Nidec to launch factory automation robots

Nagamori founded Nidec in 1973 with three colleagues at a prefabricated hut in Kyoto. The company began making motors for hard disk drives in 1979. The rapid proliferation of PCs and the era of digitization underpinned Nidec's reputation as a leading manufacturer of the hard drive motors that helped propel data digitization.
Now, Nidec is sharpening its focus on robots and electric vehicles. According to the report, Nidec will develop and test the robots it builds in its own factories first before offering them to outside companies.

CEO Shigenobu Nagamori says that orders for automotive motors are rushing in from European and Chinese manufacturers as electronic components are widely adopted by cars, while demand tied to home appliances has been brisk in Asia and elsewhere. These sales compensated for sluggishness in precision motors for personal computers and other equipment.

Nidec’s vice chairman Mikio Katayama is said to have a vision of restructuring the business around the “smart factory” concept - where all machines and infrastructure are connected, automated and digitalised.

Nidec is also developing service robots for cleaning, security, and customer relations.