ABB to build $150m advanced robotics factory in Shanghai

Swiss automation company ABB will invest $150 million to build an advanced robotics factory in Shanghai, China where robots will be used for manufacturing robots.

The advanced robotics factory known as Kangqiao manufacturing center will come up near ABB’s China robotics campus. Expected to commence operations by the end of 2020, advanced robotics factory will combine ABB’s connected digital technologies such as ABB Ability solutions, collaborative robotics and artificial intelligence research to develop a “factory of the future.”

According to ABB, the new advanced robotics factory in Shanghai will boast of various machine learning, digital and collaborative solutions to make it the most advanced, automated and flexible factory in the robotics industry. It will also have an onsite R&D center that is expected to help speed up innovations in artificial intelligence.

The Swiss automation company plans to use a new, global design approach it had revealed earlier this year to increase the type and variants of robots that can be manufactured onsite, enabling greater and faster customization to address the requirements of customers.

ABB Advanced Robotics Factory in Shanghai

Illustration of ABB advanced robotics factory in Shanghai. Photo: Business Wire

The new advanced robotics factory in Shanghai will feature an innovative, flexible floorplan based on interlinked islands of automation instead of fixed assembly lines.

ABB logistics automation solutions will be deployed throughout the robotics plant. These include automatic guided vehicles that can follow robots autonomously as they move through production, supplying them with parts from localized stations, said the Swiss automation company. This will enable production to efficiently adapt and scale to changes in China’s robot market without further capacity expansions.

ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, commenting on the new advanced robotics factory in Shanghai, said: “China’s commitment to transform its manufacturing is a torchlight for the rest of the world. Its strategic embrace of the latest technologies for artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and cloud-based computing present a playbook for every country that wishes to have a globally competitive manufacturing base.

“Shanghai has become a vital center for advanced technology leadership – for ABB and the world. We look forward to working with Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong, other community leaders and our customers as we launch this major expansion of ABB’s substantial presence in China, building on our journey to become China’s leading Robotics manufacturer that started in Shanghai over two decades ago.”

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