“I’m older than A3, so I got to see a lot growing up,” Del Costy, president and managing director at Siemens Digital Industries, told the crowd attending the keynote presentation on Day 2 of Automate, the largest North American robotics and automation show (May 6-9).
Costy said he was born and raised in Detroit, so when automotive manufacturing really started to decline in the 1970s, “It broke our hearts,” he said. “The manufacturing renaissance that was happening in the Midwest, in Detroit, was the draw for so many people. And the fact is, manufacturing doesn’t just create manufacturing jobs: It has a multiplier effect in our community.”
The good news, Costy said, is that manufacturing is coming back. “It’s coming back in a different way,” he qualified. “This is our time. We have some of the most innovative minds in the world right here in this country. We have an opportunity to take an amazing leadership position…but it’s up to each of us to dig a little deeper.”
Significant investments are being made to establish modern facilities alongside maintaining traditional production setups. He said the way forward is through the integration of cutting-edge technologies into existing operations.
By adopting advanced automation and digitalization, manufacturers can optimize their assets, drive better results and extend the longevity of their facilities, ultimately changing the American manufacturing sector for better efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness.