ABB Expands Robotics Factory in US

A rendering of the entryway to the Robot Studio, part of the planned expansion, at ABB Robotics’ Auburn Hills facility. Photo Credit: ABB Robotics

ABB Robotics is strengthening its commitment to one of its largest customer markets — the U.S. — with the construction of an expansion to its existing North American robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The project is expected to be completed in November 2023 and represents an investment of $20 million. The expansion will create 72 highly skilled jobs in the area and is supported by a $450,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.

According to ABB, this investment will see digital and automation technologies implemented to manufacture next-generation robots in the U.S. for the Americas, streamlining the delivery process and reducing lead times. Close to 90% of robots delivered to customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and South America will soon be made in Auburn Hills, the company says. The plant plans to utilize flexible, modular production cells that are digitally connected and networked, and served by intelligent autonomous mobile robots. AI-powered robotic systems will take on tasks such as screw driving, assembling and material handling, relieving people from these tasks and enabling more rewarding work.

“Our investment is a significant step in accelerating ABB Robotics’ global leadership in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge robotic solutions in the U.S. for the Americas,” says Sami Atiya, president of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation. “As the global megatrends of labor shortages, uncertainty, the near and reshoring of production, and a desire to operate more sustainably accelerate, more businesses are turning to automation to build resilience while improving efficiency and flexibility. Our expanded facility will help us to better serve customers in the U.S. and across the Americas, giving them access to innovative automated solutions.”

Adding to the $14 billion ABB has already invested in the U.S. since 2010, the latest investment in its robotics headquarters and factory will benefit customers in the Americas, particularly those in growth sectors, including electric vehicles, health care, packaging and logistics. The expansion is set to increase the factory’s production capacity, responding to the increased demand for automation from 70% of U.S. businesses looking to bring production closer to home, as revealed by an ABB Robotics’ survey of 1,610 executives in the U.S. and Europe in June 2022.

“ABB’s $20 million investment creating 72 jobs will build on our economic momentum and help us continue leading the future of robotics and automation,” says Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Thanks to companies like ABB Robotics and the support of our local partners, we can keep bringing jobs and investment to every region of our state, revitalizing communities and building an economy of the future.”

ABB Robotics moved into the 538,000-square-foot building in 1993 and opened the manufacturing plant in 2015, becoming the first global industrial robotics company to fully commit to a North American robotics production footprint.  The expansion and increased use of automation in the factory — and subsequent additional jobs — also supports the ABB Robotics Packaging & Logistics headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Robotics Lifesciences and Health Care Hub located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The Auburn Hills facility has a workforce of approximately 350 employees. In the U.S., ABB has more than 20,000 employees across more than 40 sites nationally.