Thread: FANUC CNC America

FANUC CNC America
1800 Lakewood Boulevard
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
1.888.FANUC US

Dear Practical Machinist forum member:

GE and FANUC LTD. finalized the dissolution of the GE Fanuc joint venture on December 11, 2009. The former GE Fanuc CNC parts and systems business merged into FANUC AMERICA Corporation creating the largest CNC sales, service and support organization in the Americas. With the new year we have a new name: FANUC CNC America. Headquartered in Hoffman Estates, IL, FANUC CNC America combines all of the industry-leading products, services and support capabilities previously provided by GE Fanuc into the FANUC CNC America businesses.

What will this mean to you, our customer?

In the short-term, you will see very little difference in your day-to-day interactions with our company. In most cases, you will continue to maintain the same sales and support contacts you currently have relationships with; and your existing contracts with GE Fanuc will continue to be honored without interruption.

Moving forward, you will have access to a wide range of new benefits, including:

The largest CNC organization in the Americas

Faster access to genuine FANUC CNC products, parts and accessories

An expanded hotline and customer support team, enabling faster answers to your support questions

A broader network of expert application engineers to help you meet your specific production goals The FANUC CNC America team is very excited about this transition, and the extended value we bring to our customers' businesses. Please look for more information from us in the months ahead. If you have specific questions in the meantime, we encourage you to contact your regional sales representative.

Thank you for continuing to allow us to be part of your success.

Best regards,

Tomo

Tomoaki "Tomo" Ishibe

President and CEO

FANUC CNC America

www.fanuccncamerica.com

Products | Solutions | Service | Parts | Service Contracts | Repair & Return | Options | Technical Training

FANUC CNC America Corporation | 1800 Lakewood Boulevard | Hoffman Estates | IL | 60192

Interesting news.
Thanks for posting this.

Yeah, one of the GE/FANUC companies Is about 3 miles from where I work.

Like two weeks ago they took down their sign out front. Now it says GE Intelligent platforms (I think).

Good to hear! GE is now a textbook example of a once great American Enterprise that is a far cry from what it used to be. IMHO that includes the state network NBC!
Legdoc

Also one note to add:

If you had an account at GE/F but not one at F/A all your info was passed along. They will have to "set you up", but they already have your history on file. (Likely a nother system - but ..)

So that should ease the pain of the move.

Besides, customer service is likely better.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

wish they were even closer so it didnt cost me 2 arms and my kids legs for them to come out and turn some things on.

FANUC FA America Corp
1800 Lakewood Boulevard
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
1.888.FANUC US (888-326-8287)
FANUC CNC - Systems Worldwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR IMTS 2010, BOOTH #S-8919

FANUC CNC AMERICA CHANGES NAME TO FANUC FA AMERICA

AT IMTS, BOOTH #S-8919

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HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - (September 13, 2010) Effective September 1, 2010, FANUC CNC America Corporation officially changed its name to FANUC FA America Corporation.

FANUC FA America Corporation represents the FA (Factory Automation) division of FANUC Ltd. Japan. At IMTS 2010, a new corporate FANUC company symbol will also be unveiled in the Americas. The new symbol was created to represent the three major divisions of FANUC Ltd. Japan: FA (Factory Automation), RO (Robot) and RM (RoboMachine). The dedicated focus of FANUC in each of these three product divisions will help FANUC to continue to expand its position as a leader in factory automation solutions globally. FANUC FA America is driven to enhance manufacturing productivity through the use of FANUC FA's innovative, efficient and reliable CNC products.

"FANUC FA America Corporation more accurately represents the company direction and relationship to our customers, the FANUC Ltd. corporate philosophy and our new company symbol" states Tomoaki "Tomo" Ishibe, President, FANUC FA America Corporation. "The name change to FANUC FA America reinforces our representation of FA in the Americas market."

