FPE Automation's unparalleled expertise pays off: we're the winners of Piab's top industry award for 2023

FPE Automation Wins the Piab Diamond Award

By Sandia Harrison, Director of Marketing, FPE Automation

L to R: Ron Porinsky, District Manager, Piab; Scott Massie, Sales Manager, FPE Automation; Joey Bardos, President, FPE Automation; Andy Button, Sales Manager, FPE Automation Sunset Hills, MO; Hernando Emiliani Area Sales Manager; Piab, Jomy Vadakumpadam, VP of Sales, FPE Automation

The 60th anniversary is symbolized by a diamond. As FPE Automation celebrates its 60th year in 2023, it is particularly fitting that the company would receive the diamond award from Piab this year.

This is Piab's top award. FPE Automation is very proud to have received it an unprecedented 4 times. Piab has stated that partners receiving this award are in an elite category.  

Piab has been a key partner for FPE Automation for several decades. They are a global manufacturer of vacuum products and cups based in Sweden. Here in the Midwest, FPE Automation has worked with manufacturers that have relied on Piab quality for years, in situations where a precisely-engineered vacuum grip was vital. 

Many companies would have been content to ride on that considerable success. Not Piab. They had a vision. For several years, in addition to expanding their vacuum lines and acquiring relevant companion companies, Piab has been ahead of the curve in adapting to a shift in automation toward an increase in robotics. As a result, they have developed several UR+ certified robotic end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT) solutions that are widely recognized to be some of industry's best and most innovative.

As Piab innovated and grew, FPE Automation did so as well. As an expert in both collaborative and high-speed industrial robotics, FPE Automation would need the right EOAT to do the job. As FPE Automation's team worked on robotic applications, Piab continued to deliver innovative solutions to our engineers. 

This, along with FPE Automation's continued success in the growing robotics sector, enabled them to partner with an entirely new group of manufacturers; companies moving in the direction of more automation. The EOAT chosen is always crucial to the success of any robotic cell, and often Piab has a solution that can do the job accurately and consistently. They have solutions, like the piSOFTGRIP® vacuum-driven soft gripper pictured here, that can handle the trickiest of applications. 

Combine all of that with the high quality of Piab products, plus excellent customer service and support, and you have the ideal recipe for customer satisfaction.

Still, success isn't created in a vacuum (pun intended). Products are only great if they make a difference. Our engineers helped to put the right Piab product together with the right robot in the right environment to make optimal custom solutions that are game-changers for our customers. FPE Automation's engineers believe in Piab, and possess the technical skills to make their products work for our customers. 

This was entirely a team effort. 

We'd like to extend our sincere appreciation to the talented and dedicated FPE Automation staff, Piab, and of course, our customers. Without all of you, this continued success would not be possible.

AMRs are the future in internal logistics, manufacturing and order fulfillment, and FPE Automation just won a top award from Mobile Industrial Robots

FPE Automation is Awarded Excellent Partner by Mobile Industrial Robots

By Sandia Harrison, Director of Marketing, FPE Automation

L to R: Joey Bardos, President, FPE Automation, John Duke, Solution Specialist, FPE Automation, Michal-Marie Tillotson, Area Sales Manager, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), Charlie Scales, FPE Automation's MiR Product Specialist, Jomy Vadakumpadam, VP of Sales, FPE Automation

 

It was announced today that FPE Automation received one of the highest honors given by Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). The top partner award announcement comes after a year of major projects, as the trend continues for many manufacturers and logistics to leverage the advantages of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Implementations included one by a Fortune 100 company that has a decades-long relationship with FPE Automation. Other recent projects involved small businesses requiring one mobile robot, large companies requiring an entire fleet, and everything in between. 

The award aligns with FPE Automation's commitment to AMR expertise. FPE Automation has a dedicated, in-house product team, led by Charles Scales (pictured, above), who assists with projects and implementation, as well as an entire engineering team as support staff. It also reflects the growing interest in AMRs across the board. 

Why Are More Companies Moving to an AMR-based Internal Model? 

You may have heard that there has been a large increase in demand for AMRs. There are numerous reasons. First, intelligent intralogistics have captured the attention of engineers and management globally because they increase worker safety and efficiency and decrease operating costs.

That's not all. MiR robots are collaborative, meaning they can work safely alongside humans. They're easy to program and deploy.

Collaborative robots of every type insulate companies from rising labor costs and labor shortages. Even one AMR can produce significant ROI, when compared to the cost of forklift operators and other employees. 

Additionally, the flexibility of Mobile Industrial Robots is attractive to both manufacturing and logistics companies. With a large ecosystem of companion modules available, a MiR robot can instantly be customized to fit your specific needs. Whether it be a pallet system like the one pictured here, rollers, cages, cabinets, tow hooks, or any number of other add-ons, the AMRs can reliably and consistently perform any number of tasks, then return themselves to their charging station when idle. 

How Does FPE Automation Factor Into The Migration Toward Mobile Industrial Robots?

What does it mean to a company like yours that FPE Automation is an award-winning partner? 

While it's certainly true that industry trends are pointing in the direction of AMRs being the next big wave of collaborative robotics, not all partners will have the internal expertise to venture into this area of automation. 

Both financial investment and intellectual capital are required. In the case of the Fortune 100 company, a level of trust had already been established decades ago between this Illinois-based manufacturer and FPE Automation. We have the expertise, the working demos, the product experts, and a strong, award-winning partnership with Mobile Industrial Robots. 

Moving forward, it may not be a matter of if you seek ways to optimize your internal logistics but rather where you go to achieve that goal. We can help you get the job done. 

A partner you can trust: FPE Automation won multiple awards at the Kawasaki partner conference

Kawaski Robotics Awards FPE Automation With Two Separate, Distinct Honors

Wixom, Michigan
April 12, 2023

By Sandia Harrison, Director of Marketing, FPE Automation

Kawasaki Robotics hosted its annual partner conference this week, called Drive 2023. Hundreds of integrator partners were in attendance. 

L to R: Paul Marcovecchio, Director - General Industries, Kawasaki Robotics, Sandia Harrison, Director of Marketing/IT, FPE Automation, Joey Bardos,
President, FPE Automation, Zachary Thoma, Regional Sales Manager, Kawasaki Robotics, and Jomy Vadakumpadam, Vice President of Sales, FPE Automation

Keynote speakers included Kawasaki top leadership, and presentations were made about exciting advancements in the world of industrial robotics and AI. Stay tuned for future blog articles on those topics. Everything Kawasaki does, they do with a commitment to quality, and this event was no exception. Kawasaki's Drive 2023 took place in a historic setting; the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

The FPE Automation team was extremely honored to win the top award of the day, and particularly humbled to be the sole company to take home two trophies.

Accolades like these take teamwork to achieve. At FPE Automation, we are aware that our entire staff, along with the strong support of the Kawasaki Robotics team, and our valued customers, all worked together to bring us to this point in time.

FPE Automation and Kawasaki Robotics are the chosen partners of businesses in the region both large and small. We work closely with manufacturers and certified systems integrators. It's a sometimes challenging and ever-evolving endeavor. Together we're continuously producing successful implementations. 

If you'd like to have a conversation with us about automation, we encourage you to reach out. 

We would also like to extend our gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this success.