“The most interesting plants grow in the shade.”
– Ms. Thornhill (Christina Ricci), "Wednesday"
1. Santa’s Supply Chain Solution
Kathy Webster is my second favorite writer at AMT (self-love is essential). If you don’t like this winter wonderful article of hers, I hope you find coal in your stocking. Santa's Workshop, a North Pole-based toy manufacturer and distributor, has implemented robots throughout its facility to handle a growing workload with fewer workers. The robots, called cobots, are helping the elves with repetitive and tedious tasks, such as loading and unloading production machines and packing toys. This has allowed the elves more time to build and check toys and tend to the reindeer. Santa is considering adding automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and robotic narrow-aisle forklifts to the warehouse to help with staging loads. With the help of the cobots, he is confident that all presents will be delivered on time and on budget this Christmas.
2. State of Georgia Welcomes German Company With Open (Robot) Arms
From AMT’s Catherine Ross: “Becker Robotic Equipment, a global cable and robotic machinery manufacturer specializing in individualized robotic equipment, will build a new manufacturing facility to house its North American headquarters in Canton. The new facility will deliver more than $30 million in investment and create 137 new jobs in Cherokee County.”
3. A DFAM Startup That’s Taking Of
Novineer is a startup company founded by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University faculty member Dr. Ali Tamijani, which uses 3D printing design and simulation software to speed up the process of creating high-performance 3D printed parts. The company has won multiple awards, including the National Science Foundation Early Career Award in 2019 and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigators Research Program Award in 2017, as well as a $50,000 investment from StarterStudio and a $30,000 investment from the Florida Venture Forum Early-Stage Capital Conference. Novineer has partnered with the Embry-Riddle Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the MicaPlex Technology Business Incubator to develop their design technology further and has created 163 jobs paying an average annual salary of $75,000. The company's goal is to become the design hub for 3D printing.
4. Exoskeletons in Our Future
StrongArm is a workplace technology startup founded in 2013 by Sean Petterson with the mission to help protect industrial workers from preventable injuries. The company has raised over $65 million in venture capital funding and has helped reduce workplace injuries by 52% year-over-year. StrongArm originally intended to produce exoskeletons for workers but repurposed the technology into sensors that track ergonomics and proximity, providing haptic feedback when someone is about to do something to put them at risk. The data collected is used to inform operations and provide insight into how to avoid risks in the future. Petterson's goal is to create a better future for manual workers by creating value and connections in the ecosystem.
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