ABB Robotics this week opened its first manufacturing plant in the U.S. at a facility in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Zurich-based ABB Ltd., a supplier of power and automation technologies, operates robotics manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Västerås, Sweden. ABB says it is the first global industrial robotics company to open a North American manufacturing plant.
The 61,000-square-foot Auburn Hills plant will help reduce robot lead times for customers and streamline the delivery process, executives said.
“We do believe that by adding a factory here, we will be able to serve U.S. customers in a much more agile way … and faster,” Per Vegard Nerseth, managing director of ABB's robotics business unit, said at a May 20 ribbon cutting ceremony.
The company reported $7.5 billion in sales in the U.S., ABB's largest market. Production is currently underway and will be ramped up in phases in the coming months.