Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), experienced a 42% increase in sales in 2021 over 2020. December alone was a record month for the company, with close to 300 robots shipped, which is more than any previous month.
“We grew significantly in 2021 despite component shortages as customers recognize the value of our safe, reliable and easy-to-deploy AMRs,” said Søren E. Nielsen, president of MiR. “We enter 2022 with strong expectations that growth will continue, and with a very strong order book”
New sectors
Since MiR launched its first robot in 2015, the company’s products have proved especially popular in the automobile and electronics industries, with major multinational customers such as Schneider Electric, Ford and Faurecia. While these markets continue to invest in MiR AMRs, MiR now also sees strong sales from companies within the logistics and consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors wanting to optimize and automate their internal transport. MiR’s new and more powerful robots—the MiR600 and MiR1350, both introduced in 2021—have been top sellers in the new sectors.
“These new robots have clearly expanded our market because we can operate in more environments and transport heavier items,” Nielsen added. “Another new solution introduced last year, the MiR250 Hook, has also been highly popular within the logistics sector, which has been waiting for a way to streamline the towing of multiple types of transport carts. It’s been exciting to see companies benefit as they’ve deployed these new solutions.”
Autonomous transport
As part of the growing global autonomous transport trend, more companies are focusing on how AMRs can be integrated with their other automation solutions. To meet this need, a large number of its customer projects include MiRFleet, MiR’s fleet management software.
“Our customers are focused on how they can effectively use multiple mobile robots at the same time, and MiRFleet plays a key role in making that happen,” he said. “No matter their industry, each company has stringent requirements for user-friendliness, navigation, scalability and safety, and they appreciate our ability to integrate complete, reliable solutions together and into their own IT systems.
To meet growing demand, MiR plans to continue to hire in 2022, with more than 50 job openings at its headquarter in Denmark and globally, including in North America, MiR’s fastest growing market. The company’s main office will eventually be based in the planned Cobot Hub in Odense, which is being built in collaboration with leading collaborative robot company Universal Robots.