For the first time in over three decades, FANUC FA America is presenting a single FANUC FA entity in the Americas at IMTS 2010. FANUC FA America is the largest CNC organization in the Americas with over 350 employees solely dedicated to CNC sales, service and support. FANUC FA America provides customers with industry leading technology from the undeniable global leader in CNC, FANUC Ltd.
As a subsidiary of FANUC LTD., FANUC FA America is the exclusive provider of industry leading FANUC CNC systems and solutions in the Americas. FANUC FA America provides a one-stop shop for comprehensive CNC solutions including industry-leading control systems, engineering, parts, and repair and factory automation solutions.

FANUC FA America today unveiled new advanced CNC control innovations at IMTS 2010, Booth #S-8919. These include: new model 30i-B Series CNC Control, 0i-D/0i-DMate Control with newly enhanced functionality, new 35i-B Series CNC Control for transferline machines, new 5-axis volumetric error compensation and comprehensive industry solutions.

At IMTS, FANUC FA America is having an iPad giveaway at IMTS. To register for a chance to win an iPad, visit us at our FANUC FA America IMTS Booth #S-8919. A total of six iPads will be given away. One winner will be drawn from each day's registrants; one entry per person. Winners will be notified after IMTS. *iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc.

For more information, visit us at IMTS, Booth #S-8919 or contact FANUC FA America, 1800 Lakewood Blvd., Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, phone: 1-888 FANUC US (888-326-8287), e-mail: fanuc.marketing@fanuccncamerica.com, website: FANUC CNC - Systems Worldwide.

PR CONTACT: Jill Jozwik, Marketing Manager
Phone: 847-898-5673

E-mail: jill.jozwik@fanuccncamerica.com

Media contact: Jill Jozwik
FANUC FA America Corp
847.8985673
jill.jozwik@FanucCNC.com






Media contacts: Carly Snyder
Rockwell Automation
440.646.4184
cesnyder@ra.rockwell.com

Heidi Wight
Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc.
612.455.1795
hwight@psbpr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR IMTS 2010, BOOTH #S-8919

Rockwell Automation and FANUC FA America to Collaborate on Integrated CNC and Programmable Automation Controller Environments

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Companies to jointly develop integrated automation solutions for key vertical markets

Hoffman Estates, IL and MILWAUKEE, Sept. 13, 2010 - FANUC FA America, the largest CNC organization in the Americas, and Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation solutions, announced today a collaborative effort to offer closer integration between CNC and programmable automation controller (PAC) environments. The effort will result in the ability for both companies to deliver integrated automation solutions to key vertical market segments, such as automotive and aerospace.

The two companies will work together on connectivity between their respective controller platforms through open communication technologies, such as the EtherNet/IP and FL Net protocols. End-users and OEMs will benefit from reduced integration costs, improved synchronization between platforms and transparent data access across the manufacturing enterprise.

"This announcement is an important step to furthering FANUC FA America's strategy to focus on what we do best, which is the sales and support of FANUC's world class CNCs, while working towards more flexible open interfaces to complementary automation systems," said Tomoaki Ishibe, president, FANUC FA America. "Working with Rockwell Automation here in the Americas is a natural fit, given their industry leadership in programmable automation controllers and our shared customer base."

Both companies cite customer demand for integrated solutions based on open platforms as a key driver in the collaborative effort.

"Our mutual customers need visibility into their manufacturing assets in order to help make more informed decisions and stay competitive," said Steve Eisenbrown, senior vice president of Architecture and Software, Rockwell Automation. "Integrating FANUC's world-class CNC systems with the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system further strengthens our two companies' ability to help customers achieve plant wide optimization."

Initial emphasis of the collaboration will be placed on developing, deploying and promoting integration technologies that simplify customers' applications and improve the performance of industrial automation systems where both CNCs and PACs are used. The two companies will jointly document integration methods, quantify integration savings and work with joint customers to solve their application challenges, leveraging a fully integrated CNC and PAC platform.


About FANUC FA America
As a subsidiary of FANUC LTD., FANUC FA America is the exclusive provider of industry leading FANUC CNC systems and solutions in the Americas. FANUC FA America provides a one-stop shop for comprehensive CNC solutions including industry-leading control systems, engineering, parts, and repair and factory automation solutions.


