Although live events took a hit during the pandemic, they are now back and booming. Trade shows specifically are perfect opportunities to network and strengthen relationships between manufacturers and solutions providers like us.
From the recent ATX West trade show in Anaheim, which gathered over 13,000 people, it was clear to our team how important it is for us to continue sharing our message and our service, in support of SMEs and American manufacturers. Here are a few common themes and first hand accounts from ATX West:
Eager to Automate
Automation Sales Engineer
“The biggest takeaway that I learned from the event is that the labor crisis is affecting all industries and geographical regions. It's not limited to specific manufactures or job types. Manufacturers are experiencing this shortage in not just typical labor positions, but they are also struggling to find engineers that would be able to help them automate internally. They are turning to outside companies and experts to help them with this task.
Our business model is well suited for helping SMEs just getting started with automation. They know they need to automate, they just don't know where to start and how to pay for it.”
Sales Development Representative
“Manufacturers were expressing that hiring quality people is very difficult right now. They are struggling to keep up with the volume, but also justifying robotics to their higher ups.
They were very receptive to our model and many set up meetings because our model allows them to justify robotics.”
Sales Director
“The biggest concerns I heard with customers who have not yet explored automation were with labor shortages and/or finding employees who are willing to do repetitive and monotonous tasks. For customers who have explored or implemented automation, the biggest pain points were not being able to afford automated solutions or having a system already in-house that is not working as anticipated.”
Excitement around Formic
Sales Development Representative
“When engineers who have worked in the automation industry for years are stopping by and having their minds blown by our model, you know we are doing something right. I had a few interactions that were comical because of the reactions that folks were having. A lot of 'Wow I should have thought of that' and 'Are you kidding me? That's genius!'"
Sales Director
“A gentleman from Fanuc stopped by and was extremely excited that we were bringing the Formic model to the world of automation. He has been in the industry for decades and said they predicted the labor shortage in '03, and that Covid accelerated their projections drastically. He is confident that our RaaS offering will soon become a necessity for companies of all sizes with the current and future state of the manufacturing industry.”
Final Thoughts
The labor shortage is here to stay. After years of consideration, manufacturers are now finally making the jump to automation in order to alleviate the pressures and reduce costs. Feedback from industry peers and SMEs validated the importance and need for Formic’s unique service and RaaS model during this unprecedented time. More motivated than ever, our team looks forward to continuing the conversation and meeting more manufacturers at other upcoming events.
Look for us at Automate Booth #1543 and Pack Expo International Booth #N-5561!