ABB Opens Refitted U.S. Robotics Manufacturing and Training Facility in Michigan

Key ABB management, employees and customers; government officials; and media convened in Auburn Hills, MI, as the company cut the ribbon on its $20 million refitted U.S. robotics headquarters and manufacturing operation, which includes a 30% increase in facility space. The facility, ABB’s third global robotics-factory expansion in three years (China, Europe and the Americas) will support ABB Robotics’ global leadership in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge robotic solutions in the United States, for the United States and the Americas, offer company officials. In particular, the facility will support customers and ABB’s leadership in growing the company’s U.S. robotics segments, including Packaging & Logistics; Food & Beverage; Construction; Lifesciences & Healthcare; and Automotive electric-vehicle production. 

“The opening is a significant part of our global growth story, reaffirming our commitment to industry leadership in the United States,” said Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation business area, in speaking to the assembled. “Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are essential tools for companies in addressing critical labor shortages, localized supply chains and the need to operate more sustainably. The advances in AI-driven software and hardware make our robots more accessible to a wider range of businesses, enabling them to increase resilience and become more competitive. America is now the world’s second largest robotics market, and our production facility will help ABB support existing customers as well as new growth sectors across the United States and the Americas region.” 

The Customer Experience Center represents a key facet of the expanded facility, enabling current and potential automation users to to see industial robots, collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots and other automation solutions up close, and work with ABB personnel on crafting and refining automation solutions to their needs. This includes a special cell dedicated to automotive applications and thier validations.

In addition, a new training center featuring 40 individual training stations, classrooms and training labs is expected to educate as many as 5000 workers and students annually. While capitalizing on the unique concentration of technical skills in southeastern Michigan, ABB will provide upskilling and career opportunities to train workers with no prior experience or degree with the skills needed to build careers in the robotics and automation industry.

Also, enhancements to the facility‘s manufacturing operation enables the company to assemble and ship robots within four weeks of receiving orders, an amount of time that includes as much as six days of quality testing. In fact, ABB is the only global robot supplier to manufacture robots in the United States, according to company officials, which puts ABB in the unique position of providing hands-on robot-building training.

“ABB’s investment in Auburn Hills will create more than 70 good-paying, high-skill jobs and build on Michigan’s advanced manufacturing leadership,” said Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan governor, during her speech at the grand opening. “Today’s expansion at ABB‘s robotics headquarters will tighten the supply chain and cut down on production delays, while building on ABB’s long-standing investments in local workforce development and hands-on education.“

This expansion represents ABB Robotics‘ latest U.S. investment since 2019, which also includes ABB‘s Packaging & Logistics headquarters in Atlanta, GA, Lifesciences and Healthcare Research Lab in Houston, TX, and Research and Development Center in San Jose, CA.

“Through our expanded facility, partner ecosystem and comprehensive AI-enabled product portfolio, we are pushing the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels,” says John Bubnikovich, president of ABB’s U.S. robotics division, who led media, including MetalForming, on a facility tour. “We look forward to increasing support for our customers, to expanding our role as an employer, and to energizing the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future.”  

See also: ABB Press Automation Solutions

Technologies: Pressroom Automation

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