About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs about 19,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Integrated Architecture and LISTEN. THINK. SOLVE. are trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.

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In line of this post, a little history about Fanuc
==================================


Company History:

Headquartered at the base of Japan's Mount Fuji, Fanuc Ltd. is the world's leading manufacturer of numerical control (NC) equipment for machine tools, devices that put the automation into automated factories. NC devices are the forerunners of industrial robots. Fanuc, whose name is an acronym for Fuji Automatic Numerical Control, has been a world leader in robotics since the 1970s.

Founded as a Subsidiary of Fujitsu

Fanuc was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu in 1955, after that electronics giant decided to enter the factory automation business. Its first employees were a team of 500 engineers, and Fujitsu chose from among them a young executive engineer named Seiuemon Inaba to head the subsidiary. It was a move that would prove beneficial for both the company and the man. Inaba, who received a doctorate in engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology after joining Fujitsu in 1946, has since remained at the top of Fanuc's chain of command. His name has become virtually synonymous with that of the company.

At first, Fujitsu Fanuc devoted itself solely to research and development. U.S. companies led the way in automation technology at that time; in fact, no Japanese company produced NC machine tools until the mid-1960s. Once the Japanese NC industry entered the field of play, however, Fujitsu Fanuc dominated the game. By 1971, it controlled 80 percent of the domestic market for NC equipment. In 1972 Fujitsu spun-off its highly successful subsidiary, retaining a substantial minority interest. The remaining shares were put on the open market. In 1975 Seiuemon Inaba became president of the new company.

Fujitsu Fanuc, as it continued to call itself until 1982, began its life as an independent company with numerous marketplace advantages. As a major Japanese NC manufacturer, it was well suited to spearhead the Japanese NC industry's entry into the export market. In 1975 it licensed U.S. manufacturer Pratt & Whitney to market its NC drilling machines in North America. In the same year it entered into a licensing agreement with German engineering firm Siemens, which was also a minority shareholder in the company, giving Siemens the exclusive right to market Fujitsu Fanuc products in Europe. In 1985 the European Economic Community would find that the deal violated its rules regarding monopolies and fined the companies $840,000. In 1978 Fujitsu Fanuc took its manufacturing operations abroad, building a plant in South Korea. By 1982, it had captured half of the world NC market.

Captured Leading Position in Robotics in the 1980s

Its position as an NC manufacturer notwithstanding, it is the company's commitment to the related field of robotics that has brought it the most attention and acclaim. Fujitsu Fanuc started selling robots in 1975, but they accounted for only a tiny percentage of sales at first, Kawasaki and Hitachi being the leading Japanese robotics companies at the time. Inaba sought to change that situation in the 1980s. In January 1981 Fujitsu Fanuc opened a showcase plant in Yamanashi Prefecture, in which robots and NC machine tools made parts for other robots. The factory, which would otherwise require 500 human workers, was run by a staff of 100 people, whose duties consisted of maintaining the robots and assembling the parts into finished products.

This vision of robots manufacturing other robots caught the fancy of the press and, evidently, other robotics companies. A string of joint ventures followed the opening of the new plant. In 1982 Fujitsu Fanuc granted Taiwan's Tatung Co. sole import rights for its robots. In 1983 it also joined with the 600 Group, a British machine tool manufacturer, to form 600 Fanuc Robotics, which would sell Fanuc robots in the United Kingdom.

Fanuc's most important move in 1982 was to enter into a joint venture with General Motors (GM), called GMFanuc Robotics, to produce and market robots in the United States. The new company was 50 percent owned by each partner and was based in Detroit, with GM providing most of the management and Fanuc the products. This was not the first alliance between Japanese and U.S. robotics concerns; Japanese companies on the whole lacked the advanced technology necessary to create sophisticated robots, while the U.S. plants lacked Japanese manufacturing skill. By linking up with its largest single potential customer in the United States, Fanuc all but assured itself of a lucrative share of the U.S. market. In its early years, GMFanuc Robotics chiefly made automobile assembly robots and sold them to GM. Although both companies denied it at the time, few industry observers doubted that GM gave preferential treatment to GMFanuc robots when considering bids from suppliers. GMFanuc sales described a steep upward curve, and within six years it became the world's largest supplier of robots.

