FANUC Robotics America, Inc. Forms New Relationship with Deloitte Consulting LLP to Help North American Companies Improve Factory Efficiency.

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. -- FANUC Robotics America, Inc. today announced that it has formed a new relationship with Deloitte Consulting LLP. As part of the relationship, Deloitte Consulting will participate in the Save Your Factory consortium, which is focused on helping North American manufacturers to recognize the opportunities that automation, robotics and efficiency measures offer to deliver better quality products at higher profitability.

"We're enthusiastic that Deloitte Consulting has joined the Save Your Factory consortium as we help companies to more comprehensively evaluate the pros and cons of moving manufacturing off-shore and make a decision that's right for their organization," said Rick Schneider, president and CEO of FANUC Robotics America, Inc. "Deloitte Consulting's extensive offerings include enterprise lean and six sigma (ELSS), which are process improvement and change management services that provide solutions to companies facing global competition."

According to Schneider, the prevailing belief that North American companies can improve their competitiveness only by relocating manufacturing operations to low-cost labor markets, is based on incomplete information and analysis. While it may make sense to move manufacturing overseas for some companies, many organizations fail to look at other options that can lead to greater profitability while keeping their North American manufacturing operations. "We want to get the message out to North American manufacturers that they have choices when it comes to manufacturing, and that the chips are not always necessarily stacked in favor of low-cost labor markets."

"Our experience shows that manufacturers may reduce costs and improve quality by using lean manufacturing processes in addition to robotics and automation," said Gary Carrington, a Director in Deloitte Consulting's Operations Excellence service line.

"Deloitte Consulting will work with FANUC Robotics America, Inc., and the Save Your Factory consortium to expand our ELSS offerings and include the use of robotic automation to help North American manufacturers become more competitive in the global marketplace. This expanded offering will give our clients and FANUC's customers a unique and more complete offering of technology, process improvement, and change management so they can objectively and completely evaluate and implement solutions that are in the best interests of their business."

Save Your Factory encourages manufacturers to fully and objectively analyze the advantages of robotic automation and the total costs of off-shore manufacturing before deciding whether or not to source overseas. There is a variety of tangible and intangible factors to consider including transportation bottlenecks, counterfeiting of intellectual property, trade barriers, currency devaluation, and human resource issues.

"Working with FANUC Robotics America, Inc., we can provide manufacturers with an objective comparison of the benefits, real costs and impact of automating and using Enterprise Lean Six Sigma manufacturing techniques versus off-shoring," said Carrington.

In addition to FANUC Robotics and Deloitte, the Save Your Factory initiative membership has grown to include American Machinist, Argus & Associates, Automated Concepts, Automation Alley, Genesis Systems Group, Lincoln Electric, Motion Controls Robotics, The National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM), PHD, Robotic Production Technology (RPT), SCHUNK, and The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

For more information on the Save Your Factory initiative, and resources that can help companies remain competitive, visit www.saveyourfactory.com.

About Deloitte

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About FANUC Robotics

FANUC Robotics America, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures industrial robots and robotic systems for a wide range of applications including arc and spot welding, material handling (machine tending, picking, packing, palletizing), material removal, assembly, paint finishing and dispensing. The company also provides application-specific software, controls, vision products, and complete aftermarket support. After 23 years of success, FANUC Robotics maintains its position as the leading robotics company in the Americas. A subsidiary of FANUC LTD in Japan, the company has facilities in Chicago; Los Angeles; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio; Toronto; Montreal; Aguascalientes, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over 145,000 FANUC robots are installed worldwide. Contact FANUC Robotics at www.fanucrobotics.com or by calling 800-47-ROBOT.