Yaskawa Begins the construction of the new central headquarters
20 October 2011
The Minister of Economy of Baviera Martin Zeil described the ceremony like “a reason of joy for Baviera and Japan” and put the first stone together with the European directors of Yaskawa: Koichi Takamiya (director adviser for Europe, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Japan) and Manfred Stern (COO, Yaskawa Europe GmbH), those who had the help of a robot of two arms SDA10 of Motoman.
Other invited of honour/honor in the ceremony were the mayor of Allershausen, Rupert Popp, the general consul Japanese, Akira Mizutani, and the administrator attaches of the district of Freising, Anita Meinelt.
The company responsible constructor of the project, Takenaka was represented by Tetsuya Sekiya (President of Takenaka Europe GmbH) and Shiro Fearless (adviser delegated, Takenaka Corporation, Japan).
In way to the growth Yaskawa is investing some 12.5 million euros in the new headquarters. This also is a sign of the big aims that the world-wide leader of the market has fixed for the European market: “Our aim is to duplicate the number of robots Motoman installed annually in Europe to more than 6.000 in 2015.”, it explained Manfred Stern, general director of Yaskawa Europe GmbH, with occasion of the ceremony.
The European President Koichi Takamiya (Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Japan) describes like this the strategy: “we position Us mainly by the value added that offer to our customers with our robots”.
In consequence, Allershausen, the base of Yaskawa for his European activities of business in the field of the robotics, will centre/center particularly in functions of head office, like total support to the customer, investigation and development, specific adaptation of systems and logistical. The new building will house to the 50 additional employees that Yaskawa has intention to draft for these functions until finals of 2012. At the same time these tasks will be like this more centralised/centralized.
A shop window for Europe
In addition to this practical appearance, Yaskawa also considers this new central headquarters, that is visible from a very extensive area, like a shop window for the European customers. Yasushi Ichiki (General director of Corporate Planning of Yaskawa Europe GmbH) commented: “The showroom is the high point of the new building. It will cause impression.”
The terrain of some 14,000 square metres/meters is properly situated beside the exit of Allershausen of the autovía. Some of the buildings of the previous location in the industrial polygon Kammerferld will keep on being used. The external design of the new building is based in the one of the headquarters of the Division of Robotica of Yaskawa in Japan. The new building has to to be smart for his use in August of 2012.
