Miller Electric expands welding automation offering

Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Appleton, Wis., has entered into a strategic partnership with Panasonic Welding Systems Co. Ltd., a division of Panasonic Corp., to make Miller Welding Automation, a new business unit, the distribution route for Panasonic robotic welding arms in North America. The welding arms will be combined with Miller products and delivered to the market as part of a complete automated welding system.

As a part of this transaction, Miller has purchased assets of the Panasonic Factory Solutions Company of America (PFSA) welding automation business. The affected PFSA employees will join the new business.

The new business unit will establish a new, dedicated welding automation facility in Carol Stream, Ill., and a support office in Mississauga, Ont. It will offer preintegrated systems and stand-alone automated welding components in cooperation with its distributor partners. For more complex customer requirements, Miller will support application-specific systems to qualified integrators.