To strengthen its commitment to this important market, ABB this year launched the expansion of its North American robotics headquarters and production facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The project is expected to be completed in November 2023 with a total investment of $20 million. The expansion will create 72 new high-skilled jobs in the region and is supported by a $450,000 Michigan Business Development Program Performance Grant.
"This investment marks an important step in our efforts to better develop and manufacture advanced robotics solutions in the United States for the Americas region, and to strengthen ABB Robotics' global leadership in this area," said Martin Aschell, president of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation. With global megatrend trends such as labor shortages, uncertainty, nearshore and reshoring of production, and the urgent need to enhance operational sustainability, more and more companies are actively embracing automation technologies to build corporate resilience, improve efficiency and flexibility. The expansion will help us better serve our customers in the United States and throughout the Americas with access to innovative automation solutions."
Since 2010, ABB has invested $14 billion in the United States. This latest investment in robotic headquarters and factories will benefit customers in the Americas, particularly in growth industries such as electric vehicles, healthcare, packaging and logistics. According to a June 2022 ABB Robotics survey of 1,610 executives in the United States and Europe, 70 percent of U.S. companies want to produce closer to home, and this expansion will significantly increase factory capacity to meet these companies' higher demand for automation.
Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, said: "ABB's $20 million investment creates 72 jobs that will solidify our economic growth momentum and help us continue to lead the future of robotics and automation. With the support of companies like ABB Robotics and local partners, we can continue to drive jobs and investment across our state, revitalize communities, and build an economy for the future."
ABB Robotics moved into its current 538,000 square foot office building in 1993 and opened its manufacturing site in 2015, becoming the first multinational robotics company fully dedicated to robot production in North America. The expansion and increased automation of the facility will further empower ABB Robotics' packaging and logistics headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as its Robotics Healthcare center in Houston, Texas, and create new jobs. To date, ABB has approximately 350 employees in Auburn Hills.
ABB's operations in the United States cover more than 40 locations and employ more than 20,000 people.
John Bubnikovich, president of ABB's Robotics business unit in the United States, said: "The expanded facility will use advanced technology, equipped with AI-enabled robots and intelligent digital production systems to support the production and manufacturing of state-of-the-art customer solutions. "We will upgrade almost every aspect of the facility to attract, retain and develop the best automation talent, and we are committed to creating a U.S. manufacturing site and headquarters worthy of becoming a global automation leader."
The investment will optimize delivery processes and shorten lead times, leveraging the latest digital and automation technologies to build the next generation of robots in the United States to meet the needs of the Americas region. In the near future, nearly 90 percent of robots delivered to customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America will be manufactured in Auburn Hills. The plant features flexible, modular production units that will support digital connectivity and networking and be served by intelligent, autonomous mobile robots. Robotic systems powered by artificial intelligence will take on tasks such as screwing, assembly and material handling, freeing people from these mechanical repetitive tasks and putting them into more valuable work.
