Membership in the regional manufacturing innovation group Proxinnov has resulted in a new alliance between Sepro Group and Yaskawa, a Japanese company with offices in Nantes. Sepro will sell large 6-axis articulated-arm robots manufactured by Yaskawa as part of Sepro’s full line of robots used in plastics injection moulding.

The robots will be sold under the Sepro-Yaskawa brand name as part of the Sepro 6X Visual product line, which also includes 6-axis robots manufactured in cooperation with Stäubli. That relationship will continue, with Sepro selling Stäubli robots for applications on moulding machines with up to 800 tons of clamping capacity and four bigger Yaskawa units for machines up to 5000 tons.

“Some people might ask how a relatively small, independent French company could achieve such results”, observes Jean-Michel Renaudeau. “The answer is that we did it by multiplying our own capabilities through partnerships with other companies who want to change the robotic automation market. Our involvement in PROXINNOV, which has resulted in this new partnership with Yaskawa, is typical. By being open to collaboration, Sepro has been able to make big things happen in a short period of time”.

For his part, Xavier Lucas emphasizes that “for Yaskawa to partner with a leading global supplier of Cartesian robots is very exciting. We share with Sepro a vision of quality of products and quality of service. The geographical proximity of our two companies, combined with global support that Yaskawa can bring through its 78 subsidiaries, has also facilitated collaboration. In the coming years, we hope to strengthen that partnership and extend it to other activities”.