Swiss company ABB plans to expand its industrial robot factory in Auburn Hills, Mich., CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer told Reuters this week. He did not comment on new jobs or investments associated with the expansion.
The facility, which was first announced in 2015, produced its first robot in March and currently employs about 1,000 people.
ABB is relying on demand from automakers and other sectors for industrial robots to drive the company’s growth. U.S. automakers are automating their factories at the levels of those in Japan and Germany, Spiesshofer said, and as more automakers produce electric cars, “the next phase is about portfolio differentiation and expansion.”