The Japanese motor manufacturer will kick off the shopping spree this month with the purchase of robot parts maker MS-Graessner, known for speed-reducing gearboxes key to moving the joints of robot arms. The deal is estimated at roughly 5 billion yen and will be made through subsidiary Nidec-Shimpo.

Nidec is also buying another company this month, as well as two more in January and one in March, spending several billion yen to 20 billion yen on each. The German companies, which make machine tools and robot parts, have already agreed to the deals in principle and are now ironing out the details.