Get to Know the JR Automation Detroit, MI Team
Posted: November 3, 2023
Our team has over 2,000 talented employees who are spread out between 21 locations around the United States, Singapore, and France! Each location has its own set of capabilities, unique aspects or specialty areas, and people that make them stand out from the other JR Automation locations.
Get an insider’s peek at our Auburn Hills, MI facilities and the people who create innovative solutions for our customers.
Key Facts About the JR Automation Detroit Facilities
Where: Auburn Hills, MI and Lake Orion, MI (located on the outskirts of Detroit).
Who: 400 talented team members
Manufacturing space: The team is spread out between two facilities with a combined total of 285,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space.
What the Talented Team is Capable Of
"While our group is heavily geared toward the automotive sector, we are also active participants in everything from automatic truss assembly to ecommerce,” said Brian Rogus, the VP of the Detroit facilities. “We leverage the entire JR Automation footprint in order to meet our customers’ expectations whenever necessary."
The team typically handles large customer projects due to the amount of floor space they have designated for customer work. Some of their core areas include: 
- Assembly
- Powertrain
- Tires and wheels
- Press
- Plastics
- Body
- Paint and dispense
Celebrating and Having Fun as a Team
Like most of the JR Automation facilities, team members in our Detroit locations enjoy the fun times together too! Besides the standard company events like quarterly lunches, the annual golf outing, and onsite barbeques when the weather cooperates, the team enjoys other activities. Some of which involve competition!
Activities team members can participate in include:
- Games like pool or ping pong (can win gift cards!)
- Nerf war competitions
- Bagel Thursday
- Free fruit weekly
The team hosts Diagonal Slice Meetings. These meetings are unique. Diagonal Slice Meetings provide a diverse group of employees with the chance to connect face-to-face with the locations VP to ask any questions they want.
The team has an annual award. The Jack Flasch Award was developed to honor Jack Flasch, an employee of JR Automation who lost his battle with lung cancer in 2008. Jack was known for being a tremendous mentor, role model, and innovator. This award was established to immortalize his reputation and contributions to the industry and company. Team members who exemplify mentorship, loyalty, dedication, and quality are nominated by their peers for this award.
On top of involvement with activities the JR Community Cares Foundation (The JRCCF) puts on, employees in the Detroit facilities do good for their community through holding quarterly fundraising activities.
A Focus on Community Involvement
Something exciting to the Detroit locations is the apprenticeship program that was launched this fall! The team partners with area businesses and schools to find and retain local talent interested in careers in automation. The team believes in having strategic partnerships not only with customers, but other local organizations too. Some of the current community partnerships include:
- Oakland Community College for their PLC program for hands-on training on programmable logic controllers.
- Oakland County for their grant program.
- Women in Manufacturing.
The team puts a focus on promoting staff members for open internal opportunities that allow them to receive training and chances to grow.
