In an era where flexibility and precision define the manufacturing floor, a powerful European-American alliance is taking robotic automation to the next level. Danish cobot pioneer Universal Robots, Swedish vacuum automation leader Piab AB, and French-American end-of-arm tooling expert Joulin have joined forces in a groundbreaking collaboration. Their mission: to revolutionize how industrial robots handle irregular, delicate, and heavy materials using advanced gripping technology.
A Meeting of Minds
The partnership was born out of a shared challenge. Universal Robots, known globally for their user-friendly, collaborative robots (cobots), had been seeing growing demand for applications that involved handling complex or fragile objects. While UR’s cobots offered precision and safety, they needed smarter, more versatile grippers to fully address the needs of industries like packaging, warehousing, food processing, and construction materials.
Meanwhile, Piab AB had been refining its intelligent vacuum technology — developing compact, energy-efficient solutions that could be easily integrated with robotic systems. Their focus on smart sensors, modularity, and decentralized control meshed naturally with Universal Robots’ plug-and-play approach.
But it was Joulin, with its decades of experience in foam-based and multi-zone vacuum grippers, that completed the puzzle. Joulin’s systems could handle a wide range of items — porous, uneven, soft, or rigid — with no need to reprogram or redesign the setup between tasks. This kind of flexibility was exactly what the modern cobot environment demanded.
Creating the Ideal End-of-Arm Solution
The trio began collaborating in early 2024 through a co-development initiative at Universal Robots’ innovation lab in Odense, Denmark. There, Piab supplied its COAX® vacuum ejectors and smart flow technology, while Joulin engineered a new generation of lightweight foam grippers optimized for UR’s UR10e and UR20 cobots.
The result was a plug-and-play gripping system, pre-integrated into UR’s ecosystem via the UR+ platform. Operators could install the Joulin gripper in minutes, configure the vacuum system via Piab’s smart interface, and immediately begin running complex tasks — from palletizing cement bags to picking assorted baked goods — without the need for intricate programming.
Real-World Impact
One of the first success stories came from a mid-sized bakery in Sweden, which implemented the UR-Piab-Joulin system to automate its packaging line. The gripper could gently lift trays of croissants and loaves without damaging them, while seamlessly switching to heavier cartons without manual adjustment. Production increased by 30%, and workplace injuries due to repetitive strain dropped to zero.
In another case, a construction materials company in France deployed the system to handle wooden planks, bricks, and concrete blocks with the same cobot — something previously thought impossible without multiple tool changes.
Looking Ahead
All three companies agree this is just the beginning. With demand for adaptive automation on the rise, they’re exploring ways to integrate AI-driven object recognition, force sensing, and even predictive maintenance into the system.
“This partnership is about unlocking the true potential of collaborative robotics,” said Kim Povlsen, President of Universal Robots. “By combining our strengths with Piab’s intelligence and Joulin’s gripping finesse, we’re offering manufacturers a truly flexible, scalable, and smart automation solution.”
Together, they’re not just gripping the future — they’re shaping it.
