WeldingDroid: Welding robotics with the greatest potential
Below is a press release from WeldingDroid, taken over since m.E. interesting:
The Danish company WeldingDroid has a new shareholder in Thomas Visti. Thomas Visti has played a big part in the success of the Danish robotics industry (see below). He says WeldingDroid has incredible revenue potential in many industries. The welding robot will complete tank and pipe welding jobs six times faster than conventional systems. At WelddingDroid is working a robotoic niche. Specifically, WeldingDroid can be used for gas tungsten arc welding, also known as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of pipes and tanks between 100 and 3000 millimeters in diameter. WeldingDroid completely changes the familiar process of welding tanks and pipes, completing a 60-minute contemporary welding job in just 10 minutes. It also uses 75 percent less gas than traditional welding systems and uses artificial intelligence to collect data as it does the job. WeldingDroid now plans to expand from six to 30 employees at its headquarters in Vejen, Denmark, and open offices in Germany and the U.S. by the end of 2022. Sales for the first half of 2021 already exceed total sales for 2020.
Ex-Universal Robotics CEO is new owner
Thomas Visti was the owner and CEO of two of Denmark's biggest robotics successes: Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR). He was named 2019 European CEO Entrepreneur of the Year and is now a serial investor who has turned his focus to investing in Danish high-tech game changers and helping entrepreneurs scale to reach their full potential. "It's time to put serious money into this business across the board," said Thomas Visti. "We're talking about investing in research and development, but also in sales and management." With its background in innovative robotics and a vast international network, it's quite a coup for an upstart like WeldingDroid to attract an investor of Thomas Visti's caliber. But it's a good fit all around. "WeldingDroid has a lot in common with UR and MIR," says Thomas Visti. "This company has a unique product that pays for itself in a very short time. WeldingDroid is poised to scale and create serious competition and disruption in the welding industry." A WeldingDroid device pays for itself in 190 labor hours, or just a month and a half of eight-hour workdays. (Note: I may not believe this. Even if a welder costs €50/ h, this would be only €10,000 of investment). This means that a company using WeldingDroid can outperform its usual competitors on both price and delivery time.
Members of the Danish "Höhle der Löwen" are involved
Among WeldingDroid's other investors are two of the "lions" from DR1 TV's The Lions' Den - a Danish version of the hit American TV show, Shark Tank. Lions Jesper Buch and Jacob Risgaard invested money in WeldingDroid after watching an episode of the show and are pleased to have Thomas Visti on board. "We have been working with WeldingDroid since the beginning of 2020 and are confident that the company is ready for international expansion," said Jesper Buch. "With Thomas Visti, we have gained a strong partner to help us scale and expand."
Old owner remains on board
Thomas Visti has bought 20 percent of the company, but Kevin Christensen, founder of WeldingDroid, still owns the majority with 22 percent. The company is based in Vejen, Denmark, where it was founded in 2019. "When we first talked to Thomas Visti, he had some great insights into the way we do things and what we could possibly do differently," Kevin Christensen said, adding that Visti was concerned that Christensen might burn out or lose commitment to WeldingDroid. "His concern really impressed me and showed that he knows exactly how it feels to be in my shoes."
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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/ robotics project Boost-Bot. He advises robotics companies and investors on market (entry)/business development and funding/subsidies. The standard book on cobots is also written by Guido Bruch. More about him can be found here.