Inaba's goal of increasing Fanuc's robot sales was not simply a business matter, but a reflection of his personal interest in robots. Known in Japan as the Emperor of Robots, Inaba said in 1981 that it was his dream to develop within four years a robot that would help assemble Fanuc's robot-made robot parts into finished robots. By the middle of the decade, Fanuc had indeed developed assembly robots, which were used to put together parts for motors at its motor factory.

Fanuc's success in robotics has brought Inaba to the attention of the U.S. financial press. There is his passion for the color yellow, for instance, because, as he put it, "In the Orient, yellow is the emperor's color." Fanuc factories, offices, and assembly lines are all painted in such a shade. The workers' jumpsuits are also yellow, head to toe. Inaba is known for his demanding and authoritarian management style--at meetings, his subordinates are not allowed to speak unless spoken to; for his company's commitment to a futuristic industry like robotics; and for the profoundly scenic location of its headquarters.

In the mid-1980s, sales of automation equipment dropped substantially. Manufacturers who pumped large amounts of capital into automation equipment suddenly found themselves with weak cash flows and were unwilling to invest further. GM cut back on its commitment to robotics, GMFanuc sales fell, and Fanuc was further hurt by the relative strength of the yen against the dollar, making its products more expensive in the United States. Fanuc, nevertheless, managed to maintain a healthy profit margin despite these difficulties, and it kept expanding its activities.

In 1987, it tightened its grip on the U.S. market by entering into a joint venture with another pillar of U.S. industry, General Electric (GE). The two companies formed GE Fanuc Automation to manufacture computerized numerical control (CNC) devices. The deal marked something of a defeat for GE, which had failed in its attempt to become a factory automation powerhouse. GE stopped making its own CNC equipment and turned its Charlottesville, Virginia, plant over to the new company, which equipped it to produce Fanuc CNC devices.

In 1988 Fanuc once again joined forces with General Motors, this time to form GMFanuc Robotics Europa, to market robots in Europe. In 1989 it took advantage of relaxed East-West tensions to increase its presence in the Soviet Union. It joined with Mitsui, a huge Japanese trading company and with Stanko Service, a Soviet machine-tool service organization, to form Stanko Fanuc Service, which would maintain and repair Fanuc products there.

Fanuc's success has always been derived from the circumstances that its products are the most reliable and yet the least expensive on the market, allowing it to better its competition in good times and to maintain its advantage in lean times. In a cutting-edge field like automation, a huge commitment to research and development is required, and fully one-third of Fanuc's nearly 1,800 employees are engaged in such activity, the highest ratio of any Japanese manufacturer. As with every other facet of the company's operations, Fanuc's R&D bears the personal stamp of Seiuemon Inaba. He once gave his Product Development Laboratory a clock that ran ten times faster than normal, as a gentle reminder of the importance of staying ahead of the competition. Inaba has made the German engineering slogan Weniger Teile, which means "fewer parts," Fanuc's slogan; machines with fewer parts are cheaper to produce and easier for automatons to assemble.

Difficult Years in the 1990s

Inaba has garnered publicity for the extensive benefits he provided his employees. At the Yamanashi Prefecture plant, located in a rural setting at the base of Mount Fuji, Inaba included a medical center, a gymnasium, a 25-meter heated swimming pool, a culture center, employee living quarters, and a pub. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, these attractive benefits helped Fanuc counter a labor shortage affecting many Japanese firms.

In the early 1990s, however, Fanuc faced more than just a difficult labor market. Revenues and earnings declined as the entire machine tool industry in Japan suffered from slackened demand compared to heyday of the 1970s and 1980s. In the midst of this downturn, Fanuc gained an increased presence in foreign markets when it purchased GM's half-interest in GMFanuc and renamed it Fanuc Robotics Corporation, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fanuc Ltd. Fanuc Robotics, in turn, held two subsidiaries--Fanuc Robotics North America, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and serving the North American and Latin American markets; and Fanuc Robotics Europe GmbH (formerly GMFanuc Robotics Europa), based in Luxembourg, which served the European market.

