Where the Automation & Robotics Industry is Headed with Mike Cicco of FANUC

There’s no industry that wasn’t altered by the coronavirus, and that includes automation and robotics in manufacturing. Joe Gemma of Calvary Robotics tackles the scope of these changes, and what the industry can expect in the future. He welcomes guest Mike Cicco, President and CEO of FANUC America Corporation.

“We help solve manufacturing challenges,” says Mike Cicco of FANUC, and that problem solving didn’t stop when the pandemic came to North America. In fact, it presented new challenges to which the industry rose to meet. As demand for items like PPE and other necessities arose, the manufacturing industry pivoted to meet those new demands. Though the demand is a short term bubble, Cicco says, it will invoke lasting change. Supply chains from Asia will be replaced by localized supply chains, and robots in automation will become a safer way for people to work at a healthy distance.

FANUC corporate has gone back to work in office by instituting a comprehensive safety procedure for its employees. Cicco says the most important thing in that process has been listening to people. Ultimately, Cicco says, people are social animals and there is nothing that can take the place of that connection. But he encourages those still working remotely to use the time well. Focus on training and building soft skills that will fortify the business from the ground up.