World-Class Automation Providers Freise Automation and HAHN Robotics to Deliver Sawyer Robot to German Manufacturers

BOSTON, Feb. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rethink Robotics today announced exclusive distribution partnerships with leading automation providers in Germany to continue the global expansion of the company. Freise Automation and HAHN Robotics will deliver Sawyer to the German manufacturing community, helping companies improve production processes and implement flexible and affordable automation.

Rethink Robotics is redefining manufacturing across the globe with its family of smart, collaborative robots that can adapt to real-world variability, change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do. Based in Boston, Rethink Robotics pioneered the category of collaborative robots and is now focusing on driving innovation and growth in the European market.

Earlier this fall, Rethink announced the availability and global deployment of Sawyer, its new high-performance collaborative robot. The German market is a cornerstone of Rethink's global expansion plan in Europe, and Freise Automation and HAHN Robotics will play a major role in driving expansion in Germany.

Founded in 1970 in Hamburg, Freise Automation will be the exclusive distributor of Sawyer in northern Germany. The company has impactful relationships and years of experience in a variety of manufacturing and automation industries including medical, chemical, printing, automotive, heavy industry and more.

HAHN Robotics, and its parent company HAHN Automation, is a full-service supplier and design manufacturer specializing in automation for material handling, assembly and inspection, research and development, and will work closely with manufacturers to help deploy Rethink's smart, collaborative robots on the factory floor. Headquartered in Rheinböllen, the company will manage the distribution of Sawyer in southern Germany, as well as Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Turkey.

"With its Industrie 4.0 initiative, Germany is aggressively pursuing economic growth with manufacturing innovation, investing $1.5 trillion to help drive the growth of smart factories," said Scott Eckert, president and CEO of Rethink Robotics. "Germany is a key market for our continued global expansion, and German manufacturers are looking for collaborative robots to help them become more efficient and responsive to customer demand. With the help of our two new distribution partners, Sawyer will soon be on factory floors throughout Germany to help meet these needs and deliver on the promise of Industrie 4.0."

For more information please visit www.rethinkrobotics.com.

About Rethink Robotics

Rethink Robotics is transforming the way manufacturing gets done, with smart, collaborative robots able to automate the 90 percent of tasks that until now, have been beyond the reach of traditional automation. Its Baxter and Sawyer robots, powered by the Intera software platform, adapt to real-world variability, can change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do. The result: manufacturers of all shapes, sizes and industries get the fast-to-deploy, easy-to-use and versatile automation solution they need to increase flexibility, lower cost and accelerate innovation.

Based in Boston, the Rethink product suite is available in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. The company is funded by Bezos Expeditions, CRV, Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, DFJ, Two Sigma Ventures, GE Ventures and Goldman Sachs. For more information about Rethink Robotics, please visit www.rethinkrobotics.com and follow us on Twitter @RethinkRobotics.