D I R E C T O R
I N D U S T R I A L
A U T O M A T O N
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
CORPORATION INFORMATION
- Corporation Name: Industrial Automaton
- Headquarters: Fondor
- Locations:
- Operations: Droid Production
- Parent Corporation: Roble Manufacturing
- Subsidiaries: N/A
Industrial Automaton is one of the most well-known droid manufacturers in the galaxy, a long-time competitor of Cybot Galactica, and the creator of the popular R-series of astromech droids. Formed almost a millennia before the Battle of Yavin, the company was the product of a merger between Industrial Intelligence and Automata Galactica. Quickly gaining wealth, it soon began to vie for control of the droid-manufacturing market with Cybot Galactica, the two rivals becoming known as the 'Big Two' of droid production. Known for its high-precision merchandise and deep discounts, it even survived multiple galactic regimes through its ruthless business strategy.
Eventually, the company cornered the market through the introduction of the R-series astromech droids. Earlier models were deemed critical failures, but the R2-series quickly became a beloved model throughout the galaxy, still being popularized centuries after the model had been introduced. The success of the R2-series led to successor models, such as the R4-series used predominately by the old Jedi Order, and the R7 and R8-series constructed during the era of the New Republic. These designs were successful, but not as well received; the production of the R5-series was forcibly canceled after poor sales, and warranty on booster rocket features were limited after a series of injuries caused by falling droids.
Nevertheless, these minor setbacks did not prevent Industrial Automaton from losing its relevance in the droid market, thanks not only to the popularity of its astromech droids but of its other varied production models; protocol droids such as the LOM-series, the SE4 servant droid, labor droids, and security dorids. Industrial Automaton also produced a number of droid components and automated devices.
However, the Gulag Plague was a crisis unforeseen by executive leadership, and with much of the galaxy isolated, Industrial Automaton's sales plummeted into irrelevancy. Much of its material and assets were lost. When the crisis ended, nearly four centuries later, Industrial Automaton was a shell of its former self. The droids that it had previously produced were now part of an elaborate second-hand resale market, and with a diversified market from many startups during the four-hundred-year darkness, Industrial Automaton's wares were no longer as competitive as they had been before the Gulag Plague.
The company went through multiple changes in ownership, each owner promising to revitalize sales and put Industrial Automaton at the top of the droid market once more. The most successful in this endeavor was
Stardust Solus Skirae
, who purchased the company at a record-low price and saved it from bankruptcy through the implementation of new marketing campaigns and ease-of-access storefronts and shipping throughout the galaxy. Now, in the hands of Roble Manufacturing, investors anticipate an even larger gain for the historic company as it ventures into a new age of droid production and manufacture, lead by the steady hand of Alban Roble.RATIONALE
Over the course of the four-hundred-year darkness, Industrial Automaton's worth depreciated by enormous percentages, to the point it was purchased in 856 ABY for only five million credits. The leadership of Stardust Skirae returned some worth to the company, but did not yet rebuild it to the titan of industry it was; four years later, it was bought-out by Alban Roble and Roble Manufacturing in exchange for fifty-five million credits and a five-percent stake in profits for the previous owner.
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