# FANUC opens $18 million robotics academy to ease labor gap *The 132,000-square-foot Auburn Hills facility doubles classroom space to instruct up to 17,500 workers annually as industrial automation delays shift from machine supply to skilled personnel.* **Published:** November 2, 2026 **By:** Aiko Tanaka **Section:** Robotics & Automation — Japan **Format:** Company Watch **Confidence:** medium **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/robotics/fanuc-opens-18-million-robotics-academy-ease-labor-gap-1070 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - FANUC opened an $18 million robotics training center in Auburn Hills on Oct. 27, 2026 - The academy expands continental capacity to 17,500 trainees using 160 robots and 40 CNC simulators - An on-site customer support call center is scheduled for completion in 2027 ![A woman operates a handheld controller beside a yellow robotic arm as two men observe inside a robotics training facility. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-11-01-1241f0ee36ce.webp) *A woman operates a handheld controller beside a yellow robotic arm as two men observe inside a robotics training facility. (AI-generated image)* FANUC America opened an $18 million robotics training academy in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on Oct. 27, 2026, targeting technical workforce deficits that slow automated factory operations across North America. The three-story building functions as the largest corporate training facility for robotics and industrial automation in the United States. The facility occupies 132,000 square feet on the company's West Campus, with 56,300 square feet dedicated exclusively to technical training suites and practical laboratories. That instruction area accounts for roughly 43% of total building space. The $18 million project represents about 17% of the company's combined $108 million Michigan investment program. FANUC announced a complementary $90 million manufacturing facility expansion in March 2026 to prepare domestic production capacity. The Auburn Hills academy replaces an older training center located inside the company's regional headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The move increased the number of dedicated instructional rooms from 13 to 28, more than doubling classroom capacity. Across North America, FANUC now operates nine training hubs. The unified network holds capacity to instruct approximately 17,500 technicians, engineers, apprentices and trade educators each year. Instructional floors inside the new academy house more than 160 operational industrial robots. Trainees also work on more than 40 computer numerical control simulators, which replicate multi-axis metal cutting and tool operation. The expansion directly addresses an operational bottleneck across North American manufacturing corridors. Factory operators frequently report commissioning delays caused by labor shortages rather than equipment backlogs. Skilled worker availability remains one of the greatest constraints facing industrial companies, Mike Cicco, president and chief executive officer of FANUC America, said. Hands-on instruction helps close that deficit and prepares plant personnel for technology-driven manufacturing careers, Cicco said. Automated machinery sales have accelerated across the continent since 2022, fueled by investments in electric vehicle components, aerospace tooling and semiconductor fabrication. Operating that hardware requires specialized technicians who remain scarce across major manufacturing hubs. Factory operators regularly receive articulated robot arms but wait months to place them in commercial production. The deployment logjam stems from an industry-wide shortage of robotic system integrators. System integrators — independent engineering firms that wire, program and connect robots to plant floor machinery — face persistent staffing deficits. Without qualified integration teams, automated assembly cells sit idle. The Auburn Hills academy offers coursework covering machine programming, electrical troubleshooting, mechanical disassembly and preventative maintenance. Courses run from two-day operator certifications to multi-week engineering sequences. The site also trains vocational instructors, community college professors and high school trade educators. Preparing certified teachers allows regional institutions to multiply robotic training capacity outside corporate campuses. FANUC supports more than 1,700 educational institutions across North America through its Certified Education Training program. That academic initiative engages approximately 60,000 students each year in robotics and numerical control technologies. General contractor Frank Rewold & Sons directed construction of the Auburn Hills project, employing Michigan-based trade subcontractors. FANUC acquired the 67-acre West Campus parcel in November 2022, purchasing the land alongside the former Thomas M. Cooley Law School facility. The company renovated the educational complex rather than constructing an entirely new building shell. The renovated property adds 200 vehicle parking spaces and a full-service cafeteria to accommodate visiting students and field engineers. A customer support call center planned inside the Auburn Hills facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Parent company FANUC Corporation, headquartered in Oshino, Japan, builds computerized numerical controllers, machine tools and robotic arms. The Japanese industrial machinery builder depends on North American plants for a large share of factory automation revenues. The company has not published annual operating budgets or student throughput targets for the site, and the release did not specify an exact month for the 2027 call center completion. Trainees began attending scheduled laboratory courses across the 28 instructional suites during the final week of October. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | FANUC training academy opening | no direct exposure, domestic integrators source controls independently | no operational link, Chinese robot builders face separate technician training gaps | FANUC Corporation backs US sales with local engineering talent, defending automation share | North American factory lines reduce automation commissioning delays as trained labor supply rises | | FANUC training academy opening | no direct exposure, domestic integrators source controls independently | no operational link, Chinese robot builders face separate technician training gaps | FANUC Corporation backs US sales with local engineering talent, defending automation share | North American factory lines reduce automation commissioning delays as trained labor supply rises | ## In this story - **Companies:** FANUC - **Tickers:** 6954.T - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Capex ## Primary sources 1. automate.org 2. auburnhills.org 3. engineering.com 4. eastasiabrief.com 5. fanucamerica.com --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "FANUC opens $18 million robotics academy to ease labor gap," November 2, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/robotics/fanuc-opens-18-million-robotics-academy-ease-labor-gap-1070