Yaskawa Electric to Invest $200 Million in USA

Japanese robot maker Yaskawa Electric plans to invest $200 million in the United States to build its first robots there, its president said. The investment follows other manufacturers in a move to build manufacturing capacity in the US. While Japanese rival Fanuc is a major manufacturer of factory robots for the US auto industry, Yaskawa hopes to ride the wave of automation in other areas. By building locally, we provide stability and loyalty to our customers. President Masahiro Ogawa said in an interview.

The company, which is more than 100 years old, has previously said it plans to invest more in the United States. The potential scope of the expansion is reported here for the first time. Yaskawa is the world's leading manufacturer of servo motors, a type of precision motor used in chip manufacturing equipment.

The company, which makes parts in Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio, plans to expand U.S. operations with parts that include cars, Ogawa said. In the United States, securing cutting-edge semiconductors is a priority, led by major chip companies such as Applied Materials and Lam Research.

Foreign manufacturers that are increasing production capacity in the United States include  Toyota Motors and chip makers TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Yaskawa, whose shares have risen for the past three years and has a market capitalization of about $10 billion, is looking for cash to finance some of its deferred costs, Ogawa said.