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Jabil Circuit digs in on defense with robot

A St. Petersburg electronic design firm, in partnership with iRobot, ventures into the war zone with a machine that acts as a surrogate soldier in Iraq.

By Madhusmita Bora, Times Staff Writer
Published March 10, 2008

An Army soldier from the 256th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, prepares his Humvee's Blue Force Tracker in Iraq in 2005. In the past three years, the defense division of Jabil has worked on products such as ruggedized computers for Humvee. Video Robot with local roots sniffs out bombs
	[Department of Defense]

ADVERTISEMENT [iRobot] Members of the 705th Explosive Ordnance Disposal from Fort Polk in Louisiana are deployed in Iraq and deal with improvised explosive devices in the Mosul area. The 705th relies on remote-controlled PackBots with an arm and several live-feed video cameras that keep the operator at a safe distance.

They burst into Iraqi buildings wired with ticking bombs, sniff out explosives in the rugged caves of Afghanistan and work shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. military personnel.

These war robots, or PackBots, save soldiers from harm's way. And part of their existence can be traced to a St. Petersburg-based company.

For two years, Jabil Circuit has handled the critical electronic circuitry on the PackBots. The robots' developer, Massachusetts-based iRobot, the company that wowed homeowners with vacuum-cleaning robot Roomba, picked Jabil after a competitive bidding process in 2005. Since then, 50 Jabil employees have worked on the project. IRobot has delivered 1,300 robots in the past six years.

The partnership reflects Jabil's newest blueprint of diversifying its business, and venturing into areas such as aerospace, defense and medical technology.

In the past two years, Jabil's defense and aerospace division grew at a compound annual rate of 102 percent. The division is bringing in new business for the company, whose fate was once tied to the tech boom and popularity of personal computers.

Most of the work for the defense-related division happens in Jabil's plants in St. Petersburg and Billerica, Mass.

"The desire is to really tap into a growing, emerging market," said Jabil spokesman Ken Darby. Jabil doesn't want to pigeonhole itself into one sector, Darby said.

"We can come out of a recession in much better shape if we have diversity," Darby said.

In tough economic times, it may be a step in the right direction.

Jabil shares took a beating last week, hitting a 52-week low of $12.23, as analysts chimed in and proclaimed that the company is facing a "broad-based slowdown" characterized by sluggish orders from traditional customers.

Consumer electronics and networking equipment still make up a major chunk of the company's business, but with the ongoing war on terror, the move into the defense sector seems well timed and could bring in more business.

"We started pretty small, but we are slowly picking up momentum," said Patrick Redmond, general manager of Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services.

The division has 850 employees overall spread across six sites in four countries, with 650 of them in the St. Petersburg facility.

In the past three years, the defense division has worked on products such as ruggedized computers for Humvee, passenger-screening equipment, shipping containers for security devices and vehicle diagnostic systems.

Redmond said he expects significant growth in the sector through 2010.

"Fifteen years ago, the commercial products companies came to the conclusion that they want to stick to what they do well - product development - and not invest in manufacturing," he said.

"The defense and aerospace companies are arriving at the same conclusion now."

Jabil declined to break down market share numbers forRedmond's division, but said the company is committed to growing defense and aerospace in the long run.

Meanwhile, PackBots equipped with track wheels, grippers, cameras and Nintendo-like controls have been a hit with soldiers.

In December, the U.S. Army awarded an additional $286-million contract to iRobot Corp. for up to 3,000 more robots.

"They are like the police dogs," said Robert Moses, senior vice president of operations at iRobot. "The soldiers end up having a relationship with these robots."

Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Madhusmita Bora can be reached at mbora@sptimes.com or 813 225-3112.

Jabil defense efforts, by the numbers

850 Number of employees in Jabil's defense and aerospace division.

102% Annual compounded growth rate of the division since 2006.

62% Expected growthrate through 2010.

6 Locations in four countries where Jabil manufactures defense-related products.

650 Number of employees working on defense- and aerospace-related products in St. Petersburg.

Source: Jabil Circuit

What are PackBots?

They are robots used in war zones to sniff out improvised explosive devices and bombs.

What are THEIR key Features?Light enough to be deployed by a single person. They can lift up to 15 pounds and travel up to 5 miles per hour and can adapt to a variety of missions for soldiers and first responders.

How tough are they? PackBots can withstand a 6-foot drop onto concrete, being thrown through a window, tumbling down stairs and being deployed from a low-altitude helicopter. They can also withstand submersion in 6feet of water.

How do soldiers treat them?Soldiers get attached to these robots; some give them names such as Johnny 5 and Scooby Doo.

Why are they called PackBots?Because you can pack different equipment on them and carry them around.

Source: iRobot

[Last modified March 7, 2008, 22:12:01]