Shadow to open new office in Madrid

The UK’s longest running robotics company expands to open an office in Spain

We are delighted to announce that we’ve just opened a new office in Madrid, Spain, as part of an expansion programme to accommodate the greater demand for their technology. Shadow have embedded themselves in the robotics industry as the go-to team for robotic hands and graspers. We have experienced a vast amount of growth over the last two years, which has led to increases in staff, and a second UK-based office opening in Bristol’s Future Space last year.

We’ve identified many opportunities to expand overseas and see the new office as a natural addition to our London home. Shadow’s Head Office and core R&D team will remain in London, whilst the bulk of production is decentralised and will be based in Spain.

Shadow’s Managing Director, Rich Walker, says ‘The timing seems right to strengthen our position worldwide, especially in Europe. Of course we’re proud to be a British company, but we’re just as proud to be a European organisation too. Many of our staff are from all over Europe, and we’re involved with many EU projects and collaborations  – so having a second base in Europe is vital for us, and we see our new Madrid office as an organic progression. We’re also keen to further develop our links with the Spanish-speaking world, and Madrid seemed like the perfect location in which to do so.’

The new office, which will be managed by Juan LaForga (Shadow’s Head of Production), is in the heart of Madrid on the Carrera de San Jeronimo. LaForga says ‘Such a central location is a benefit for both staff and clients visiting the company. This area is beautiful and bustling with activity, it feels good to be located here. And on a personal level, I get to open an office for my favourite company in my hometown – I’m very lucky!’ We’ve also appointed a Logistics Manager, Sherrine Ricketts, to ensure cohesion between all of the sites.

Madrid is home to an exciting project named RoboCity 2030, which is the biggest, long-term robotics cluster in Europe. The consortium promotes robotics science and technologies; bearing this is in mind, it seems like perfect timing to open an office there.

Walker continues ‘The support that the UK government have given to the robotics and technology sector has been incredible. It’s brought consistent growth to our company and has enabled us to have a stronger reach globally; therefore it’s become a necessity for us to open an international office. Although it doesn’t matter how many offices we have around the world, we’ll always be working to advance the UK Robotics Agenda. We see this new office as cementing our status as a growing company; it’s a breakthrough moment for us.’