JULY 16--Seiko Instruments USA (Torrance, CA; www.seiko-instruments-usa.com) has sold its Factory Automation Division to Seiko Epson Corp. and its affiliate Epson America Inc. The transfer of operations is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2001. Michael Ferrara, general manager of the division, commented, "We have developed a long-standing partnership in robotics with Epson in North and South America. Our being part of Epson is something that our customers with international manufacturing operations will be happy to hear."

Kenji Sakai, general manager of the factory automation systems department at Seiko Epson, stated, "This acquisition integrates Epson's robot operations under the Epson brand name. It will make sales and development more efficient, unify our products on a global scale, and give us access to software-development resources cultivated over the years by Seiko Instruments."

This equipment is used in the manufacturing of automotive, biotechnology, electronics, medical, pharmaceutical, photonics, and communications products.

Mon Jul 16 11:00:00 CDT 2001