Takayuki Ito, FANUC Corporation’s Chief Technical Advisor, has been elected as the new President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), which represents 3,000 organisations in over twenty countries.
FANUC
Takayuki Ito was the former IFR Vice President and has spent more than 40 years in the robotics industry. He began his career as a software engineer before becoming Vice General Manager of FANUC’s robot laboratory, and Executive Vice President for FANUC Robotics in North America in 1997.
He returned to FANUC’s headquarters in Japan in 2002 to take up the position of General Manager for the Robot Technology Center. He transferred to the robot sales division in 2010 to supervise FANUC’s local and later international sales, before being promoted to General Manager of the Robot Sales Division. In July 2023, he took up his current position of Chief Technical Advisor in the Robot Research and Development Division.
During Takayuki Ito’s time at FANUC, the company has grown to become a global player in the robotics industry, culminating in the production of the one millionth FANUC robot in 2023. The company installed its first robot I 1974 and offers over 200 models today, including the largest selection of cobots on the market.
“I am proud to continue the work of my predecessor, Marina Bill, who has been a great ambassador for the world of robotics,” said Takayuki Ito. “We are witnessing rapid change in the automation of industrial and service sectors around the world. Together with Jane Heffner of Mobile Industrial Robots as the new Vice President of the IFR, I look forward to our mission.”