Strong foothold in Europe

Yaskawa continues to expand its robot production and distribution capacities in Europe: On June 30, at the Kočevje site in Slovenia, Hiroshi Ogasawara (Representative Director & Chairman of the Board, Yaskawa Electric Corporation) and Pär Tornemo (CEO, Yaskawa Europe GmbH) officially opened the new European robotics distribution center and an additional assembly hall for robotic welding systems. The ceremony was attended by Slovenia’s Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Dr. Anže Logar, and Akiko Yoshida, the Japanese Ambassador to Slovenia.

With this latest investment of approximately 32 million euros, Yaskawa now has a central distribution hub for receiving and fulfilling robot orders from the entire EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). The goal is to process at least 80 percent of orders from these markets at the site by the 2027 fiscal year. Furthermore, the recent construction work has expanded the production area in Kočevje to over 30,000 square meters.
Short supply chains for EMEA

"As a global technology supplier in the fields of robotics, drive technology, and control systems, we are pleased to further strengthen our operational presence in Europe," said Pär Tornemo at the opening. "The EMEA region remains a vitally important market for our company as a whole. We aim to meet the demands of this market with even better delivery performance in the future."

Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anže Logar stated: "Yaskawa’s investments in Slovenia to date reflect not only corporate ambition but also trust—trust in the people, in the existing expertise, and in an environment that fosters development. At the same time, this makes Slovenia part of the industry of the future." He adds: “The Yaskawa project is an outstanding example of successful cooperation between a foreign investor, the local community, educational institutions, and the state. Such partnerships create long-term added value, strengthen value creation, and foster economic development.”

Japanese Ambassador Akiko Yoshida says: “This milestone marks not only the completion of new facilities but also the beginning of a new chapter for Yaskawa’s operations in Europe and the entire EMEA region. It is an impressive vote of confidence in Slovenia’s capabilities and in the long-standing partnership between our two countries. At the same time, it symbolizes the combination of Japan’s cutting-edge technological expertise with Slovenia’s outstanding research, development, and manufacturing capabilities. Yaskawa’s success demonstrates that Japan and Slovenia can jointly create added value that far exceeds what either country could achieve on its own.”

Pär Tornemo adds: “Especially given the current global economic climate, customers in Europe and beyond benefit significantly from short supply chains. At our robot plant in Kočevje, we can now offer this advantage—particularly for large and very large robotic welding systems. Furthermore, with the new central robotics distribution center, we are improving not only our own logistics processes but also the productivity and efficiency of our customers’ supply chains.”

Strategic focus on Europe

Strengthening the Slovenian site in Kočevje aligns with the European expansion strategy Yaskawa has been pursuing for years. The goal is to become one of the leading manufacturers of industrial robots in Europe in the medium term. Yaskawa’s first European robot plant began production in 2018 in Kočevje, located 60 km southeast of Ljubljana. The Slovenian Yaskawa subsidiary Yaskawa Ristro was established as early as 1996 in nearby Ribnica and has now also relocated its operations to Kočevje.

Dr. Hubert Kosler (Managing Director of Yaskawa Europe Robotics and Yaskawa Slovenia) sums up the situation: "Over the past few years, a high-performance center has been established here for the manufacture of Motoman robots, as well as fixtures and components for plant engineering. In addition, accessories developed here and options from third-party suppliers are manufactured at the site."