Industrial Automaton/Legends

Industrial Automaton is one of the two primary droid manufacturers in the Galaxy. "IA" is a company specializing in droids for all trades and walks of life. It's most popular products are the R-series astromech droids, in particular the versatile R2 unit.

Industrial Automaton was formed over 850 years before the rise of the Empire with the merger of Industrial Intellect and Automata Galactica. Industrial Automaton has become a vastly wealthy company, and vies for control of the droid market with fellow manufacturing giant Cybot Galactica. These rival companies have become known as the 'Big Two' of droid production. IA is known for its high-precision merchandise and deep discounts, and is ruthless enough to survive during the reign of the Galactic Empire. The company was also one of the first Contributing Sponsors of the Corporate Sector Authority. IA maintains factories in many locations, including Rordis City on Nubia.

Industrial Automaton came to monopolize the droid market through production of its most popular creation; the R-series astromech droid. While early models were deemed a critical failure, IA's R2-series astro-droid became beloved across the Galaxy. The success of the R2 led to further R-series models, including the R4 units often used as navigators by Jedi star-pilots, and, during the era of the New Republic, the advanced R7 and R8 models. While these designs proved successful, others were not so well received; Industrial Automaton was forced to cancel production of its R5-series droids after poor sales, and later limited the warranty on astromech booster rockets after a series of injuries caused by falling droids.

Despite these minor setbacks, Industrial Automaton has remained a constant presence in the droid market, thanks not only to its astromech designs, but also to the rest of its varied production line. Industrial Automaton has created protocol droids, such as the LOM-series and the SE4 servant, labour droids including ASPs and FLR loggers, and security droids in the form of Mark IV drones and Hound-W2 Scanning Patrol Detail units. In addition to its droids designs, IA has produced a number of automated devices, including targeting computers, that are powered by droid brains.