IAI Corporation Company Profile: History, Products and Global Subsidiaries
Updated: 7 days ago
IAI Corporation is a Japanese maker of electric actuators and small robots, best known for RoboCylinder, an electric alternative to the pneumatic cylinder. It was founded in Shizuoka in 1976 and offers more than 25,000 products. This profile sets out its history, products and subsidiaries.
IAI at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | IAI Corporation |
Founded | 1976, in Shizuoka, Japan |
Original business | Robot systems house and automation consulting center |
Catalogue | More than 25,000 products |
Key ranges | RoboCylinder and EleCylinder |
US subsidiary | IAI America, founded 1989 |
European subsidiary | IAI Industrieroboter GmbH, founded 1995 |
Southeast Asian subsidiary | IAI Robot (Thailand), founded 2013 |
Company History
IAI was founded in 1976 as a robot systems house and automation consulting center. It set up IAI America in Los Angeles in 1989 and IAI Industrieroboter in Frankfurt in 1995 as sales and service companies.
The product that defined it arrived in 1999: RoboCylinder, an electric cylinder offered as a replacement for conventional pneumatic cylinders. In 2018 it launched EleCylinder, recognizable by its red and black housings, and has widened that family every few years since.
Key milestones
1976: Founded in Shizuoka.
1989: IAI America founded.
1995: IAI Industrieroboter GmbH founded in Germany.
1999: RoboCylinder introduced.
2013: IAI Robot (Thailand) founded.
2018: EleCylinder launched.
2020: EleCylinder range greatly expanded.
2024: EleCylinder two-finger grippers, mini cylinders and rotary drives added.
2025: Three-position mode added to EleCylinder.
Products
Group | Products |
Electric cylinders | Mini and micro cylinders, rod types and linear drives |
Presses and rotary units | Servo presses and rotary drives |
Gripping | Electric grippers |
Robots | Cartesian robots, tabletop robots and SCARA robots |
Control | Controllers with common fieldbus connections |
What Is Not Covered
The company pages retrieved for this profile do not state IAI's sales, employee numbers, ownership or current management, so those are left out.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
A pioneer of electric actuators as a replacement for pneumatics.
A very large catalogue.
Sales and service companies on three continents.
Challenges
Competition from large pneumatics makers that now sell electric actuators as well.
Limited public financial disclosure.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 4 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
IAI FAQ
When was IAI founded?
In 1976, in Shizuoka, Japan.
What is RoboCylinder?
IAI's range of electric cylinders, introduced in 1999 as an alternative to pneumatic cylinders.
What is EleCylinder?
A newer IAI range of electric actuators, launched in 2018.
What does IAI make?
Electric cylinders, linear and rotary drives, servo presses, grippers, cartesian, tabletop and SCARA robots, and controllers.
Where does IAI have subsidiaries?
In the United States, Germany and Thailand, among others.
Sources
IAI: company profile
IAI: milestones