To maintain Fanuc's dominant position in automation technology in the face of the industry slump, Inaba determined to further bolster Fanuc's R&D. In 1994 the Fanuc Berkeley Laboratory was established in Union City, California. Inaba also sought to reduce costs by purchasing more raw materials outside of Japan, taking advantage of the strength of the yen. Longer term, Inaba committed Fanuc to a strategic emphasis on robots.

Unlike other Japanese robotics firms, Fanuc did not shift production to the United States during this period. Demand for robots was growing dramatically in North America in the early 1990s thanks to a rebounding automobile industry. Fanuc could continue to profitably manufacture in Japan based on two factors. First, Fanuc's production process was cheaper than competitors because of its highly automated "lights out" plant, which was capable of producing one thousand robots a month. Second, Fanuc could take advantage of its world leadership in production of CNCs--a key component in robots&mdashø keep its production costs down.

These strategies seemed to be paying off as Fanuc's revenues and earnings rebounded in 1994 and 1995. A master businessman as well as a master engineer, Seiuemon Inaba has guided his company along a steep ascent and through some challenging conditions as well.

Principal Subsidiaries:Fanuc Robotics North America, Inc. (U.S.); Fanuc U.S.A. Corp.; GE Fanuc Automation Corporation (U.S.); Beijing-Fanuc Mechatronics Co., Ltd. (China); Fanuc Europe GmbH (Germany); Fanuc Germany GmbH; Fanuc France S.A.; Fanuc Iberia, S.A. (Spain); Fanuc Italia S.p.A. (Italy); Fanuc Sweden AB; Fanuc India Limited; Fanuc Korea Corporation; Fanuc-Machinex Ltd. (Bulgaria); Fanuc Oceania Pty. Limited (Australia); Fanuc South Africa (Proprietary) Limited; Fanuc Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Singapore); Fanuc Singapore Pte. Ltd.; Fanuc Hong Kong Limited; Fanuc Thai Limited; Fanuc Taiwan Limited; Fanuc U.K. Limited; P.T. Fanuc Indonesia.


Further Reading:

Bylinsky, Gene, "Japan's Robot King Wins Again," Fortune, May 25, 1987.
"Fanuc Edges Closer to a Robot-Run Plant," Business Week, November 24, 1980.
"Fanuc Throws One-Third of Its Entire Labor Force into the Most Powerful R&D Setup of the Industry," Business Japan, April 1989.
"GM to Sell Its 50% Stake in GMFanuc, a Robotics Firm, to Japanese Partner," Wall Street Journal, June 4, 1992, p. B3(W), p. B4(E).
Nakamura, Minoru, "Trouble in the Robot Kingdom," Tokyo Business Today, June 1994, pp. 44-45.
Wiegner, Kathleen K., "The Dawn of Battle," Forbes, October 26, 1981.
Winter, Drew, "Eastward Ho: Japanese Robot Builders Shift Production to U.S.," Ward's Auto World, July 1995, p. 81.

Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 17. St. James Press, 1997.

Link: Fanuc Ltd. -- Company History

I just want to make note to you who did NOT get this in your e-mail this morning - that I did NOT double post above.

That is TWO different news releases that both came in today.

I have not actually read them myself, but I know where to search for them now if I decide to take the time eh?


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Inaba has made the German engineering slogan Weniger Teile, which means "fewer parts," Fanuc's slogan; machines with fewer parts are cheaper to produce and easier for automatons to assemble.

Maybe they could apply that slogan to their user interface. Maybe fewer than 20 key strokes to load a program?

Originally Posted by John Welden

Maybe they could apply that slogan to their user interface. Maybe fewer than 20 key strokes to load a program?

Well they actually did, no extra buttons for quick acces, so you need 20 keystrokes.