We were honored to host Gardner Carrick, vice president of Strategic Initiatives at the Manufacturing Institute, at our facility a few weeks ago to discuss “disruptive innovations in manufacturing.” More simply put, anything that disrupts an existing market or value network so we discussed how emerging technologies, like next-generation robotics, specifically “cobots” and additive manufacturing, popularly referred to 3D printing, are impacting traditional manufacturing processes.

Our technology leader, Ron Brown, also joined Carrick to discuss the state of manufacturing and how technology impacts manufacturing. Everyone recognized the importance of educating and providing manufacturers access to these cutting-edge capabilities. We had a full room of engaged local manufacturing representatives who asked great questions during the presentation.

The presentation was based off of a series of reports from the Manufacturing Institute about the technologies that are changing the face of manufacturing and how these technologies will impact the workforce, the market, and the growth of U.S. manufacturing. The full reports can be found here.

Matt Glynn from The Buffalo News attended and wrote a great story in follow up to the presentation.

For those who couldn’t join us, we’ve posted our presentation here for you to click through.