Heron Innovations Factory

The Robotunits Story

35 years of experience in special mechanical engineering

Robotunits develops, manufactures and supplies quick-to-implement, flexible and high quality conveyors, linear motion units and safety fence systems as well as extrusion technology for the material handling and assembly industries. All this is achieved with just one standardized Modular Automation System – true to the manufacturers’ motto “ingeniously simple”.

Robotunits operates worldwide and has manufacturing operations in the USA and Austria and has additional locations in Germany, Italy and Australia.

Karriere bei Robotunits

Growth and innovation for over 35 years

  • Heron Innovations Factory

    2022

    The strong growth of the company again requires an expansion of the company site. Thus, exhibition and assembly areas, offices, a restaurant, a fitness room and a new innovation laboratory are being built on an area of 14,400 square meters.

  • MBS Pickstar

    2019

    Material supply MBS Pickstar. With just a few multifunctional components, versatile applications can be realized - from Kanban racks to visual storage to individual workstation equipment.

  • Unternehmer des Jahres

    2018

    Christian Beer is awarded Entrepreneur of the Year due to the high innovative strength and continuous further development of the Heron Innovations Factory.

  • Haus am See

    2016

    Expansion of the hall and construction of two additional office wings, relocation of the children's group "Dandelion and Silk Paw" to the "House by the Lake".

  • Heron Gebäudeansicht aus 2008

    2008

    Official opening of the new Heron Innovations Factory. Winning of the Vorarlberg Health Award.

  • 2007

    New construction of the company headquarters in Dornbirn. On 6000 square meters of floor space, the subsidiaries Servus, Robotunits and Heron CNC-Technik are provided with optimal conditions in the intelligent factory. The Heron building is occupied in September 2007.

  • 2005

    Foundation of Robotunits Italia S.r.l. - Italy

  • 2004

    Foundation of Robotunits Pty Ltd - Australia.

  • Auszeichnung als frauen- und familienfreundliches Unternehmen

    2002

    Award as the most women- and family-friendly company in Austria.

  • 2001

    Foundation of Robotunits INC. - USA

  • 2000

    Lean as a working principle. Heron is the first company in Central Europe to introduce the Lean principle as a working method to increase the value chain. This includes the use of Kanban racks, working according to the 5S method and the early introduction of a web shop.

  • 1999

    Foundation of Heron CNC-Technik. This company subsidiary deals with contract manufacturing of milled and turned parts in the form of prototypes and serial parts made of metal and plastic on state-of-the-art 5-axis machining centers.

  • Kinderbetreuung

    1997

    Foundation of our in-house childcare center "Löwenzahn & Seidenpfote", the first of its kind in Vorarlberg.

  • 1994

    Innovation award for the worldwide unique backlash-free and form-fit connection technology.

  • 1994

    First use of line scan cameras. Heron Sondermaschinenbau implements line scan cameras for the first time in a system for the Bauwerk company to inspect parquet production. At the same time, asynchronous linear axes are installed for the first time, which interlock and pass on the production material fully automatically.

  • 1994

    Birth of Robotunits. The designers develop a completely new, application-friendly automation kit.

  • Gründungshaus

    1987

    Christian Beer founds Heron Sondermaschinenbau for fully automated assembly lines.

Heron Innovations Factory

Heron Innovations Factory is an owner-managed, globally active family business based in the heart of Europe, more precisely in the city of Dornbirn, which is situated in the Austrian part of the border triangle at Lake Constance. Heron Innovations Factory has its origins in the development and construction of customized assembly machines. Over the years, four independently operating subsidiaries have developed:

The Heron Group currently includes