BEDFORD, Mass., Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer robots, announced that it has officially commenced production in Malaysia ahead of schedule. Working with Jabil Inc., a worldwide manufacturing solutions provider based in St. Petersburg, Florida, iRobot has expanded its manufacturing capabilities into Malaysia as part of its strategic supply chain diversification initiative. Jabil has served as one of iRobot's trusted manufacturing and supply chain partners in China since 2010.
"Establishing manufacturing operations in Malaysia is a fundamental component in our initiative to diversify iRobot's manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, while also mitigating our exposure to current and prospective tariffs on products that are imported from China," said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer at iRobot. "We are thrilled that the new production line in Malaysia is officially up and running earlier than anticipated. Taking this project from start to finish in less than a year was a massive undertaking that required detailed planning, scenario modeling and crisp execution by our operations team and our partner, Jabil. As we move forward, we believe that our investment to establish manufacturing operations in Malaysia will serve us well as the global demand for home cleaning robots across multiple categories continues to grow."
Creator of the Roomba® robot vacuum and Braava® family of mopping robots, iRobot is a consumer robotics innovator, leading a high growth industry that has huge economic potential for the U.S. Since its founding in 1990, iRobot has grown to be a billion-dollar revenue company, employing more than 700 people in the U.S. and more than 1,000 people globally.
iRobot is now producing limited quantities of one Roomba 600 Series model in Malaysia but plans to accelerate volume production for this model beginning in the first quarter of 2020. Additional models may be added to the line over the coming quarters and into 2021.
About iRobot Corporation
iRobot, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and builds robots that empower people to do more both inside and outside of the home. iRobot created the home robot cleaning category with the introduction of its Roomba® Robot Vacuum in 2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold more than 25 million robots worldwide. iRobot's product line, including the Roomba and the Braava® family of mopping robots, feature proprietary technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation. iRobot engineers are building an ecosystem of robots and technologies to enable the smart home. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.
For iRobot Investors
Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to iRobot Corporation's expectations concerning management's plans, objectives and strategies, including those related to diversification of our supply chain. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. iRobot undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by iRobot, see the disclosure contained in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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SOURCE iRobot Corp.
Andrew Kramer, Investor Relations, iRobot Corp., (781) 430-3003,akramer@irobot.com; Charlie Vaida, Media Relations, iRobot Corp., (781) 430-3182, cvaida@irobot.com
