Coordinated Adept SCARA and 6-axis intelligent robots automate Insulet’s OmniPod assembly line
April 25, 2006 — /BUSINESS WIRE/ — LIVERMORE, Calif. — Adept Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADEP), the leading provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics and global robotics services, announced a major medical device automation program with Insulet Corporation for the OmniPod(TM) Insulet Management System, a disruptive technology for insulin delivery in diabetes management.
The OmniPod System integrates insulin infusion and blood glucose monitoring in a safe, easy to use, two part system. Insulet’s medical device production will use Adept Cobra(TM) SCARA robots and Adept Viper(TM) 6-Axis articulated robots under coordinated Smart SERVO control. According to Kevin Schmid, VP of Manufacturing, “We continuously expand our OmniPod production capability in order to satisfy the tremendous demand for this product. We need Adept’s advanced robotics based on their flexibility, speed and dependability for our assembly operations.”
Insulet’s groundbreaking OmniPod is being assembled in the USA. “Insulet is ramping up large-scale manufacturing and requires rapid deployment of Adept’s robotics in our clean room environment,” says Schmid. “Adept has a proven track record in clean room robotics and the ability to scale to meet our demand.”
“It is exciting to see our robots being used in the high growth medical device industry,” says Janine Roth, Vice President Marketing, Adept Technology. “Insulet is an excellent example of a company gaining competitive edge via its progressive manufacturing approach. Adept robots are capable of performing precise, high-quality, and high-throughput applications, all within a controlled environment, making them well-suited for the medical device industry.”
Sal Spada, Research Director for ARC Advisory Group, commented, “With the convergence of embedded intelligence and mechanics in medical products the manufacturing requirements in this industry sector will mirror those experienced in automotive sensors and the semiconductor backend 20 years ago. As medical devices become smaller, more complex, and individually customized it is economically unfeasible to consider an assembly operation without robotics. Based on these drivers, ARC Advisory Group’s most recent assessment of the robotics market projected that the medical device sector would outpace the overall market growth for robotic solutions. As such, over the next five years the robotic shipments into the medical device sector will surpass an 11 percent annual growth.”
Insulet Corporation
Insulet Corporation, located in Bedford MA, is an innovative, privately held diabetes management company dedicated to providing superior treatment options and lifelong health benefits to people with diabetes. Insulet employees have extensive experience in the diabetes and medical device industries. Founded in 2000, the company seeks to improve the lives of people with diabetes, and to break down the barriers to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy, through technology and through communication with healthcare professionals and those personally afflicted.
About Adept Technology, Inc.
Adept Technology, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets robotic systems, motion control and machine vision technology for global markets including automotive, consumer electronics, consumer goods, food, industrial tooling, medical devices, and pharmaceutical. Adept robots, controllers, and software are used for small parts assembly, material handling and packaging. Adept intelligent automation product lines include industrial robots, configurable linear modules, machine controllers for robot mechanisms and other flexible automation equipment, machine vision, and systems and applications software. Founded in 1983, Adept Technology is the largest U.S.-based manufacturer of industrial robots. More information is available at www.adept.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements including statements regarding future operational performance that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The company’s actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the above forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to, future economic, competitive and market conditions including those in Europe and Asia and those related to the company’s strategic markets; the company’s dependence on the continued growth of the intelligent automation market; the company’s highly competitive industry; rapid technological change within the intelligent automation industry; the lengthy sales cycles for the company’s products; the company’s significant fixed costs which are not easily reduced; the risks associated with sole or single sources of supply and lengthy procurement lead times; dependence upon the company’s suppliers; the risks associated with product defects; the potential delays associated with the development and introduction of new products or software releases; or decreased acceptance of the company’s new or current products in the marketplace.
For a discussion of risk factors relating to Adept’s business, see Adept’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005, and Adept’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended October 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005, which includes the discussion in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Factors Affecting Future Operating Results contained therein.
The Adept logo is a registered trademark of Adept Technology, Inc. Adept is a trademark of Adept Technology. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Contacts
Adept Technology, Inc.
Lauren Bucher, 925-245-3400
(Press and Industry Analysts)
Fax: 925-960-0452
[email protected]
Bob Strickland, 925-245-3413
(Financial Analysts)
Fax: 925-960-0452
[email protected]