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ABB this morning began building on the growth of its present North American robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The $20 million undertaking is anticipated to be accomplished in November 2023 and can create 72 extremely expert new jobs within the space and is supported by a $450,000 Michigan Enterprise Growth Program performance-based grant.
Including to the $14 billion ABB has invested within the US since 2010, the most recent funding in its robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility will profit clients within the Americas, notably these in progress sectors together with electrical automobiles, healthcare, packaging and logistics. With the growth set to extend the manufacturing facility’s manufacturing capability, it responds to the elevated demand for automation from 70% of U.S. companies trying to deliver manufacturing nearer to residence, as revealed by ABB Robotics’ survey of 1,610 executives within the U.S. and Europe in June 2022.
“Our funding is a major step in accelerating ABB Robotics’ international management in creating and manufacturing cutting-edge robotic options within the U.S., for the Americas,” mentioned Sami Atiya, president of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation. “As the worldwide megatrends of labor shortages, uncertainty, the close to and reshoring of manufacturing, and a need to function extra sustainably speed up, extra companies are turning to automation to construct resilience whereas bettering effectivity and adaptability. Our expanded facility will assist us to raised serve clients within the US and throughout the Americas, giving them entry to modern automated options.”
ABB Robotics moved into the 538,000-square-foot constructing in 1993 and opened the manufacturing plant in 2015. The growth and elevated use of automation within the manufacturing facility will create new jobs, supporting the ABB Robotics Packaging & Logistics Headquarters in Atlanta and the Robotics Lifesciences and Healthcare Hub positioned on the Texas Medical Heart in Houston. ABB already has a workforce of roughly 350 workers at Auburn Hills.
“ABB’s $20 million funding creating 72 jobs will construct on our financial momentum and assist us proceed main the way forward for robotics and automation,” mentioned Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Due to corporations like ABB Robotics and the assist of our native companions, we will maintain bringing jobs and funding to each area of our state, revitalizing communities, and constructing an financial system of the longer term.”
ABB mentioned this funding will see the most recent digital and automation applied sciences applied to fabricate next-generation robots within the U.S., for the Americas, streamlining the supply course of and lowering lead occasions. Near 90% of robots delivered to clients within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America will quickly be made in Auburn Hills. The plant will use versatile, modular manufacturing cells which can be digitally related and networked, and served by clever autonomous cellular robots. AI-powered robotic methods will tackle duties similar to screw driving, assembling and materials dealing with, relieving folks from these duties and enabling extra rewarding work.
“The expanded facility will characteristic essentially the most superior expertise accessible, with AI-enabled robots and good digital manufacturing methods supporting the manufacturing and manufacture of state-of-the-art buyer options,” mentioned John Bubnikovich, ABB United States robotics division president. “Nearly each facet of the positioning will likely be upgraded to counterpoint our efforts to draw, retain and nurture the perfect automation expertise, whereas making a US manufacturing hub and headquarters befitting of a worldwide chief in automation.
As a world-leading robotics firm, ABB has made plenty of necessary bulletins over the previous couple of months. In December 2022, it launched the SWIFTI CRB 1300 robotic arm and opened a robotics mega manufacturing facility in Shanghai. In October, ABB launched the IRB 1010, which is the corporate’s smallest industrial robotic ever.
And in September 2022 it launched its first vary of rebranded autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) following the acquisition of cellular robotic chief ASTI Cellular Robotics in 2021 for $190M. ASTI Cellular Robotics’ options are actually rebranded and built-in into ABB’s portfolio, grouped below the Flexley identify, indicating the pliability of operations that the AMRs provide. The primary rebranded fashions to be launched, Flexley Tug and Flexley Mover, cowl functions together with towing, trolley transportation as much as 5,350 lbs (2000 kg), in addition to lifting and transporting racks, containers and pallets of 4,000 lbs (1,500 kg).