DAYTON, OH (AUGUST 13, 2010) – Ground was broken today for Motoman Robotics’ new facility at the Austin Blvd/I-75 interchange (northwest corner; exit 41) in Miamisburg, Ohio. The new facility will serve as Motoman Robotics’ headquarters and main manufacturing facility for its North and South American operations.
The 1:00 p.m. ceremony was hosted by Mr. Steve Barhorst, President and COO of Motoman Robotics, a division of Yaskawa America, Inc. Additional speakers included Mr. Jay Tsuda, President of Yaskawa Electric (Kitakyushu, Japan); Mr. Gen Kudo, Chairman and CEO of Yaskawa America, Inc. (Chicago, IL), and Mayor Dick Church of Miamisburg.
Barhorst thanked the local governmental officials, Montgomery County, the City of Miamisburg, the Dayton and Montgomery County Port Authority, the Transportation Improvement District and RG Properties, among others, for all of their efforts and interests in maintaining Motoman Robotics’ operations in Ohio.
In addition, Barhorst recognized the cities of West Carrollton and Troy, Ohio for their extraordinary support of Motoman Robotics over the past 20 years.
Stealing the show was the Motoman® SDA10D robot. The innovative, dual-arm robot ─ otherwise known as Dexter Bot ─ donned a hard hat and turned the first shovel of dirt. Motoman executives and local officials also took turns breaking ground.
The new 300,000 square foot state-of-the-art office and production facility will combine the current West Carrollton, Ohio headquarters, along with a manufacturing plant and a warehouse located in Troy, Ohio.
“The new facility has been designed and will be built with a customer and employee focus,” stated Barhorst. “Our desire is to further enhance our customers’ experience while driving improved efficiencies to help us help our customers be more competitive. Our customers are why we are here today and are the key to our future. We owe it to our customers to serve them more efficiently and effectively.”
The new facility will house approximately 250-275 employees, with the plan to expand the employee base and facility as the company expands its operations. The 25-acre site allows for the building to be expanded by an additional 200,000 square feet to support this growth.
“We look forward to utilizing this expansion as soon as possible and being a catalyst for economic growth in the region,” added Barhorst. “We want to continue to give back to a region that has supported us throughout our existence.”
Construction will take approximately 10 months with an expected move-in date of June 2011.
About Motoman Robotics Division and Yaskawa
Motoman Robotics, a division of Yaskawa America, Inc., was founded in 1989 and has grown to become the second largest robotics company in the Americas with an installed based of approximately 30,000 units. Its products include robotic automation solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application, including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal and spot welding operations. Motoman Robotics’ parent, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, is the world’s leading robot manufacturer with an installed base of more than 200,000 robots and is the world’s largest manufacturer of AC drives and motion control products, including adjustable frequency drives, servo amplifiers, servomotors, machine controllers and motion controllers. For more information, visit www.motoman.com.
