FANUC America Announces $90 Million Investment in U.S. Robotics Manufacturing

FANUC is constructing a new facility to boost its robot manufacturing capacity in the United States. Source: FANUC America

Although the U.S. is a key robotics market, none of the top industrial automation companies are based there. This landscape is changing. FANUC America Corp. announced plans to invest $90 million to purchase land and build a new 840,000-square-foot (78,038.5-square-meter) facility in Pontiac, Michigan.

The Rochester Hills, Michigan-based subsidiary of Japan's FANUC Corp. stated that this "production-ready space" will enhance its ability to manufacture robots within the United States.

“This investment expands FANUC America's manufacturing presence in Michigan, where we have produced paint application robots domestically for over 40 years,” said Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America. “By growing our U.S. operations, we will bolster domestic manufacturing, respond faster to customer demands, and support industries that depend on automation to remain competitive.”

FANUC America expects to add jobs

Scheduled for completion in late 2027, the project is expected to create 225 new jobs. The company is also scaling its engineering and manufacturing resources to meet rising automation demand across North America, including areas like physical AI, virtual commissioning, and digital twin technologies.

Since 2019, FANUC America reports it will have invested nearly $300 million in several new facilities, expanded its total footprint to 3 million square feet (278,709 square meters), and added over 700 jobs in the U.S. It was recently honored with its 14th Top Workplace Award from The Detroit Free Press and Chicago Sun Times.

“FANUC America is dedicated to advancing U.S. reindustrialization by providing cutting-edge automation technologies and expanding access to advanced manufacturing training,” Cicco noted.

“The newly expanded FANUC Academy, opening later this year in Auburn Hills, Michigan, will become the nation's largest robotics and automation skills development center. It will help tackle the manufacturing skills gap, growing demand for automation expertise, the rise of AI-powered robotics, and the country's overall competitiveness,” he added.

In December, FANUC participated in a Congressional Robotics Caucus meeting that advocated for a national robotics strategy. Last month, end-effector firm OnRobot and FANUC shared practical implementation insights at an event in Dallas.

Industrial automation leader moves into physical AI

FANUC America is a top supplier of industrial, collaborative, and mobile robots, CNC systems, and ROBOMACHINEs. The company helps manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics clients improve efficiency and competitiveness.

At GTC last week, FANUC announced it will integrate NVIDIA's AI infrastructure—including Jetson edge modules, cloud/edge AI systems, the Isaac Sim robotic simulation framework, and Omniverse libraries—into its robot portfolio and ROBOGUIDE simulation software. As part of this physical AI push, the company has released a ROS 2 driver and support for high-speed streaming motion for its robots.

“Combining NVIDIA's AI and simulation platforms with FANUC's robotics knowledge gives developers the tools to build and deploy intelligent, scalable automation solutions,” said Murali Gopalakrishna, general manager of robotics at NVIDIA.

FANUC America will showcase its products at Booth B8923 at the MODEX supply chain event in Atlanta next month. The company earned a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for producing its one-millionth industrial robot.