LVD Acquires Solutions Business of KUKA BENELUX, Establishes LVD Robotic Solutions bv

LVD Robotic Solutions bv will significantly advance LVD’s expertise and market reach in robotics automation. The new entity will build on LVD’s experience with engineering robotic systems for sheet metalworking, centered on no robot teaching, high throughput, and fast “art to part.”

LVD will leverage the proficiency and capabilities of global automation leader KUKA to put robotized equipment within reach of manufacturers of all sizes and in a wide scope of industries beyond sheet metalworking. In addition, the new company will allow LVD to serve as a single-source provider of automation solutions for their customers’ entire manufacturing business.

In 2019, LVD already acquired the automation company COMPAC (Urbino, Italy) to expand its automation portfolio with tower and warehouse systems. In establishing LVD Robotic Solutions, LVD follows on a strategic roadmap to grow its product offering through development of more affordable automation solutions for a broader range of applications. This is to address an increasing global shortage of skilled labor, the need to automate the handling of heavier workpieces and materials to improve worker safety, the desire to reallocate labor to less repetitive, more value-adding processes, and to fuel digital transformation and optimize manufacturing process flow.

Core areas of focus for LVD Robotic Solutions will include standardized robotic solutions for sheet metalworking based on LVD products, such as Dyna-Cell and Ulti-Form, using LVD’s programming system CADMAN®-SIM, and robotic solutions for other industrial applications. These solutions could include ​ part deburring , metal coating, automotive work piece handling, press linking, ​ windshield glue application, production line part bin picking, end of line packaging solutions, as well as a range of other industrial applications.

With the acquisition, the engineering and project management staff of KUKA BENELUX become part of LVD Robotic Solutions. The robot sales and service portion of the KUKA BENELUX business is not part of the sale and will remain a separate entity located in the Houthalen-Helchteren office, focusing on the expansion of transactional sales and service of KUKA robots to integrators and end customer, including LVD Robotic Solutions.

As part of the transaction, LVD acquires the KUKA BENELUX 7000-square meter Houthalen-Helchteren facility. ​ Houthalen-Helchteren is situated in the province of Limburg, strategically positioned on the Netherlands - Germany border and centrally located to serve all of Europe, making it well positioned for customer service and international business. LVD plans additional investment in the facility to further enhance operations and to establish a Center of Excellence for robotics automation.