Teradyne Announces New President of Universal Robots

February 18, 2021

Teradyne, Inc. just recently announced that Kim Povlsen has been appointed President of Universal Robots. Povlsen, a Danish native, brings global executive leadership from a high-tech and commercial perspective and will lead Universal Robots’ next stage of growth and innovation. His appointment reinforces Teradyne´s commitment to Universal Robots’ Danish origin and its role in further developing the local robotics community. Kim begins his new role at Universal Robots on March 1, 2021.

“I am delighted to introduce Kim Povlsen as the new President of Universal Robots,” said Greg Smith, President of Teradyne’s Industrial Automation Group, and acting President of Universal Robots. “Kim combines a fantastic track record as a dynamic executive with a background in and a tremendous passion for robotics. With Kim on board, Universal Robots is poised to strengthen its leadership in the global market for collaborative robotics. With Kim’s leadership, we can accelerate the growth in new applications and market growth for cobots. Universal Robots was one of the original companies at the core of the Odense innovation hub for robotics, and our global customers recognize the innovation and quality of that Danish heritage. I’m thrilled to have a Danish executive who can build on our achievements and support the further development of our robotics hub and headquarters in Odense.”    

Kim has held various executive business and technology leadership roles at Schneider Electric, a global energy management and automation company. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Strategy & Technology, responsible for the technology strategy and execution within a multi-billion dollar global organization. Kim lives in Aarhus, Denmark, and holds a master’s degree in Computer Science & Embedded Engineering from the University of Southern Denmark. The University’s graduates include many of the innovators and business leaders from the renowned Odense robotics community.

“I have been impressed with Universal Robots for some time,” said Kim. “To me, the company represents the pinnacle of innovation and potential and I was thrilled to be approached for this unique leadership role. The company not only pioneered the category of collaborative robots, created an ecosystem of partner technology solutions and a vast global distribution network to serve customers in their varied industrial automation needs, it also has the potential to fundamentally reshape automation across the global economy. I really look forward to working with, learning from and being part of the great people at Universal Robots.”

For more information, visit www.teradyne.com and www.universal-robots.com.

Related Articles

Editor’s Pick: Featured Article

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s scalable engineering software, u-control 2000, adapts individually to your requirements. And, the u-control is powerful, compact and fully compatible with Weidmüller’s I/O system u-remote. This article looks at what makes u-control the heart of your automation.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are one of the main components of any automated system. A typical control system has inputs, outputs, controllers (i.e., PLCs), and some type of human interaction with the system, a human machine interface (HMI), for example.

Read More

Latest Articles

  • Applications of Physical AI in Canadian Sectors

    June 23, 2026 Physical AI — the convergence of artificial intelligence with robotics and autonomous motion systems — is reshaping how Canadian industries operate. Across sectors from healthcare to mining, AI-enabled machines are performing tasks that were once entirely dependent on human intervention. But deploying Physical AI effectively requires more than sophisticated algorithms: it demands… Read More…

  • Case Study: Optimizing Harmonic Mitigation in Wastewater Treatment

    June 22, 2026 Segment and Application In a municipality, wastewater treatment plants typically stand out as the main consumers of electricity. The operational processes exhibit significant load variations throughout a 24-hour cycle, necessitating the use of AC drives to regulate pumps, blowers, and other motorized equipment in response to fluctuating demand. In one wastewater treatment… Read More…