Arturo Baroncelli has been elected by the International Federation of Robotics Executive Board as their new President. He is currently Segment Manager Director at Comau Robotics in Italy, and he has been a member of the IFR Executive Board since 2008.
?Excellent selection to head the IFR and a wonderful champion of robotics,? said Tom Green, Robotics Business Review?s editor in chief, who co-chaired sessions with Baroncelli at last year?s RoboBusiness Europe debut conference in Genoa, Italy.
Baroncelli?s experiences in robotics are widespread, including strategic planning, product planning, proposal engineering, business development, project management, and marketing and sales. He has been an Executive Board Member of SIRI, the Italian Robotics and Automation Association, since 1990. In addition, Baroncelli has published countless papers, holds several patents, and was the winner of the Joseph Engelberger Award in Tokyo in 2005.
He will be following Dr. Shinsuke Sakakibara, who has served two years as IFR President, and is now stepping down from the position, as well as retiring from the IFR Executive Board and General Assembly.
Baroncelli said, ?The worldwide visibility of the robotics industry continued to increase remarkably during the presidency of Dr. Sakakibara. I want to continue this and I want to raise a positive image and understanding of robotics.?
Joe Gemma, CEO of Staubli in the USA, has been elected to serve as the IFR Vice President. He has just started as a member of the IFR Executive Board. He has experience in business management, and has worked in the manufacturing and automation industries. He is also the 2nd Vice Chair of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) Board of Directors.
Together Baroncelli and Gemma have big plans. Baroncelli said, ?Robots create jobs! Robots increase the competitiveness and productivity of manufacturing companies all over the world creating successful enterprises which raise employment. Robots are becoming easier to use and hence also help small and medium sized companies to improve their production processes.?
Gemma added, ?Automation and robotics is the only way companies can truly compete on the world stage and at the same time have the flexibility to adapt to the dynamic manufacturing environment today and tomorrow. The future is through embracing this technology and sharing the advances it represents. The IFR plays a critical role in spearheading this effort globally.?
