News: 20.07.2016

SKS extends worldwide network of subsidiaries

Worldwide, the number of industrial robots is growing rapidly. Based on data of the IFR (International Federation of Robotics), around 240,000 units were sold in 2015. By 2018, 1.3 million industrial robots will be working worldwide. Automotive companies and their suppliers are still the main purchasers of industrial robots. Their main area of application is welding. The resulting demand for planning, consulting and other services for automated, highly productive, highly reliable and highly available arc-welding technologies is where SKS Welding Systems GmbH comes in. To meet this demand, SKS is currently extending its global organization.

Starting from 1 August 2016, customers and users in the USA, Mexico and the People's Republic of China will be able to make use of the Kaiserslautern/Germany-based company's technical expertise in their own countries. The three new subsidiaries double SKS’s number to six. In addition, SKS is represented by partners in 11 selected countries. In 2015, the direct export of automated welding systems from Kaiserslautern, Germany accounted for over 60 % of the company's total sales. SKS focuses on automated and, above all, robot-assisted welding.

The company has developed and implemented fully digital welding systems for over 25 years. Welding systems supplied to the respective countries meet all essential requirements existing in these markets, e.g. the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in the US, or the China Compulsory Certification (CCC), and are offered with power sources that can be flexibly switched from 400 to 480 V.

SKS is committed to the high quality standards of the German industry, both at home and in the partner countries. "We see the equipment for automated welding as a holistic solution for our customers. Therefore, we accept overall responsibility as a full-range supplier," said Markus Klein, Managing Director. The Kaiserslautern-based company gained its experience and expertise in robot-assisted welding through its close cooperation with manufacturers of the automotive and supplier industries. This cooperation led, for example, to the development of welding processes such as microMIG/-cc and KF-Pulse for the joining of thin metal sheets.