New headquarters unifies FANUC UK and provides platform for growth
16/05/2017
FANUC’s new headquarters is four times larger than its previous location and will enable the business to further develop its offering and strengthen its position in the market. Crucially, all aspects of the business will operate under one roof, while the three-storey building is also home to a design, manufacturing and training facility, offices and showroom area. FANUC UK currently employs more than 100 people and anticipates further growth of its workforce in the coming months.
The business specialises in factory automation, which is split across three categories: robotics, machine tools and factory automation systems. Its extensive product portfolio comprises market-leading vertical milling centres (ROBODRILL), plastic injection moulding machines (ROBOSHOT), wire EDMs (ROBOCUT), industrial robots and CNC systems.
Training is a vital and growing part of FANUC’s offering and the expansion of the UK facility has helped to enhance its training academy’s capabilities, with the introduction of a new advanced course for more experienced engineers. The dedicated suite consists of four training rooms, each of which caters for up to eight students at any one time.
The FANUC Academy houses eight robots of various sizes, as well as 12 simulators for factory automation. Programmes are offered on FANUC technologies such as ROBOGUIDE and FANUC iRVision, while bespoke training can be created based on individual customer application requirements. All courses provide practical, hands-on training exploring the areas of programming and maintenance.
Overall the project has taken approximately 12 months to complete. Recognised as one of the most successful business technology parks in the UK, Ansty Park is strategically located at the hub of the UK motorway network and is considered the new home for technology and innovation. “Our new headquarters represents a new approach for FANUC UK, with all parts of our business brought together under one roof for the first time in the UK,” says Tom Bouchier, Managing Director at FANUC UK. “By consolidating these functions, we can enhance our capabilities and provide customers with a combination of solutions to meet their every need. “This investment has helped grow our capacity, and more crucially has enabled us to strengthen our training services.
Training is essential for our customers and our new training area is equipped with state-of-the-art robots, enabling users to fully exploit the capabilities of robotic technology. Our relocation will drive further growth, develop our team and strengthen our services, solidifying FANUC’s position in the UK as a market-leading manufacturer and solutions provider.” The new facility also provides FANUC UK with the opportunity to increase capacity in the future with 25 per cent expansion capability.