Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening ceremony was kept small and held under strict hygiene precautions, with attendance by representatives of the city of Augsburg, the VDMA and the Swabian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Dr. Florian Herrmann, Head of the Bavarian State Chancellery and Bavarian Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Media, addressed the guests via a video message. “The Bavarian government is proud that a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions has its home in Bavaria. As an internationally active company, you play a pioneering role in the fields of robotics and automation. This requires great commitment to the training and continuing education of employees,” said Herrmann.

“It is pleasing to see that, with the new education center, KUKA is investing in the quality of its apprentices and in the ongoing training and professional development of its employees. This is an investment with long-term benefits. With the choice of location for the new education center, you are demonstrating a powerful commitment to Augsburg as a research center of the future.”

Investment in the future of KUKA

Peter Mohnen, CEO of KUKA AG, cut the orange ribbon in the building to the applause of the assembled guests and apprentices. “With our new education center at the heart of the KUKA site, we can offer training and continuing education to the highest standards,” said Peter Mohnen during the ceremonial opening. “Because education and the future are directly related, we attach great importance to training and further education. This is another way in which we live up to our responsibility as an employer.”

At the beginning of September, around 40 young people started their apprenticeships at KUKA and the total of nearly 200 apprentices moved into the new building. The educational building was previously located outside the KUKA site on Zusamstrasse in Augsburg-Lechhausen, while further education was spread out across various buildings on the site.

These areas are now bundled together in the new education center, which contains apprentice training workshops with state-of-the-art equipment as well as robotics training facilities. Moreover, the new building also houses a fully-equipped company medical practice and service rooms for all KUKA employees.