Podcasts
PODCAST: Will the pandemic increase automation on the factory floor?

Welcome to the debut episode of our podcast Machine Language!

We start the series by talking to Shelley Fellows, chair of Automate Canada, and Mike Bilton, chair of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers about what’s been happening in Ontario’s manufacturing sector as a result of the pandemic.

The industry associations have been working together to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on the mold, tool and die, and industrial automation sectors through weekly surveys of their members.

Fellows and Bilton discuss some of the major concerns brought forth by manufacturers, and some unexpected positive impacts of the coronavirus crisis. They also highlight health and safety best practices, and dig in to how Industry 4.0 technologies will help manufacturers become more resilient long-term.

“The wise companies are looking at this as an opportunity to invest in some new technologies,” says Fellows during the conversation. “[It’ll be] interesting to see what will happen when they sustain it – for those who are going to sustain it – and make it part of their business diversification strategy.

“It’s one thing to take a section of your plant and repurpose it with some equipment and some ingenuity but then to actually make it part of your long-term strategy, that’s where I see automation and Industry 4.0 technologies will have that important role to play.”

Listen to the episode here:

Every month, Machine Language will cover the latest technologies and trends in industrial automation for the manufacturing market through interviews with industry experts. Topics are related to automation and machinery, including safety integration, robotics and sensors, motion control, software solutions, Industry 4.0 and the IIoT, cybersecurity and networking, and artificial intelligence.

Find the podcast on MA’s Podcasts page or on Annex Business Media’s site, as well as on Annex Business Media’s SoundCloud and iTunes accounts.

If you have an idea for a Machine Language podcast episode, email host Kristina Urquhart at kurquhart@annexbusinessmedia.com.