ANN ARBOR, MI—Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in 2015, according to Robotic Industries Association. A total of 31,464 robots valued at $1.8 billion were ordered from North American companies during 2015, an increase of 14 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars over 2014.
DETROIT—Working with robotics manufacturer FANUC, networking giant Cisco, and hardware maker Rockwell Automation, GM has installed a “mother brain” at its Lake Orion assembly plant. The system accepts data flowing to and from robots, conveyors, temperature sensors and other devices and sends that information to a cloud network. That enables plant managers and supplier technicians to monitor assembly technology and prevent mishaps.
LIBERTY, SC—Cornell Dubilier, a manufacturer of power capacitors, has deployed two Baxter collaborative robots at its assembly plant here to streamline its labeling and inspection processes.