FANUC Robotics’ Kevin Ostby wins Engelberger Award for Leadership

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., May 30, 2006 – The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) has presented the 2006 Engelberger Robotics Award for Leadership to Kevin Ostby, vice president of Regional Operations for North and South America for FANUC Robotics America, Inc.

The Engelberger Robotics Award is the robotic industry’s ultimate honor. Four leaders were presented awards at the 37th International Symposium on Robotics, May 16, during AUTOMATICA in Munich, Germany. The awards — named for Joseph F. Engelberger, considered the “father of robotics” — recognize significant achievements in the areas of leadership, application, education and technology development.

“I’m honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Ostby. “I also extend my congratulations to the other recipients of the award, and my thanks to the RIA for their continuing efforts to promote the use of robotics to enhance North American competitiveness in manufacturing.”

Ostby has been a leader in the field of robotics for more than 30 years, 25 of those years with FANUC Robotics. In the early 1980s while at General Motors, he was responsible for the first robots installed at Buick Motor Division. After joining FANUC Robotics, Ostby was responsible for the significant expansion of FANUC Robotics into a variety of markets including food, beverage, plastics, consumer goods, and others. Ostby is a leader within the RIA, including eleven years on the board of directors and a two-year term as president. He has been both board member and chairman of the Automation Technologies Council, and is currently chairman of the International Federation of Robotics Supplier Council. Ostby also serves in a variety of other leadership positions in robotic industry trade associations.

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 24 years of success, FANUC Robotics is 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 155,000 FANUC robots are installed worldwide. Contact FANUC Robotics at www.fanucrobotics.com or by calling 800-47-ROBOT.

FANUC Robotics, Robotic Industries Association

FANUC Robotics America, Inc., 3900 W. Hamlin Rd., Rochester Hills, Mich. 48309. Media Contact: Cathy Powell, Sr. Marketing Analyst, FANUC Robotics America, Inc., 248-377-7570, cathy.powell@fanucrobotics.com.

This release was published on openPR.