Senior GM of Yaskawa Motoman Receives Award
Dean Elkins is honored with the 2016 Engelberger Robotics Award for leadership in the robotics industry.
Posted: November 30, 2016
“This award is the pinnacle to what has been an incredible career in the robotics industry. Being recognized by my industry peers as someone worthy of an award associated with Joe and his legacy is completely humbling.”
The Robotic Industries Association (RIA; Ann Arbor, MI) announced recipients of the industry’s highest honor, the Engelberger Robotics Award, for 2016. The awards were presented to Dean Elkins and Dr. Chia Day at a special ceremony in Munich, Germany, that was held in conjunction with the joint 47th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR 2016) and AUTOMATICA, the International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics.
The awards, named after Joseph F. Engelberger, the worldwide “father of robotics,” are presented annually by RIA to honor individuals who have a significant impact on the robotics industry. Each recipient received a special plaque, commemorative medallion and a $5,000 honorarium. Beginning with the initial presentation in 1977, 122 industry leaders from 17 nations have now been selected for this honor.
“To continue the tradition of honoring Mr. Engelberger, we are privileged to add two well-deserving individuals to the illustrious list of people who have made a great impact on the robotics industry,” said Jeff Burnstein, the president of RIA. “We’re delighted to present the awards to Dr. Chia Day and Dean Elkins this year to recognize their achievements in robotics.”
Dr. Day was awarded in the application category and has been directly responsible for the installation of 40,000 robots over four years at Foxconn (New Taipei City,Taiwan). This unprecedented volume of robots over a short duration represents a significant portion of growth in the robotics industry. More importantly, the deployment of these units in consumer electronics assembly is opening a new market for industrial robots. He has been instrumental in directing this program and finding the optimal applications within Foxconn’s operations. His long history in robotics and industrial automation has proven essential to the success of the Foxbot program and the phenomenal growth of the Chinese domestic robotics market.
“It’s like a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing contributions to the field of robotics in a career,” said Dr. Day. “It’s an honor to be in the “Hall of Fame” with other major recognized leaders in the field.”
Elkins, who was awarded for robotics industry leadership, is a senior general manager of Yaskawa America, Inc. Motoman Robotics Division (Miamisburg, OH). His long career of volunteer service with the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) includes serving as past chair on both the A3 and RIA boards, as well as chairing committees for The Automate Show and RIA membership. He began his career at Motoman in 1989 as a regional sales manager and went on to hold positions as a director of third party sales, vice president of Standard Products and International, and vice president of U.S. sales. Along the way, he assisted in the incorporation of Motoman subsidiaries of Yaskawa Motoman Mexico S.A. de C.V., Yaskawa Motoman Canada, Ltd., and Yaskawa Motoman Brazil.
Elkins started his robotics career in 1981 and has worked for Reis Robots, Ellison Robotics, Cimcorp Par Systems and Hobart Brothers. He graduated with a BA degree in Psychology from Southern Illinois University in 1979. “The thought of even being mentioned in the same sentence as past Engelberger award winners is beyond incredible,” he said. “This award is the pinnacle to what has been an incredible career in the robotics industry. Being recognized by my industry peers as someone worthy of an award associated with Joe and his legacy is completely humbling.”
RIA is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Engelberger Robotics Awards. For more details about the award or to submit a nomination, please click here. Founded in 1974, RIA is a not-for-profit trade association driving innovation, growth, and safety in manufacturing and service industries through education, promotion, and advancement of robotics, related automation technologies, and companies delivering integrated solutions. RIA represents 390 robot manufacturers, system integrators, component suppliers, end users, consulting firms, research groups, and educational institutions. They also provide quarterly robotics statistics and has a content-rich website.
A3 is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. The organization promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. They are the umbrella group for RIA, Advancing Vision + Imaging (AIA) and the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). RIA, AIA, and MCMA combined represent some 940 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward.
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