Take your mind back to five years ago. Many of us were celebrating the start of what we thought would be an exciting decade for automation. And well… it’s certainly been different and not quite how most of us expected.

Now, we sit squarely in the middle of a decade that has pushed automation and AI front and center of so many industries now. So how close were our pre-pandemic predictions on automation? And more importantly, where is automation headed next?

This episode was recorded live at the 2025 A3 Business Forum, co-hosted by Jake Hall aka the Manufacturing Millennial, and features five conversations with industry leaders helping to shape automation’s future. We look at robotics, AI, machine vision, motion control, and the broader tech and manufacturing industries, plus we swap predictions on the second half of the 2020s.

This week’s guests include:

Peter Zafiro, General Manager at LinMot USA
Christelle Keefer - Global Business Development Manager, Education at ABB
Juan Aparicio - Founder & CEO at Reshape Automation
David Dechow - Machine Vision & Automation Solutions Architect at Motion Automation Intelligence
Alex Shikany - Executive Vice President at A3

Jake Hall will be joining us for Automate 2025 in May, so don’t miss the chance to grab tickets and learn more here.

In this episode, find out:

Why 2025 A3 Business Forum is the perfect spot for a conversation about automation
What the convergence of technologies has meant for automation’s applications in manufacturing and beyond
Peter explains the biggest pain point that LinMot was experiencing and how automation became key
The role of motion vision today and how it’s evolved with the help of automation
Why now is the best time in history to be involved with automation
How STEM education paves the way for the growth of robotics
The biggest hurdles to getting education institutions on board with STEM
Some of the top non-profit organizations to keep an eye out for
How AI has developed over the first half of the decade
Two ingredients that every successful application should have in the world of AI
Examples of AI deployed successfully and where this is likely to change in the future
How elements of vision tech have accelerated in the past 10 years
Alex’s perspective on automation’s evolution throughout the first half of this decade
The biggest things we’re looking forward to in 2025 and beyond
What to expect at Automate 2025, which this episode’s co-hosts Chris and Jake will be attending in May

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

"This is the best time there is in this industry. It's the convergence of all these technologies, whether it's robots, cobots, linear motion... the difference-maker will be how you introduce automation to your employees and make it easier to do more fun jobs." - Peter Zafiro
"Schools are starting to realize that the students need to be exposed to STEM way earlier than just high school. High school is too late. College is too late. Let's get those kids exposed at an earlier age to the amazing field of manufacturing." - Christelle Keefer
"Behind every robot, there are a lot of people. There are people selling the robots. There are people installing the robots. There are people maintaining the robots." - Juan Aparicio
"No one I talk to thinks that automation is going to become less relevant or less important to their future plans in the next 10 years, 20 years. Almost every single CEO or leader of these companies has automation at the top of their list." - Alex Shikany

Links & mentions:

A3 – The Association for Advancing Automation, North America’s largest automation trade association representing more than 1,200 organizations involved in robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision & imaging, motion control & motors and related automation technologies
Automate Show, experience the largest event in Automation #Automate2025
Jake Hall - The Manufacturing Millennial, where this week’s co-host Jake Hall discusses the latest technology in the automation and manufacturing space in an engaging style for all audiences
Project Lead The Way, where STEM curriculum meets career readiness; created by teachers and led by educators, PLTW motivates, prepares, and supports teachers as they strive to make every child in every grade STEM-successful
FIRST Robotics, a global robotics community preparing young people for the future and the world's leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM education
REC Foundation, home of the VEX family of robotics programs for elementary school through college students includes 1.1 million students in 70 countries
Detroit Lions War Room 2019 vs. 2021

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Interview: Joy C. Mitchell (Writer for Bridgerton on Netflix)