Daily Video Recap #3: ‘Breadth and Depth’ of Conversations Increase at ProMatDX

‘Breadth and Depth’ of Conversations Increase at ProMatDX

Many of us have been attending ProMat in Chicago for years, and some for decades. “But for some of you, this might be your very first year attending because the digital format has lowered barriers for entry,” said Randell Mauricio, our ProMatDX daily recap host. 

“We are super excited about the additional opportunities that ProMatDX will provide to a much further developed and qualified audience throughout the country and the world,” said Daniel McKinnon, executive vice president of exhibitions and events at MHI. ProMatDX will not only reach attendees that typically attend the ProMat face-to-face event, but also the attendees and organizations that have never been able to attend the live trade shows. McKinnon added that, at ProMatDX, “we know that the global reach will be further developed and cultivated,” as well. 

“We are so excited to increase the breadth and depth of the conversations surrounding the industry,” said Mauricio. 

Also, remember that “highly anticipated” keynote that was mentioned yesterday? The release and discussion of the 2021 MHI Annual Industry Report: Innovation Driven Resilience did not disappoint. See the summary and full video link in the dedicated article in this newsletter. Also, key highlights from the keynote are included in the daily recap video. 

Mauricio then introduced some “tech talk” that revolved around how some sponsors are modifying their products to better fit the customers’ demands and provide solutions for the supply chain industry. There has been a lot of great programming at this year’s show, he said. One such product is a collaborative mobile robot, Chuck. 

Gillan Hawkes, VP of product and analytics at 6 River Systems, said “the past 12 months we’ve experienced a significant surge in activity to help to our customers respond to the pressures of COVID,” which is where Chuck has come in—especially when it comes to alternate pick locations. The system can automatically check to see if there is inventory elsewhere at another location, he said. 

Artificial intelligence that allows robots to see, reason and act on the world around them is another solution that is seeing higher demand—and Covariant is fine-tuning its Covariant Brain solution to be unique in its solution-providing capabilities. Peter Chen, co-founder and CEO at Covariant HQ, said it can deliver a higher level of autonomy, which equates to it being able to operate autonomously for a long time without human assistance. Plus, it can be used in different applications with one universal platform. 

Using simulation technology to reduce robot learning time is how Ambi Robotics is making its automated solutions smarter. Jim Liefer, CEO, Ambi Robotics, said, “We made a very key discovery in terms of how we operate simulations.” They are using simulation technology to create examples for the robot to learn, so on day 1, when deploying these solutions for the customers, the robot knows how to handle all the different permutations that could occur on their first day. 

To see the full Day 3 video recap, click here. 

For tomorrow, we hope to see you at the keynote, “Women in Supply Chain: Delivering Proven Success Strategies.”