Automation Canada - Automation in 2021 - 12

Dick notes that the new offices were staffed with sales and
engineering personnel, " the thought behind this was that because
automation was still in its infancy and many clients had not gone far
down their automation journey the offices were staffed with the intent to
be able to execute systems for General Industry (GI) clients. "
But they quickly realized that the GI clients were far broader than they
had initially considered. Aſter some consideration, the best option to
serve that rapidly growing pool of customers was to develop direct
partnerships with integrators already serving these markets.
Dick notes that it was really " to give the needed reach and to align
with leaders in the respective industries. The integrators knew how to
speak the customer's language, knew their pain points, knew what their
production needs were, and could take that core expertise and
complement it with robotic automation in their plants. "
Dick sums it up, stating, " that's really the story about the development
of the ASI network and FANUC's (GMF) journey from the automotive
sector to serving a wide range of end-users. "
2. How was the program rolled out and how has it grown since
its inception?
Dick and Tanya both immediately noted that the program was rolled
out 'slowly', 'carefully', and 'deliberately'!
The strategic manner with which the Network was developed
ensured that those first partners had already established themselves in
some core competency of automation and were looking to expand into
robotics as part of their offering.
And this direction has been maintained over the years as the company
has grown, with many of the Authorized System Integrators (ASI) fitting
this exact model. Although, the network has also grown to include
larger engineering firms as well.
In Canada, the rollout of the program lagged behind the US by about
a year. Tanya notes that " Canada needed to ensure that partners were
the right fit with the Canadian marketplace. " Tanya goes on to say that,
" for Canada the program moved slowly to ensure it attained the same
success as the US and we wanted to be sure all members were a fit for
the direction and growth of FANUC Canada. "
CANADIAN AUTOMATION
In this way the development of the remote office both led to the
founding of the ASI network but was positioned to provide direct local
support to the growing Network. FANUC and the ASI network has been
growing the robotic industry in new and exciting avenues for over 30
years.
3. What has been the biggest value to FANUC in developing
FANUC Authorized System Integrators for Robotics?
Dick and Tanya cannot agree enough that the network has been a
complete success in giving FANUC the reach it needed. It has brought
in new markets, new customers, new partners, and has expanded robot
sales.
And Dick cannot say enough about the integrators in their network,
with whom he clearly has deep devotion. He talks about how they are a
great group of innovative people and that the value of the relationships
cannot be stressed enough.
Dick and Tanya discuss a Canadian example that stresses the value of
the partnership. One of FANUC's Authorized System Integrators was
successful at supplying custom machines that provided automation
support to the livestock industry but wanted to expand their range of
solutions. Aſter joining FANUC's Integrator Network, they were able to
expand their offerings to include robotics. This integrator was then able
to take FANUC into a new market that may not have been pursued
otherwise.
The benefits do not just stop at bringing FANUC into new markets.
Tanya notes that, " many of their highly skilled integrators are really
pushing the limits with FANUC's technology, and look for new
directions and capabilities for robotic solutions. " In this way, the
relationship really is about being partners and working together to
develop increasingly more advanced technologies and robotic
applications.
Both finish the question off by reiterating that the integrators are a
connection to various industries and relay back information about the
needs and avenues that are opening for robotics. In addition, it is fun to
watch all of the new and exciting markets that the integrators are
introducing to FANUC.
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4
12
Automation Canada - Automation in 2021

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