Eric Dan, president of Yaskawa Israel (formerly Ashad Robotics): "The visit on the occasion of the acquisition of our company by Yaskawa Global, is a step of Japan's deep expression of confidence in Israeli capabilities."
This week, for the first time, three Japanese managers from the highest management level of the giant Japanese robotics corporation Yaskawa, the largest in the world (about 20% of global robot production) arrived in Israel, led by Toshihiro Sawa, member of the board of directors and head of the drive control division.
The executives took part in a celebratory launch event with many participants, which took place at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv, on the occasion of the acquisition of the Israeli technology company YET from Rosh Ha'Ein, which provides the corporation with advanced technologies in the field of advanced control, automation and robotics that are embedded in Yaskawa products and installed in the production lines of many companies around the world.
The event was attended by: Japanese Ambassador to Israel Yoshinori Katori, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports Prof. David Mandelovich, Members of Knesset Michael Eitan, and Chairman of the Israel-Japan Chamber of Commerce Ehud Ratsavi. The managers from the highest management level of Yaskawa: Shuii Murakami, Yoshikatsu Minami and Toshihiro Sawa. Senior officials and businessmen from the hi-tech, semiconductors, automatic mechanization and robotics industries also participated.
This visit is a deep expression of training on the part of the robotics giant Yaskawa in Israel and its advanced Israeli technology. Indeed, in the opening remarks to the event delivered by Eric Dan, President and CEO of Yaskawa Israel, he emphasized the fact that we are all aware that Israeli technology, people, and Israeli money usually flow out, and in this case it is actually a reverse process in which a huge corporation invests in Israel and wants to turn an Israeli company in Israel into a center International technology.
Prof. David Mendelovitz also spoke passionately about the importance of investments by large companies in Israel, noting that "as a representative of the Israeli government, he supports and is satisfied with this type of cooperation, in which a small Israeli company with unique technology integrates into a huge corporation that has a significant and sizable share in the world market." According to Prof. Mandelovich, the agreement to turn the company in Israel into a global technology center is a significant process that is in line with the view of the Ministry of Science, and is the type of business in which both parties benefit equally." He also added that "Yaskova brings with her 93 years of experience and is considered a leader in the market. YET brings with it a unique thought and unconventional technology that integrates into the drive control. The scientist also referred to the scope of the cooperation between the two countries and emphasized that at the national level he is beginning to see great motivation on the part of the Japanese to accelerate the business and economic cooperation between Japan and Israel."
Japanese Ambassador Yoshinori Katori stated that he sees the deal as a positive potential for strengthening the relationship between the two countries and he predicts that in the coming years we will see many more businessmen from both sides doing joint business. Ambassador Katori emphasized that Japan is interested in tightening economic relations between the two countries. "I believe that many Japanese still do not know Israel, have not visited it, but slowly we are seeing more and more attempts by Israeli companies and businesses in Japan and we intend to help Israel and Japan to deepen the economic relations and business ties between them. Japan fully appreciates Israel's technological capabilities and it is important to deepen the process more and more."
Toshihiro Sawa, head of the Drive Control Division at Yaskawa, said in his congratulatory remarks that: "The direct investment in the plant in Israel is part of a strategic decision to see Israel as a main development focus, in favor of the production of futuristic technology." The robotics giant sees Israel as a strategic destination for its investments in the future, and intends to deepen its investments here and establish a development center for global operations. As a leading international corporation in the field of automation, which includes motion control and robotics, with a turnover of 3.8 billion dollars, we are proud of our achievements and hope for continued positive growth towards the company's 100th birthday in 2015.
