Omron Electronics LLC recently opened a new R&D facility in Kansai Science City, Japan, that will help the company develop new technologies to serve growth markets.
Omron, which invests 7% of sales back into R&D each year, will dedicate resources to RFID technology, in-line inspection, machine safeguarding, and component traceability within the automation business--which represents 50% of the company's total $4.4 billion in revenue.
However, "the real opportunity is outside the factory floor," noted Frank Newburn, Omron's CEO of the Americas, speaking at a recent company meeting. Efforts are being made in the entertainment and amusement industry, commercial cooking systems, and commercial vehicles. The company is also making strategic investments in optical communication and MEMS technology.
The new Keihanna Technology Innovation Center--which consolidates four existing regional research facilities into one--will help Omron move away from component sales and towards being a "solution provider." The center allows researchers to work closely and find ways to fully integrate products that can be delivered as a total package to vertical markets, rather than the piecemeal approach, according to Omron officials.