Summary
Automation Alley is a World Economic Forum Advanced Manufacturing Hub (AMHUB) for North America and a nonprofit Industry 4.0 knowledge center with a global outlook and a regional focus. We facilitate public-private partnerships by connecting industry, education and government to fuel Michigan's economy.
Manufacturers are operating in an environment of labor shortages, rising costs and economic uncertainty. They are also dealing with the rapid emergence of AI and automation. Businesses must invest in technology that improves efficiency to remain competitive. But...
The economy appears to be stable. But for manufacturers, the reality is more complex — and becoming more difficult to manage. There isn’t a single factor responsible for the current. It’s an accumulation of pressures driving up the overall cost of doing business....
In today’s manufacturing landscape, where data drives decisions and automation accelerates production, an uncomfortable truth remains: many organizations still don’t actually know whether the data they’re collecting is the right data. Sensors, quality stations, SPC...
The most successful manufacturers focus on flexible, scalable technologies that support future business goals and help employees do more with fewer resources in a challenging labor market.
Rising costs continue to pressure manufacturers. Inflation, higher fuel prices driven by geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing tariff impacts are increasing the cost of materials, transportation and daily operations.
Manufacturing leaders argue that true ownership of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing) must extend beyond design to a shared, end-to-end responsibility across engineering, production, and quality teams to ensure functional intent is preserved throughout the product lifecycle.
