Today, your factory floor can be as agile, flexible and innovative as you need it to be. This week on the blog, Stevan Dobrasevic of Bright Machines discusses how modular automation is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and shares examples of how today’s leading companies are using this approach to their competitive advantage.

William Crane is CEO of IndustryStar, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based on-demand supply chain services and software technology company that partners with mobility leaders to reduce cost, time and risk of bringing new vehicles, modules and components to market. This week on the blog, Crane discusses four practical applications of select Industry 4.0 tools and how to leverage them to accelerate your future program launches.

You can find a podcast for just about anything these days. In fact, there are over 800,000 unique podcast shows available to the public and 54 million podcast episodes, according to the latest stats from Edison Research and Triton Digital. That number will continue to grow in 2020, as the platform becomes even more popular. This week on the blog, we're helping you cut through the noise by curating an essential list of industry-specific podcasts to entertain and inspire you in the New Year.

Automation Alley added 5 new members in December 2019. Click the link below to meet them.

As 2019 comes to a close, let's revisit some of our most popular blog posts of the year in terms of page views and social media engagement. Over the past 12 months, our guest contributors have shared their technical expertise, their successes and failures and their insights as we all navigate through the digital transformation together. They've made you think about how to work smarter, inspired you to innovate, and, most importantly, encouraged you to take action as Industry 4.0 transforms the way we we do business.

Automation Alley recently welcomed three new tenant companies to our International Business Center, a soft-landing space located at our Troy, Mich. Headquarters. It’s one of the unique features of our facility and it’s always interesting to meet with the employees of these international companies to learn more about why they are choosing Michigan to expand their business. So, why expand your business to Michigan? These five reasons below are what we hear most often from our foreign tenants.

We’ve learned that AI and machine learning can help manufacturing with predictive analytics, preventative maintenance, demand forecasting and so much more. But how do we actually get down to doing it? This week on the blog, Jeeva Nadarajah, founder and CEO of Serendip, a community of technologists and problem solvers, discusses AI and machine learning hype vs. reality and takes us through the AI pyramid.

Automation Alley added 7 new members in November. Click the link below to meet them.

The term Industry 4.0 conjures up images of high-tech factories filled with connected robots performing work previously performed by people. However, the technologies that are enabling this transformation are not just confined to the plant floor. They are being used throughout organizations to drive efficiency and improve operational performance. Their reach is even felt in the world or professional services. This week on the blog, Bryan Powrozek of Clayton & McKervey discusses what companies must consider before moving forward with new technologies.

This week on the blog, Jerry Foster, CTO of Plex Systems, discusses how technology should be used as a tool, not an endgame while offering up his top three tips all manufacturers should consider to successfully adopt and benefit from Industry 4.0 technologies.