New man to head up Motoman Robotics (UK)

Mr Cooper succeeds John D’Angelillo, who after eight years has moved to head up the Group’s Italian operation. Prior to joining Motoman, Mr Cooper was managing director of woodworking machinery manufacturer, Homag UK. Before that he gained extensive experience with one of the world’s largest metalworking machine tool manufacturers, DMG, working in the Americas and Far East as well as in the UK. “In the British market, Motoman is well established in arc and spot welding, particularly in the automotive sector. One of my objectives is to expand sales in other application areas, notably materials handling, machining, painting and gluing," said Mr Cooper. “Another specific aim is to build on our good reputation for service and I intend to increase resources in that area. Guaranteed response times for call-outs, development of our telephone hotline and promotion of service contracts for preventative maintenance will be initial priorities.” The Japanese company Yaskawa manufactures Motoman robots. Its production facility has increased output to 2,000 units per month and offers the widest range on the market, with payloads from 3 kg to 600 kg. The company sold its 150,000th robot in October 2006, making it the number one robot manufacturer worldwide.