Grand Opening for New North Campus Facility a Big Success

Aerial view of FANUC America's new 461,000 square-foot 'North Campus' in Auburn Hills, Michigan.z

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, FANUC America had the great pleasure of hosting a Grand Opening of our new 461,000 square-foot facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Constructed and in full operation just one year after breaking ground, the new facility houses several departments including engineering, product development, manufacturing and warehousing.  Now, to keep pace with the growing demand for robots and automation, FANUC occupies over one million square feet of building space in Oakland County, Michigan.

In the morning, FANUC hosted customers, local officials, educators, suppliers, and the media to an official program, ribbon cutting ceremony and facility tour. Special guests included Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel, and Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mr. Yamaguchi presented FANUC America with a special gift - A beautiful portrait of Mt. Fuji, which will be on permanent display at the new North Campus facility. Additionally, Governor Whitmer presented FANUC America with a commemorative plaque from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), celebrating the MEDC's support of FANUC America's new facility and economic contributions to the state of Michigan and the local area.

After commemorative speeches and the ribbon-cutting ceremony, automation tours were given that included over 20 robot demonstrations, from its smallest M-1iA delta robot, to the mighty M-2000iA, the world’s strongest robot able to lift 2.3 tons. There were also a variety of hands-on cobot demonstrations that highlight easy setup and programming. Additional demonstrations included real-world robotic solutions for assembly, material handling, packaging, palletizing, painting and welding. Most of the solutions include FANUC intelligence like integrated iRVision that gives the robots a sense of sight.

A key tour stop during the grand opening featured two FANUC CR-15iA collaborative robots packing bags of weekend nutrition for a local Michigan chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, a non-profit organization that provides children living in food-insecure households with bags of food for the weekend.

At the conclusion of the automation tours and public event, guests were treated with a special parting gift in thanks for attending the Grand Opening. FANUC America was honored to host more than 500 guests at the event.

From left to right: Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel, FANUC CORPORATION President & CEO Kenji Yamaguchi, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, FANUC America President & CEO Michael Cicco, and FANUC America Vice President of Manufacturing & Operations Joe Cvengros pose for a group photo.

In the afternoon, FANUC America also hosted its Michigan-based active and retired employees at a company event at the new North Campus facility. The event included speeches to help commemorate the new building and all of the hard work and planning required to make the building and the Grand Opening event a big success. Mr. Yamaguchi, Mr. Michael Cicco, and Mr. Joe Cvengros, Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations, all spoke words of thanks and encouragement to FANUC employees at the event.

Finally, the North Campus Grand Opening Employee Event ended with a bang, as leaders in FANUC's Management Organization came together for a commemorative sake barrel ceremony and toast.

FANUC America wants to sincerely thank everyone who attended these special Grand Opening events, including our active and retired employees, special guests, and especially our customers. This day and our new North Campus facility would not be possible without your loyalty and support.