Comau Company Profile: History, Ownership, Structure, Products and Leadership
Updated: 7 days ago
Comau is an Italian industrial automation company with more than 4,000 employees, 15 manufacturing plants in 12 countries and more than 1,200 patents. It was founded in Turin in 1973 and spent five decades inside the Fiat and Stellantis groups before the private equity firm One Equity Partners took a majority stake in December 2024. This profile sets out its history, ownership, structure, business areas, robot range and leadership.
Comau at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Comau S.p.A. |
Founded | 1973, as Consorzio Macchine Utensili |
Registered office | Grugliasco, Turin, Italy |
Employees | More than 4,000 |
Footprint | 15 manufacturing plants in 12 countries; 9 innovation centers |
Patents | More than 1,200 |
Majority owner | One Equity Partners, since December 27, 2024 |
Minority owner | Stellantis |
Subsidiary | Automha, fully owned since July 31, 2025 |
Stock listing | None |
Chief Executive Officer | Pietro Gorlier |
Executive Chairman | Alessandro Nasi |
Company History
Comau was established in 1973 as Consorzio Macchine Utensili, a consortium of machine tool companies in the Turin area, and the name is a contraction of those words. It was renamed Comau Finanziaria in 1977. In 1979 it built the first robotic assembly line for Fiat's Mirafiori plant, and around the same time it began producing industrial robots and launched the Robogate body welding system.
The company then grew by expansion and acquisition: Comau Productivity Systems in North America in 1984, a series of Italian and Spanish acquisitions in the late 1980s, and in 1999 Sciaky, a majority stake in Renault Automation and the American integrator PICO. It opened in Shanghai in 2000.
Key milestones
1973: Founded as Consorzio Macchine Utensili.
1979: First robotic assembly line, for Fiat Mirafiori.
1984: Comau Productivity Systems formed in North America.
1999: Acquisition of Sciaky, majority control of Renault Automation and takeover of PICO.
2000: Shanghai operation opened.
2016: HUMANufacturing Innovation Center opened in Pontedera, Italy.
2020: Comau supplies the production system for the new electric Fiat 500.
2021: Comau joins the European Battery Alliance.
2022: Pietro Gorlier is appointed chief executive.
2024: One Equity Partners completes its majority investment on December 27.
2025: Comau completes the acquisition of Automha on July 31.
Ownership and Corporate Structure
One Equity Partners completed a majority investment in Comau on December 27, 2024. Stellantis remains an active minority shareholder. One Equity Partners is a middle-market private equity firm focused on industrial, healthcare and technology companies in North America and Europe; it was founded in 2001 and spun out of JP Morgan in 2015. The existing management stayed in place, with Alessandro Nasi as executive chairman and Pietro Gorlier as chief executive. Stellantis chairman John Elkann said at the closing that Comau had the right leadership, strategy and operational discipline under its new ownership.
Automha
On July 31, 2025 Comau completed the acquisition of Automha S.p.A. of Bergamo, including its global subsidiaries. Automha makes automated storage and retrieval systems for warehousing and intralogistics and has 280 employees across manufacturing facilities in Italy and China and four subsidiaries. It keeps its own operations and organization, and its founder Franco Togni remains its chief executive. Two members of the Togni family joined Comau's Executive Committee. Comau has also made a strategic investment in the battery technology company Intecells.
Business Areas
Automotive and e-mobility: body-in-white, machining, electric transmissions, and battery manufacturing and assembly.
Energy: renewable energy, battery storage and hydrogen.
Logistics: warehouse automation, reinforced by Automha.
Other industries: aerospace, pharmaceuticals, shipyards, and food and beverage.
Robotics: industrial and collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots and wearable exoskeletons.
Digital: vision, AI and digital platforms for monitoring and asset optimization.
Services: project management and consultancy, with more than 200 certified project managers, after-sales support and training through the Comau Academy.
Comau's Robot Range
Family | Payload | Type |
Racer | 3 to 12 kg | Small six-axis robots, including the Racer-12 Arc for welding |
Racer-5 COBOT | 5 kg | Collaborative version of the Racer-5 |
MyCo | 3 to 15 kg | Collaborative robots, six models |
S-Family | 13 to 18 kg | Medium payload robots |
Rebel-S | 6 kg | SCARA robots, in three reach versions |
NJ series | 16 to 650 kg | Medium and heavy payload robots, including press and shelf-mounted versions |
NJ4 series | 110 to 270 kg | High payload robots |
N-Series | 170 and 220 kg | High payload robots |
PAL series | 180 to 470 kg | Palletizing robots |
Autonomous mobile robots | Up to 1,500 kg | Material transport |
MATE | Wearable | Exoskeleton |
e.DO | Educational | Educational robotics platform |
Comau product reviews on All Things Cobots
Leadership and Management
Name | Role |
Pietro Gorlier | Chief Executive Officer |
Alessandro Nasi | Executive Chairman |
Franco Togni | Chief Executive Officer, Automha |
Can You Invest in Comau?
No. Comau has no listed shares. It is owned by One Equity Partners and Stellantis.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
Five decades of experience in complete vehicle production systems.
A broad robot range from 3 kg cobots to 650 kg payload robots.
A growing position in battery manufacturing and logistics automation.
A new majority owner focused on industrial growth.
Challenges
A long history of dependence on one carmaker.
A smaller robot business than the largest global suppliers.
Project revenue that follows automotive investment cycles.
Outlook
Comau's stated direction is diversification beyond automotive: logistics through Automha, energy and battery technologies, and industries such as shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals and food. Its chief executive has described the Automha acquisition as a step toward global leadership in advanced automation.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 7 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
Comau FAQ
Who owns Comau?
One Equity Partners has held a majority stake since December 27, 2024, and Stellantis remains a minority shareholder.
Is Comau publicly traded?
No.
When was Comau founded?
In 1973 in Turin, as Consorzio Macchine Utensili.
Where is Comau based?
Its registered office is in Grugliasco, near Turin, Italy.
What is Automha?
An Italian maker of automated storage and retrieval systems, based in Bergamo, that Comau acquired in July 2025.
Who is the CEO of Comau?
Pietro Gorlier.
Sources
Comau: about us
Comau: robot team
Comau: acquisition of Automha completed
Business Wire: One Equity Partners completes investment in Comau
Wikipedia: Comau
