South Korean robot manufacturer Robotis establishes branch office in Tokyo

Jan 23, 2017

South Korean Robotis Co., Ltd. is engaged in research and development of robots for educational use and has been developing business related to IoT education targeting educational institutions, research facilities and businesses. In collaboration with the Korean government, the company is also working on development of actuators (mechanical elements of machine and electronic circuits that convert input energy into physical kinetic energy, which is used to produce movement in robots).

The company is headquartered in South Korea and has bases outside of the country, including in the US and China. Since its foundation in 1999, the company has been expanding its sales network abroad through agents in 52 countries. In order to strengthen its sales support system, Robotis established a branch office in Tokyo in November 2016, upgrading its Japanese business model from distributing conducted via agents to direct marketing. The company is set to further expand its operations and sales network in Japan, a country known for its advanced robotics field, through business collaboration with Japanese companies.

For the establishment of Robotis’ Japanese subsidiary, the JETRO Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) provided provided support to the company including lending of a temporary office, consultation on setting up a business base (registration, visa and tax matters and labor affairs), referral to service providers (administrative scriveners, a tax accountant, labor and social security attorneys, a real estate agency and a bank) and provision of market information.