Torrington, Conn. — Wittmann Battenfeld Inc. set a new company record for monthly robot sales with more than 80 robots sold in June and it's on track for a record year in 2021.
The U.S. division of Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH has built and shipped more than 8,000 robots in the U.S. since 1986, with a spike in demand coming this year, according to Jason Long, national sales manager of robots and automation.
"Our robot and automation business in 2021 has just taken off," Long said in a news release. "We are hearing more and more from our customers that they need to automate."
Several factors are behind the surge in sales, according to Sonny Morneault, Wittmann Battenfeld's vice president of sales.
"One customer recently told us that the struggle to find workers has prompted them to rethink their business model, and they are now looking to deploy robots and automation wherever possible. Another told us a recent automation system we provided will perform the labor of 11 workers," Morneault said in the release.
The company is working hard to keep up with demand amid supply chain kinks for the components and raw materials needed to build the robotic systems.
"Unfortunately, we are also dealing with significant cost increases and delays in materials," Morneault said. "We hope this situation improves soon, but in the meantime our corporate headquarters is doing whatever it can to keep our factories producing equipment."
The June milestone is a tribute to a great team of robotics and automation specialists, according to David Preusse, president of Wittmann Battenfeld Inc.
"Customers come to us looking for ways to improve their productivity, and we are happy to help them find creative ways to automate their molding operations," Preusse said in the release.
The division's Austria-based parent company has built more than 55,000 robots since it began operations in 1976. The company also makes injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment.