TOKYO -- Japanese motor maker Nidec plans to nearly triple production capacity for a key part in industrial robots this fiscal year, taking advantage of the rapid rise in demand for automation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The expansion focuses on gear reducers, particularly strain wave gears, used mainly in joints for robot arms. Nidec will spend 10 billion yen ($80 million) to enlarge a manufacturing site in the Philippines, lifting the company's total capacity combined with domestic facilities to 80,000 units per month from 30,000 now.
