Written by Liz Miller
Visuals by Ella Manthey
It’s not every day — and certainly not at every peer-to-peer conference — that you see a robotic dog flitting through a crowded room. But that was exactly the scene at “Manufacturing Forward, Real World Automation” at Saint Louis University (SLU) on Wednesday, July 29.
Hosted by the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center St. Louis (AMICSTL), the event brought together advanced manufacturing experts and professionals for a day stacked with educational panel discussions, live automation demos, and networking opportunities to build industry connections.
Kory Matthews, president and CEO of AMICSTL, kicked off the day with a welcome message focused on why automation matters in business today, why manufacturers can’t wait for adoption, and how the organization and the event at SLU fits into the region’s broader manufacturing strategy. Matthews was followed by Jason Stoecker, president of Align Production Systems, who shared the story of how his business has benefited from advanced manufacturing tools and automation.
The event included several panel discussions and audience Q&As around topics such as regional manufacturing momentum with Tracy Henke, deputy director and COO of AMICSTL, and Phyllis Ellison, a senior director at Greater St. Louis, Inc.; a peer case study in automation adoption with Stoecker of Align as well as Karthik Raghavan of Sentio BioSciences, Ruskin Singh of MilliporeSigma, and Kyle Verhoff of True Manufacturing; and a discussion on funding and resources for implementation featuring Keith White of Belcan, Ryan Lause of Melton Machine & Control Company, Shari Schenewerk of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Jason Archer of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, and Mike Devereux of Wipfli Advisory LLC.
During the peer case study discussion, members on the panel agreed that the biggest benefit of automation to their teams has been safety, then quality, then productivity. “We’re dealing with pharmaceutical API production, chemical reactions, extreme conditions, high-pressure solvents, so process safety is a very integral part of this operation,” said Singh of MilleporeSignma. “So putting automation, interlock safety alarms, all those kinds of things, were obviously very big drivers for us.”
Although advanced manufacturing is in a growth moment right now, not all of the companies are new to the industry, as Verhoff of True Manufacturing shared. “We actually started with our first industrial robot back in 1988 with one robotic specialist that we had on the team that was tasked as a side project to see if you can get this going. And it was, at that time, for safety and quality. Since then, we’ve dedicated a lot of resources to this — from that one person, now to have a team of eight internal team members.”
In between panel discussions and over lunch, a series of automation demos displayed just a sample of how advanced robotics and technology can increase safety, quality, and productivity. FPE Automation based in Edwardsville, Illinois, featured two robot demos, including the UR5 CB-Series, a collaborative robot, which automates “pick and parts” for assembly lines and other manufacturing needs. “It shows you a part or a piece, and then you have a person who inspects it,” said Cyress Ahart, a robotics product manager at FPE Automation.
One in 10 jobs in the St. Louis area are based in manufacturing, according to AMICSTL. Employers often provide training and tuition support, with career pathways ranging from assemblers and machine operators to inspectors and testers to welders, joiners, and supply chain managers. To learn more about AMICSTL and its work in our community, visit its website here.
