FANUC Robotics continues to break all records

Citation

(1998), "FANUC Robotics continues to break all records", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925eab.006

FANUC Robotics continues to break all records

FANUC Robotics continues to break all records

FANUC Robotics North America has achieved a 37 per cent increase in 1997 sales over those of the preceding year. Sales last year reached a record $370m and the order book stands at nearly $400m.

"These figures represent an all-time high for FANUC Robotics", declared Eric Mittelstadt, chairman and chief executive officer. "More and more companies, including many from non-traditional manufacturing industries, are turning to automated manufacturing to meet their increasingly stringent production demands. As industry specialists become more knowledgeable about the benefits of automation, they realise that quality robotic systems result in a rapid and significant return on investment. As the scope of our customer base continues to grow, we look forward to increasing our product offerings and capabilities to better serve a variety of industries in the years ahead".

Contributing to Fanuc Robotics' banner year was the successful introduction of four new robots in 1997. These were the M-16i, offering a 40 per cent speed enhancement over its predecessor and a 16kg payload; the Arc Mate 120i, the company's latest generation of arc welding robot; and two new clean room robots to meet Class 100 cleanliness requirements: the Cleanroom LR Mate 100i and the Cleanroom M-710i. The latter, FANUC Robotics claims, has the fastest speeds and largest stroke in its robot class.

During 1997, FANUC Robotics announced that it had purchased selected assets of PE Black Corporation of Toledo, Ohio. This company was a robotic paint systems integrator and it is understood the acquisition in February 1997 has resulted in additional system sales, integration, training and post-sales support, particularly in key paint markets.

Also, 1997 represented a significant milestone for FANUC Robotics as the company celebrated its 15th anniversary by breaking ground on a new 102,000ft² customer technology centre, a 40 per cent addition to the company's North American headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Due to be completed in September of this year, the centre will serve as a training and demonstration facility for the company's robots and robot systems.