New investment in Slovenia

With a €32 million investment in Slovenia, Yaskawa further strengthens its robot production and distribution capacity in Europe. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 24th in Kočevje, southern Slovenia, marking the start of the construction of a new European robotics distribution center and a new assembly hall for robotic welding systems.

The new distribution center will centralize the acceptance and fulfillment of robot orders in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). After opening in fiscal year 2025, capacity will increase and by fiscal year 2027, Yaskawa expects at least 80% of orders from the region to be fulfilled in Kočevje.

“With a single storage location for all of our robots, as well as locally developed accessories and third-party options, the new European robotics distribution center will increase our productivity and efficiency – and of course customer satisfaction,” said Marcus Mead, Executive Officer, Chairman & President from Yaskawa EMEA.

The laying of the foundation stone was attended by the Slovenian Prime Minister Dr. Robert Golob, Matjaž Han, Minister of Economic Cooperation and Technology, and Dr. Vladimir Prebilič, mayor of Kočevje and former presidential candidate, was present.

“Only through greater knowledge and innovation can we maintain the competitive advantage of our economy,” said Prime Minister Golob. “I am very pleased that today, when we talk about past successes, we can already talk about future projects that will further strengthen cooperation with Japan. And this project today is not just a symbolic step forward, it is more than that. The best result can be achieved when people, business and the local community come together and when the state also provides some help.”

Ambitious expansion strategy in Europe

Yaskawa is pursuing an ambitious expansion strategy in Europe. The aim is to become one of the leading manufacturers of industrial robots in Europe in the medium term. In the last ten years, the company has invested around 100 million euros in this area.

For example, a production hall was recently put into operation in Allershausen near Munich, where the headquarters of the European Robotics Division is located. There, Yaskawa created an additional area of 10,000 m² for system construction. Additional production and office space was also built in Nantes in France and Torsås in Sweden.

In the second investment phase in Kočevje, Yaskawa will build a new assembly hall for the construction of large robotic welding systems. The group company Yaskawa Ristro, founded in 1996, will relocate its operations from its current location in Ribnica, 15 km to the northwest, to Kočevje.

Kočevje, located 60 km southeast of Ljubljana, is the location of Yaskawa's first European robot factory, which started production in 2018. In Ribnica and other locations in Slovenia, Yaskawa produces not only Motoman robots, but also devices and components for plant construction.