Manufacturing Showcase
ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation By: Russ Willcutt
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BB Robotics & Discrete Automation – part of the global giant ABB Group, which also specializes in Electrification, Process Automation, and Motion – has its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where it employs some 450 people. In May 2015, ABB began producing robots in the United States, making it the first global industrial robotics company to fully commit and invest in a North American robotics manufacturing footprint. This has allowed ABB’s North American operations to offer short lead times to its customers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. According to Joe Chudy, general manager of the Robotics Division, who has spent 36 years with the company, ABB
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20 IMD JULY 2021
approaches the industrial market through a series of dedicated business lines. They include Automotive OEMs, Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers, General Industry, Consumer Segment & Service Robotics, and Machine Automation, which designs complete solutions for machine and factory automation through ABB’s B&R Automation unit. “Our customer outreach involves a dedicated salesforce, along with what we refer to as “value providers,” which is our term for system integrators and full service distributors. We also sell direct, but 65 percent of our sales are channeled through our value providers,” he says.
