2024 Joseph F. Engelberger Award
Robotics Leader Joe Gemma, Selected for 2024 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards
The robotics industry’s most prestigious award will be presented May 8 at Automate in Chicago
ANN ARBOR, Michigan – The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced three longtime industry pioneers as the winners of the 2024 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, the world's most prestigious robotics honor.
Joe Gemma, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Wauseon Machine, was selected as the winner for leadership, recognizing more than 35 years in the automation industry, including past stints on the Robotics Industries Association (RIA), now A3, board of directors and the president and board member of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards are named after the late Joseph F. Engelberger, known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics. Since 1977, these awards have been given to 139 robotics leaders from around the world for excellence in technology development, application, education and leadership.
The winners are recommended by a panel of industry leaders based on all present and past nominations from the industry and voted upon by the past chairs of the RIA. A3 is the organization that administers the award, and each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium and a commemorative medallion and plaque.
“The honorees of this year’s Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards have all played critical roles in the development and growth of our industry,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “Joe’s valuable leadership and contributions to our industry over the last 35+ years, including his roles with both IFR and A3, have been instrumental as we bring greater innovations to users worldwide. And Reymond and Marc-Olivier brought delta robots to life, offering robots much higher productivity rates than ever before due to their increased speed and throughput.”
Joe Gemma: Former IFR president & board member, current A3 Robotics Technology Sector board member
Gemma services as the chief revenue officer at Wauseon Machine & Manufacturing, which provides automation solutions, precision machining, fabrication, and tube forming technologies to manufacturing organizations throughout North America. He joined Wauseon in 2022 with more than 35 years of experience in the automation industry. Early in his career, Gemma spent 12 years working for a system integrator and then over 20 years working for robotics OEMs. Gemma has strongly supported the industry by participating on the RIA Board of Directors, as well as past chair and service on several committees. He currently serves on A3’s Robotics Technology Strategy Board. At Wauseon Machine, Gemma is responsible for the front end of the business as the CRO. Previously he spent more than 5 years as the CEO/CRO for KUKA Robotics Division - Americas. Prior to KUKA, he spent 18 years as CEO for Stäubli Group North America. Until 1997, he worked for the US enterprises, Advanced Technology Systems, Crellin Technologies and Corner & Lada, working in engineering, project management, business development and sales management.
“I am truly humbled and grateful to receive the Joseph F. Engelberger award this year for leadership,” Gemma said. “In fact, this recognition really goes out to all the people I have worked with through the years, and it is an honor to accept this award on their behalf. It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone that has supported us through the years as none of this success would have been possible without the support of my family and colleagues.”
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