drag and bot taken over by KEBA

Shortly after the capital increase of the Dresden-based no-code specialist Wandelbots, the Stuttgart-based "competitor" drag and bot was acquired by the Linz-based automation specialist KEBA. Important: I put competitor in quotation marks, because drag and bot also allows programming without code knowledge, but here for more complex applications and for a variety of robot manufacturers. While Wandelbots currently supports Universal Robots and Yaskawa, drag and bot also offers compatibility with eight other manufacturers, primarily from the industrial robotics sector. drag and bot has achieved all this with far fewer staff than Wandelbots. Currently, the team consists of eight people. In return, Wandelbots' TracePen can be used directly by beginners, while drag and bot is more demanding in handling (and also solves more complex tasks effectively). The prices are available here. This for differentiation.

Before reproducing the press release, some information/interpretations on my part: drag and bot was founded in 2017 without investors. In the course of a capital increase in 2019, Austrian investors participated with about 22%. Of this, SpeedInvest alone accounted for just under 20%. This venture capital financier then announced a "seven-figure" financing(link). This was true, but the company did not receive several million, but apparently "only" 1.2 million€ (= company value roughly 6 million€ at that time). Probably the founders would have received more capital if they had given more shares. But - I have no insider knowledge - I can well imagine that there was no need for this: The first products already existed and the perspective was good. However, at that time, even the most conservative business plan did not include Corona. And young companies in particular were hit hard by Corona: No trade fairs, no visit dates and, on top of that, a temporary sharp drop in the willingness to invest on the part of potential customers - see Universal Robots sales slump in 2020(link). All this may have led to the decision of all shareholders to sell their shares in KEBA.

For me, I interpret further, the ideal solution: KEBA is really a top group(earnings figures), is among other things active in industrial automation (see below) and is privately owned. The independence seems to be preserved. Photos sometimes communicate more than a press release. The photo above suggests that everything fits. Drag and bot is not yet on the Automatica exhibitor list; perhaps that will change now. The press release:

KEBA acquires German software company drag and bot GmbH

In December 2021, KEBA acquired the Stuttgart / Germany-based software company drag and bot, a start-up that develops an innovative operating system for robots. As a 100% subsidiary, drag and bot GmbH is part of KEBA Industrial Automation GmbH, one of the three business areas of KEBA Group AG. With this latest acquisition, KEBA is strengthening its position in industrial automation and strategically supplementing its product portfolio with innovative, flexible automation software.

drag and bot is a start-up company founded as a spin-off of the world-renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Production and Automation (IPA) and has been run as a limited liability company since 2017. The company and its team have extensive experience in the simple and intuitive programming of industrial robots, helping users to automate their processes flexibly and cost-effectively. The company name is derived from the drag&drop principle, which in the field of software is associated with 'easy to use'. The drag and bot software solution is used for loading and unloading machines, mechanical assembly, electronics assembly and a variety of pick & place applications.

"Using technologies to make the often complex world of automation easier for the user is KEBA's motto. With drag and bot, we have acquired a company that pursues precisely this philosophy and is thus an ideal fit for KEBA's strengths," says Gerhard Luftensteiner, explaining the background to the acquisition.

For example, the programming and operation of robots requires corresponding expert know-how. This in turn is often an obstacle to optimizing processes through the use of robots. In addition, there is a known shortage of corresponding skilled workers. With drag and bot solutions and applications, it is easier to overcome this hurdle. An intuitive user interface enables users to quickly and independently implement or adapt robot applications without extensive training. KEBA, itself successful in the field of robotics with its automation solutions for decades, the drag and bot expertise enables an expansion of the Kemro X construction kit. Among other things, KEBA will be able to offer machine builders simple solutions for connecting to robots.

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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/robotics project Opdra. He advises robotics companies and investors on market analysis and funding/subsidies. More about him can be found here.