RoboJob, the international market leader in CNC automation, has smashed all records in the past year. Never before has the Belgian company managed to put so many robot systems on the market. This includes an accelerated demand for CNC automation and international expansion.
“For about eighteen months now, we’ve seen a considerable increase in the number of enquiries and orders," says CEO Helmut De Roovere. “Of course, Corona is no stranger in this. Our customers realise of course that we'll have to live with this virus for some time, but they don't want to be dependent on it. Plus we’re giving them a helping hand with our robot systems." The records broken, including in the Benelux, Germany and France, prove that there's an appetite for this. In order to keep up with demand, Damien Petit was recruited as an additional salesman for the French market. RoboJob's commercial team now comprises 9 salespeople.
It's not only in Belgium, the Netherlands or Western Europe that demand has risen sharply. Indeed, this year RoboJob crossed the ocean and started a partnership with Fusion OEM in the United States. "There too, things are moving much faster than expected," says De Roovere. “We have a fantastic partner in Fusion OEM, who knows the market really well. As a result, the start-up went very smoothly and the orders there also exceeded expectations considerably."
With the new, more compact version of the Tower, RoboJob is now also targeting the more advanced part of the market. “In particular in the Benelux we're noticing that our customers have already progressed in their vision of automation. Workpiece loading is great for many, but others demand even more autonomy on the machine, which is why we also launched the new, smaller version of our Tower at the end of last year. We now offer 72 hours of autonomous machining, and we’re already noticing huge interest."
Nonetheless, Corona also brings many new challenges, especially in the supply chain. "This is becoming the biggest challenge for the entire industry in 2022," says De Roovere. “At the present time, the demand for many components far exceeds supply. Prices are rising and waiting times are increasing. As the market leader, we are fortunate to enjoy good cooperation with our suppliers, and can keep shortages to a minimum. This will also be necessary, because we are setting the bar even higher for 2022 and want to break records again!"
At trade fairs and events, we still have to wait: TechniShow was postponed to the end of the summer. Those who cannot wait that long can always make a personal appointment.
