While plastics have given us a lot—everything from lifesaving medical devices to twisty straws for our summer ice tea—these magical materials present a big problem: There’s really no good solution for what to do with them, after we’re done using the product. To make matters worse, the life expectancy of the average plastic product is less than a year, meaning so many of these items are used once and tossed away. Enter Spectalite, a Michigan-based, women-owned, advanced engineering and materials manufacturer, specializing in bamboo fiber composite plastics. This week on the blog, Spectalite CEO Kylee Guenther discusses how her company is making a difference by helping customers find new and sustainable materials for their products while helping reduce plastic waste.

For manufacturers today, technological change is coming faster than expected. But for some companies, customer demand for digitization has already reshaped their industry. This has been the case for New York-based reprographics firm A. Esteban & Company. Read about how the company has learned, pivoted and grown to improve profitability and competitiveness.

Mike Harris, founder and vice president at Worksighted, describes how his tech company has benefited from Automation Alley’s Tech Takeover event series and other Industry 4.0 involvement.

Automation Alley added 29 new members in May. Click the link below to meet them.

Strategic equipment investment is a critical part of staying competitive. Planning a procurement path that will keep your business relevant in an ever-changing landscape can be difficult in the best of times and a truly herculean task during periods of rapid market change like we’re seeing today. In times such as these, even the best laid plans may need to be overhauled. Do you take a chance on a new technology that's heavy on potential, but light on real-world evidence, or stay the course with your current equipment and risk falling behind?

Here's a staggering fact: 44 percent of 500 managers feel unprepared for their role. Additionally, 87 percent wish they'd had more training before becoming a manager. How, then, do we prepare new managers to take the lead? From automakers, to colleges, to investment firms, to manufacturers, to municipalities, the lessons taught at Leader Dogs for The Blind reign true for every person willing to practice them, explains Dave Bann, who leads Harness the Power of Leadership at Leader Dogs for The Blind. This week on the blog, Bann explains how the foundational principles taught to Leader Dogs translates to leadership, management, communication and team-building in the workplace.

Innovation is driving industry across the globe, and this was on full display at the recent Hannover Messe industrial trade fair in Hannover, Germany last month. This week on the blog, Automation Alley’s International Business Services team discusses what they learned at this Industry 4.0 showcase and how Michigan companies can capitalize on big opportunities ahead.

While manufacturing today still involves a number of traditional operations, digital technologies are rapidly becoming more deeply integrated into the manufacturing process. Once limited to the four walls of the manufacturing plant, companies are increasingly susceptible to outside variables.

Automation Alley added 10 new members in April. Click the link below to meet them.

Learn more about business, marketing and media company Ardenci and how this creative team of Millennials is making the most of its Automation Alley membership.