Danish Robotics Company Exploring the Potential of Establishing an Excellence Centre in Panevėžys

On 15 July, John Erland Østergaard, the founder and director of the Danish company Blue Ocean Robotics, and Thomas Solupajev-Ronlev, partner in the company’s Lithuanian subsidiary, paid their third visit to Panevėžys. During their previous visits the businessmen visited the robotics laboratory of the Panevėžys Faculty of Kaunas University of Technology, Panevėžys Mechatronics Centre, and introduced their company to the city’s mayor and other politicians.

[quote text=”The choice of Panevėžys was not a random decision: it has unique competencies with regard to robotics and mechatronics both on the Lithuanian and on the international scale. Besides, the city’s politicians have committed to modernising the city and improving its economic ecosystem.” name_surname=”Prof. Darius Viržonis” description=”Member of Panevezys City Council” left=””]

During the meeting, which took place in Panevėžys in the Mechatronics Centre, the city’s scientists were represented by Prof. Darius Viržonis, member of the City Council, and Dr. Aurimas Česnulevičius, Associate Professor at the Panevėžys Faculty of Kaunas University of Technology. The meeting was also attended by Daumantas Simėnas, member of the City Council, a representative of the programme ‘Create for Lithuania’ (Kurk Lietuvai), as well as doctoral students from the Panevėžys Faculty of Kaunas University of Technology. It was agreed to draw up a map of the competencies of companies in Panevėžys and the Panevėžys region and the competencies of the scientists who develop technologies, as well as competencies which are needed. This map will serve as the basis for the future excellence centre.

As part of the initial stage of the centre, it is planned to select ten businesses in Panevėžys which will become the constituent parts of a value chain organised according to the Danish model. The objective of the excellence centre will be to identify and fill the gaps, in terms of competencies, in Panevėžys which prevent companies from being significantly more efficient. Should the initiative be successful, it will stimulate the city’s economic life considerably and help create an identity for the city, as well as provide new jobs for technology specialists.

‘The choice of Panevėžys was not a random decision: it has unique competencies with regard to robotics and mechatronics both on the Lithuanian and on the international scale. We see motivated scientists working here. Besides, the city’s politicians have committed to modernising the city and improving its economic ecosystem’, Prof. Viržonis said.

Blue Ocean Robotics is not only an international group specialising in robotics solutions, it is also the holder and the implementer of an authentic high-technology methodology on the development of business environments. Following the successful establishment of a robotics competence cluster in Odense, Denmark (www.odenserobotics.dk), the Danish businessmen also plan to apply their value chain model in the other Baltic countries as well.

Read full article in Lithuanian at panevezys.lt