Rochester Hills – October 19, 2026 -- FANUC America has opened an $18 million, 132,000-square-foot Training Academy in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It more than doubles classroom count from 13 to 28 and is billed as the largest corporate robotics and industrial automation training center in the United States.
Three-story Auburn Hills facility replaces Rochester Hills training site
The Academy sits on FANUC America's West Campus and includes 56,300 square feet of training space for technicians, engineers, educators, students and manufacturing professionals. It replaces the training facility inside the company's Rochester Hills headquarters.
Together with eight other regional facilities, the Academy gives FANUC's training network capacity for about 17,500 participants a year. The network runs more than 160 robots and over 40 CNC simulators.
$18 million Academy brings FANUC's Michigan commitment to $108 million
The Academy complements the $90 million Michigan manufacturing expansion FANUC announced in March. That facility is intended to provide production-ready capacity for potential expansion of U.S.-based robot manufacturing, engineering and advanced manufacturing operations.
FANUC America President and CEO Mike Cicco said skilled-worker availability remains one of the industry's greatest challenges as North American manufacturers invest in robotics, automation and AI-enabled technologies. U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling toured the site and credited the $108 million Michigan investment with strengthening American manufacturing and creating opportunities for workers.
CERT program reaches 1,700 schools and about 60,000 students a year
FANUC's Certified Education Training (CERT) program supports more than 1,700 schools across North America. It engages roughly 60,000 students annually in robotics, CNC and automation education.
The Academy will also host training for manufacturers and system integrators, educator certification, community college partnerships and high school mechatronics programs. Rich Meyer, general manager of FANUC America's Customer Service Group, said "advanced automation requires advanced skills."
Michigan-first construction adds cafeteria, parking and 2027 call center space
Frank Rewold & Sons led construction, supported by Michigan-based subcontractors. The building also includes a full-service cafeteria and 200 additional parking spaces. It has reserved space for a customer support call center scheduled for completion in 2027.
The Academy follows the $110 million FANUC West Campus, opened in Auburn Hills in 2024, which lifted FANUC America's footprint to more than 2 million square feet. Also in 2024, FANUC established a $1 million FANUC Automation Endowed Scholarship Fund with the SME Education Foundation.