“Its an exciting time for the robotics industry and RIA membership is at a record number."

(Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA - January 20, 2015) The 2015 RIA Board of Directors election results were announced today during the A3 Business Forum in Orlando, Florida. Winners of the election include:

*Supplier Category - John Clark, Epson America; Tim DeRosset, Yaskawa Motoman; Joe Gemma, KUKA Robotics; and Scott Eckert, Rethink Robotics.
*Integrator Category - Chuck Keibler, Genesis Systems Group; Scot Lindemann, JR Automation; Pete Squires, Schneider Packaging Equipment; and Earl Wohlrab, Itelligrated Systems.
*User Category - Dana Komin, General Motors; Mark Lewandowski, Procter & Gamble; and John Dulchinos, Jabil.
*Researchers - Steve Rock, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The RIA Board Executive Committee in 2015 includes the following industry leaders:

*Chair Stu Shepherd, KUKA Robotics;
*Past Chair Catherine Morris, ATI Industrial Automation;
*First Vice Chair Mike Jacobs, Applied Manufacturing Technologies;
*Second Vice Chair Mick Estes, FANUC America;
*Secretary Curtis Richardson, Spirit Aerosystems; and
*RIA President Jeff Burnstein.

"Im happy to be working with the new and returning board members to plan the strategic direction of our association this year," said Burnstein. "Its an exciting time for the robotics industry and RIA membership is at a record number. Were looking forward to continuing our mission of educating, promoting, and advancing robotics."

The remaining board members for 2015 include John Bubnikovich, ABB; Henrik Christensen, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Dean Elkins, Yaskawa Motoman.

About Robotic Industries Association (RIA)
Founded in 1974, RIA is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to improving the regional, national and global competitiveness of the manufacturing and service sectors through promotion, education and advancement of robotics and related automation. RIA represents 345 robot manufacturers, system integrators, component suppliers, end users, consulting firms, research groups, and educational institutions. The association hosts a number of events including the A3 Business Forum (January 21-23, 2015 in Orlando, FL) and the biennial Automate Show & Conference (March 23-26, 2015 in Chicago). RIA also provides quarterly robotics statistics and has a content-rich website, Robotics Online. For more details on RIA, visit Robotics Online or call (734) 994-6088.

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, and Motion Control Association (MCA). RIA, AIA, and MCA combined represent some 800 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.

For more information, please visit our websites: A3; RIA; AIA; MCA.