Robotics giant plans major expansion in Michigan
Posted By: mlive on July 28, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
Robotics manufacturer FANUC America has plans for an 840,000-square-foot expansion in Pontiac. The building would go up at 2000 S Opdyke Road, near the company’s facility at 2031 Centerpoint Parkway.
The Rochester Hills-based robotics manufacturer will receive a $1.575 million Michigan Strategic Fund grant. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation board approved the grant Tuesday, July 28.
Mike Cicco, the company’s president and CEO, said the investment will expand FANUC’s engineering capacity for emerging automation technologies. He said it will help meet the growing demand for automation solutions throughout the Americas while strengthening domestic manufacturing.
“The new facility will support the continued advancement of automation and AI-enabled technologies that are shaping the future of industry,” he said. “We appreciate the support of the Michigan Strategic Fund, MEDC, and our local partners for helping make this project possible.”
Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness said residents are “pumped to have this major win for Michigan’s advanced manufacturing economy right here in our community.”
McGuinness said the new building has an added layer of symbolism because it will rise on a site that once was home to General Motors Pontiac East Assembly, which had been the city’s largest automotive plant. GM closed Pontiac East in 2009. The building was demolished in 2012.
FANUC has 1,497 employees across five Michigan locations and will add 225 jobs at the new location with a median income of just under $25 an hour.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter said FANUC’s decision to expand its engineering and advanced manufacturing capabilities and create new jobs reflects the county’s leadership position in the field of technology and advanced manufacturing.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it’s another example of the state’s ability to create new jobs and “cement Michigan as the best place to build the future.”
Quentin Messer, Jr., MEDC CEO and chairman of the state’s strategic-fund board, said he was grateful for the “risk-taking entrepreneurs and established businesspeople across industries who continue to express their votes of confidence in our state.”
This expands FANUC America’s engineering capacity and advanced manufacturing capabilities to support growing demand for automation solutions across North America, including physical AI, virtual commissioning and digital-twin technologies.
Since 2019, FANUC America investments have reached nearly $300 million as the company has expanded its U.S. footprint to 3 million square feet and created more than 700 jobs. One of those new facilities, the FANUC Academy, is under construction in Auburn Hills.
FANUC America is a subsidiary of Japan-based FANUC Corporation. the company has locations in 11 other states, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.
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