-up.

“The strengthening of our alliance with Techman at this time further pushes the evolution of collaboration between humans and machines in manufacturing.”

“Techman Robot has penetrated the global market and successfully become the world’s second-largest collaborative robot company since 2018,” said Dr Shi-Chi Ho, Chairman of Techman Robot.

“Under the alliance … we aim to close the gap for every business and create smart factory solutions for human–machine collaboration. We are delighted to deepen our longstanding relationship with Omron through this collaboration, which is a significant opportunity for both companies, addressing the fast-growing gap in the market for the demanding need for smart manufacturing.”