Odense’s industrial identity was marked by his shipyards. For almost a century, their engineers built some of the most advanced container in the worldincluding the giants of the Mærsk E class, which at the time were the largest load ships ever built. But the Danish naval industry had been losing ground for years. Since the end of 1970, the sector suffered a gradual replication as naval construction moved to South Korea, Japan and China, where production costs were significantly lower.
To contain the crisis, the Denmark government promoted state subsidies, export credits and strategic orders, but the trend was unstoppable: between 1977 and 1985, the market share of European shipyards fell from 41 % to 18 %, while Asia’s went from 46 % to 70 %, with China emerging as a key actor. They are data that appear in ‘Transforming An Industry in Decline’, an analysis of Thomas Roslyng Olesen about the fall of Danish shipyards.
Odense was not immune to this change. Until the end of the 2000s, Mærsk had built many of its ships in the Odense Steel Shipyard, but the growing competition of Asian shipyards led the company to rethink its strategy. As Taipei Times collects, in 2011 Maersk encargó a Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), in South Korea, the construction of its new Triple-E Class Porter.
What could have been the industrial collapse of the city became a turning point. Denmark could not compete in Costs with Asia, but found an alternative in the technological niches of high added value. Instead of building ships, the local industry began to develop more innovative marine engines, software for port automation and advanced thermal systems.
Odense soon follow that path. His conversion did not occur from one day to another, nor was it the result of a perfectly executed master plan. It was, rather, an emergency response. Without shipyards or large naval contracts, the city had to look for an alternative. Public investment helped, universities put their part and the industrial ecosystem did what he could with the tools he had. Robotics and automation They seemed a promising way, a way to take advantage of technical knowledge inherited from the naval industry to build something new.
Universal Robots offices in Odense
But transforming a city is not easy. It is not enough to attract startups or put tax incentives. Talent must be generated, convince companies to bet on staying and, above all, demonstrate that there is a market willing to sustain everything in the long term. Odense, precisely, is in this phase. Its old industrial heart is filled with companies that seek to make their way to robotics, such as Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR), two of the most prominent firms that have been born in this ecosystem.
Universal Robots has specialized in cobots, collaborative robots designed to work with humans in factories, without the need for safety barriers or complex programming. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which are usually confined in cells and operate with strength and speed for repetitive tasks, cobots are designed for Direct interaction with human operators. Do not confuse them with humanoid robots. Mir, meanwhile, has opted for autonomous mobile robots, machines capable of moving through warehouses and logistics centers transporting goods.
A technological cluster in full boom
The growth of companies such as Universal Robots has not happened in a vacuum. One of the keys to Odense’s transformation has been the development of a technological cluster specialized in robotics, which today is one of the most dynamic in Europe. In every Denmark there are more than 300 companies dedicated to robotics and automation, and more than 160 are based in Odense.
This ecosystem began to take shape between 1980 and 1990, when it began to be experimented with robotic technology in Odense’s shipyards, but its real consolidation came in the last two decades. Since 2015, the number of companies in the cluster had grown 50% In 2020, according to Odense Robotics Insight Report. In the center of this network is the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), which not only brings talent to companies in the sector, but also leads research in artificial automation and intelligence.
If you ask local authorities, they have no doubts: Odense not only wants to be a reference in robotics, but to become the best city in the world for the development of robots. “Odense is already the world center of collaborative robots, but we dream of making Odense the best robotic city in the world,” they say from the local government. It is not just a motto: it is a strategy that is already underway.
One of the pillars of this plan is to develop a robotics campus, where startups, large companies and the University of Southern Denmark share research and ideas. This space should serve as an innovation core, facilitating direct contact between Emerging talent and consolidated companies. The goal is to reinforce the network that already exists between the cluster companies and make the city even more attractive to foreign investment.
Odense is betting strong, but we still have to see if the play works
The city has made a clear commitment: it wants robotics to be its new flagship industry. It has a well -defined strategy, investment in progress and a network of companies that is already working. But the most difficult part remains: to turn this ecosystem into a long -term sustainable model.
Odense is not competing alone. Globally, robotics has become a technological career in which only a few actors can consolidate. China, with its ambition to lead world automation, is investing billions in cities such as Shenzhen y Hangzhouwhere industrial and large -scale service robots are developing, and where firms such as Unitree, which seek to replicate the success that Xiaomi achieved in the mobile sector stands out. Its domain in the manufacture of robots not only represents a technological threat to the United States, but is also generating a battle for hegemony in the robotics industry.
Silicon Valley, meanwhile, remains one of the epicenters of innovation. Giants like Google are already exploring this convergence. With its Gemini Robotics project, the company wants AI to stop being confined to screens and begin to act in the real world, allowing robots to be more autonomous and adaptable. Also in Sunnyvale, California, the Startup Figure seeks to take the next great step with the first commercially viable autonomous humanoid robot. The bet is clear: the combination of advanced generative and hardware will be key in the new era of automation.
Silicon Valley is still one of the epicenters of innovation.
But innovation in robotics is not limited to Silicon Valley. In Austin, Texas, Tesla continues to advance in automation and artificial intelligence applied to mobility, while in Waltham, Massachusetts, Boston Dynamics continues to experiment with advanced robots, leaving behind their concepts of the past. The future of robotics not only happens to improve hardware, but for integrating artificial intelligence Generative in physical robots, a jump that could change the industry forever.
In this context, Odense not only competes against Chinese, European or American cities. The struggle to become the world capital of robotics is increasingly global, and the Danish city will have to demonstrate that its commitment to automation and collaboration between universities and companies can be sustained in the long term.
Denmark, however, has something that few can offer: a highly competitive and stable society model. In 2024, the country was positioned as The third most competitive economy in the worldonly behind Singapore and Switzerland, according to the World Competitive Ranking of the IMD. This recognition reinforces its ability to adapt to global changes and consolidate as a technological innovation pole.
For each consolidated company, there are dozens trying to survive in a highly competitive sector. The challenge is still enormous: attracting investors, retaining local talent and convincing industrial giants that Odense can be more than a well -intentioned experiment. The city has managed to lay the bases, but there is still the most difficult test: demonstrate that it can really become the world capital of robotics.
Images | David Levêque | Odense Robotics | Universal robots | Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR)
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