LA-based robotics startup Launchpad Build Inc picks Edinburgh for R&D hub
25 Nov 2024 • 4 minute read
The company’s first UK hub will support its goal to future-proof global manufacturing with automation.
With support from Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, Launchpad identified Scotland’s capital as the ideal place for its UK base.
After talks with multiple international options, Launchpad decided Edinburgh’s New Town would be the perfect home for its UK operations. Its offices on Queen Street will be home to 24 new, high-value jobs and a world of robotics and automation innovation.
The company’s proprietary advanced robotics technology, Digitool, aims to transform global manufacturing by drastically reducing manufacturer’s time to market and business costs.
Why Scotland for Launchpad’s R&D hub?
Scotland’s thriving science and technology ecosystem is home to many international companies. This diverse and connected network, as well as the unique collaboration between industry, academia and government, has proved to be a draw time and again for global tech companies looking for a UK base.
As well as this, Scotland’s reputation for excellence and diversity in talent was a key driver in Launchpad’s decision to open its R&D hub here. Jon Quick, CFO at Launchpad, said “we’ve been hugely impressed by the quality of local talent, so much so that we’re exploring multiple ways to increase the scope and size of our Scottish operations.”
Scotland’s world-leading universities produce 15,000 graduates in digital technology fields each year. That’s a huge pool of upcoming talent for companies like Launchpad to harness.
Scotland’s rich history of manufacturing excellence and track record of innovation also makes it an ideal spot for Launchpad. It’s already exploring how to encourage manufacturing businesses to invest in robotics with initiatives like the Smart Hub at New College Lanarkshire. This hub loans robots to businesses (and trains them how to use them) to allow the companies to experience their benefits themselves.
The global opportunity for automation in manufacturing
Headquartered in Los Angeles, Launchpad’s mission is to enable the future of manufacturing by increasing the capability and accessibility of automation tools. “There are 500 million manufacturing and assembly jobs globally, but only 1.7 million robots doing them, which presents a huge opportunity” says Jon.
While using robots to automate processes in manufacturing has proven benefits in productivity and cost reduction, the reality can be met with resistance. In part, this can be due to the idea that using robots can displace employees.
However, existing uses have shown that automating parts of the workforce can create new jobs for human workers. Robots can also take on the roles that have the potential to be dangerous to humans, mitigating the risk of harm or accidents at work.
From a business perspective, companies can be put off by the cost. “Historically, the upfront costs associated with automation have been prohibitive,” says Jon, “but [Launchpad] can deliver in half the time and at half the cost through the use of AI and machine learning.”
Pictured (left to right): Scottish Enterprise CEO Adrian Gillespie, Launchpad Build Inc CFO Jon Quick, and UK Head of Software Tim Chamberlain
Making manufacturing robots more accessible
Investing in robotics sounds expensive, and for companies already dealing with economic challenges like the rising costs of doing businesses, it might seem intimidating. This is where Launchpad comes in.
The startup is dedicated to developing autonomous assembly systems and user-friendly AI-powered software that enable the delivery of high-quality products in record time, without it breaking the bank.
“Instead of automation being a multi-million-dollar career defining decision, it can now be a case of identifying the biggest problem in your factory – the job nobody wants to do – and automating it in a way that that seamlessly fits with your existing processes and creating savings from day one,” Jon says.
“As we look to the future, more and more companies will need a blend of local labour and automation to remain competitive. That is the ‘secret sauce’ that will allow Scotland and others to reshore jobs from overseas.”
How we’ve supported Launchpad’s move to Scotland
Our team in the Silicon Valley field office worked with Launchpad to identify Edinburgh as the spot for its UK R&D hub.
They connected the company to Scottish Enterprise, our domestic counterpart in Scotland, who further supported the company with the acquisition of the Edinburgh offices.
The company has also been awarded a £2 million R&D grant towards the ongoing development of its proprietary advanced robotics technologies, like Digitool.
Digitool enables a range of assembly tasks using real-time computer vision to overcome part and process variation.
While traditional industrial automation has been designed for high-volume manufacturing environments, Digitool has been specifically designed for automating high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
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