Teradyne Expands in Warehouse Robotics
Danish autonomous robot manufacturer Mobile Industrial Robots was acquired by Teradyne Inc. for $148 million in cash, with an additional $124 million paid if several performance milestones are met through 2020.
MiR’s 200 robot lifts and pulls pallets and boxes. It is capable of lifting 440 pounds and pulling 1,100 pounds. Its top can be fitted with bins, racks, lifts, conveyors and a robot arm, according to MiR. Sensors and cameras help it to avoid obstacles and personnel, and it can be programmed through a smartphone, tablet or computer connected to the network.
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MiR reported revenue of $12 million last year, triple its 2016 revenue.
MiR robots “lower the barrier for both large and small enterprises to incrementally automate their operations without the need for specialty staff or a re-layout of their existing workflow,” Teradyne CEO Mark Jagiela said.
North Reading, Mass.-based Teradyne has been growing though acquisitions in the manufacturing and industrial robotics arena, purchasing Universal Robots in 2015 for $350 million and Energid Technologies this year for $25 million.
Teradyne provides automated testing equipment for industrial applications. Its automation division produces robots for manufacturing and light industrial customers.
