Adept focuses on acquisitions to secure new markets

Citation

Bloss, R. (2001), "Adept focuses on acquisitions to secure new markets", Industrial Robot, Vol. 28 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2001.04928aaf.001

Adept focuses on acquisitions to secure new markets

Adept focuses on acquisitions to secure new markets

Adept Technology, the most important US-owned robot supplier, is undergoing some major changes in strategy and direction. Industrial Robot was granted an exclusive interview with Joe Campbell, vice president, marketing, at Assembly Expo 2000 to get an insight into these dramatic moves (see Plate 1).

Plate 1 Joe Campbell

IR: How do you define the mission of Adept Technology in the new millennium?

JC: We design, manufacture and market factory automation solutions for fiber optic, telecommunications/electronics, semiconductor, automotive, appliance and other durable goods industries throughout the world. Our robots, controllers and software products are used for small parts assembly, material handling and ultra precision discrete process applications. We offer customers complete, easily applied automation solutions, which we call rapid deployment automation.

We market our products on a worldwide basis through 300 system integration partners, with our direct salesforce and through OEMs.

IR: What are the changes that are under way at Adept Technology to accomplish this mission?

JC: Adept Technology has carefully reviewed and analyzed our growth to US$120 million in turnover from our founding in 1983. We now want to build on our leadership position as the largest independent robot company, our leadership in SCARA robots and as a supplier of OEM robot controllers.

We have targeted semiconductor, fiber optics and telecommunications applications as growth opportunities for Adept in this decade. To best serve these segments we have made some selected acquisitions, developed some unique new products and refocused some of our resources.

IR: What acquisitions have you made?

JC: Several years ago we acquired SILMA, an important simulation software house. More recently we acquired BYE/Oasis, a factor in the semiconductor and fiber optics production segment. Most recently, we closed on the acquisition of HexaVision Technologies located in Quebec, which has innovative vision systems software.

IR: What does each of the acquisitions bring to Adept?

JC: SILMA put us into simulation software. We knew that making it easier for system designers to develop robot applications was an important opportunity. We saw simulation as a key element of our rapid deployment automation solution.

BYE/Oasis brought us technology and experience in fiber optic device and semiconductor production automation. We had identified semiconductor, fiber optic and communications device production as a significant growth opportunity for Adept. The acquisition of skills to serve that segment is a much quicker means to being a factor in the market. We gained not only important technology skills but a reference list and established product designs.

HexaVision, our latest acquisition, added important geometric object locations algorithms to our vision systems. This will advance our vision-system-based servo functions for fiber optic alignment, semiconductor production and mainstream automated piece picking and assembly systems applications.

IR: How important are the major end user segments you described to Adept?

JC: Electronics and telecommunications represent more than 30 percent of our turnover, followed by semiconductor and automotive applications, each at more than 15 percent.

IR: What are the applications you serve within those industry segments?

JC: About half of our shipments are applied to material handling applications, with assembly applications accounting for another 30 percent.

IR: What are the product innovations Adept has developed to serve these segments?

JC: While we are best known for SCARA robots, we saw the need to extend both our component products and add application specific platforms.

We have a new six-axis AdeptVector robot which is fully compatible with our controllers, options and software. We are also introducing new precision positioning platforms for fiber optics production which offer fine, micro and nano-positioning capabilities.

Very exciting are the new SmartModules. These are linear axis modules which include the first truly distributed digital servo form factor. Each linear axis has its own prime mover, power amplifier and digital control logic located on-board. The benefits include much simpler wiring, as much as 65 percent less than in traditional separate controller and linear stage designs. No feedback cables or individual motor power cables are required. The control cage is reduced from control card, motion control card, power amplifier for each axis, connectors and power supply to just the system control card. A single network communications connector links the controller to all the SmartModules using the FireWire protocol.

We have entered the fiber optics industry with our NanoLine stages. We offer the fastest, most robust production ready precision XYZ stages in three- to eight-axes configurations. We have a 0.25mm work envelope which is also the largest available in the industry. We can also offer a fiber optic assembly cell, a next higher level of integration to our system integration partners. This allows them to focus on overall systems design and implementation.

We are also introducing semiconductor production cells which include integrated wafer handling, cassette handling, loading ports, vision systems and OCR capabilities.

In assembly system simulation we have greatly extended our robotic cell simulation capabilities to now address simulation of an entire system with our production pilot package. Our approach to simulation not only evaluates cycle time but examines life cycle factors, inter-stage relationships and production yield issues such as fastening methods and alignment factors.

The designer can test "what if" issues relating to cost/life tradeoffs, product design for production and overall configuration. We delayed offering full assembly system simulation until we could include a full range of capabilities to evaluate factors we knew impacted on productivity, cost and quality.

IR: How has Adept addressed the changing marketing environment?

JC: We continue to rely heavily on our 300 systems integration partners and OEM partners to meet customer needs for productivity answers. To adapt the latest communications technology with our partners' needs, we have joined in a venture, Fastfactory, an Internet activity.

Charlie Duncheon, formerly senior VP of marketing and sales for Adept, is CEO and co-founder of Fastfactory, a joint venture with other suppliers who need to communicate product information, systems configuration, delivery scheduling and order processing data with production system integrators.

Fastfactory expects to have this Web-based information resource and communication channel available by the end of 2000. The venture is directed toward system integrators who need to access the most up-to-date product and configuration information, order schedule data and design help to efficiently design and develop the best possible systems in a timely and cost-effective manner.

You can also see here at Assembly Expo 2000 that our stand includes eight partners who have joined in the largest Adept Technology trade show exhibit ever. We know that growth comes through meaningful partnerships with systems integrators and OEM accounts.

Richard Bloss