DETROIT -- Robot maker Fanuc America will expand its Michigan footprint with a $90 million investment to buy property and build an 840,000-square-foot facility in Pontiac that the company says will will be used for engineering and advanced manufacturing purposes.

The Rochester Hills-based subsidiary of Japanese robotics and automation giant Fanuc Corp. said it plans to finish the new "production-ready" plant by late 2027 and that it is expected to employ 225 people. Crain's Detroit Business first reported on the project last week, noting it would be located on 40 acres near the Williams International headquarters in southeast Pontiac.

The facility will allow for "the potential expansion" of robot manufacturing in the United States, said a Tuesday announcement from the company, which is a major robotics supplier for the auto industry. Fanuc said it's seen rising demand for automation around North America, including artificial intelligence, virtual commissioning and digital-twin technologies, where a virtual replica of a factory or assembly line is generated.

“This investment builds on FANUC America’s Michigan manufacturing footprint, which has included producing robots for paint application domestically for more than four decades,” said Mike Cicco, president and CEO of Fanuc America, in a statement.

Fanuc serves a range of industries with its robots and other automation technology, from automotive to aerospace and agriculture to food and beverage. The robotics and automation sector in the United States is expected to grow amid the Trump administration's push to reshore manufacturing. Factors including labor issues and China's fast-automating industries are also fueling more investment domestically. Cicco said the new investment would help strengthen domestic manufacturing,

Beyond the Rochester Hills headquarters, Fanuc already operates north and west campuses in Auburn Hills and other facilities in Pontiac and Shelby Township. It's opening an expanded training academy in Auburn Hills later this year, which the company says will be the biggest robotics skills learning center in the country.

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