Technology center helps UP business automate, grow

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) – High-tech automation can seem daunting for business owners, but a Michigan technology center wants to make it more affordable and understandable.

Attendees at Tuesday’s Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center Innovation Expo in Escanaba saw a self-driving robot cart cruise around and give out water and other automated technology.

“You hear cobots or robots or virtual reality or any kind of automation and people start to get scared that they need, you know, a lot of resources in order to get that stuff implemented,” MMTC Sr. Business Advisor Ryan Galerneau said.

Galerneau says the center is working to demystify high-tech automation for small and mid-sized manufacturing companies across the U.P. and the state.

“By just kind of showing what the technology really is and what it really takes to run it,” Galerneau said.

Galerneau says automating parts of manufacturing is not about reducing employees.

“It’s about, you know, having the robots do the menial stuff that nobody really wants to do,” Galerneau said.

Like one company who Galerneau says had high employee turnover in the board sanding part of its manufacturing process.

He says the center helped the business get a robot to do the sanding.

“You’re not replacing people in the way that you’re trying to reduce headcount,” Galerneau said. “You’re replacing people in a way that you’re trying to give them more challenging stuff to do so that they want to stay with your company.”

A Bay College representative says one reason the college hosted the expo was to help its manufacturing students.

“Students will be coming this afternoon to really learn about cutting-edge technologies that are happening in the workplace,” Workforce Innovation & Strategic Partnerships Vice President Cindy Gallagher said. “A big part of that is really workforce innovation and giving people opportunities, whether they’re traditional students or students over the age of 25, opportunities to come in and either learn a new skill or skill up.”

The manufacturing technology center does free technology assessments to help manufacturers understand what needs they might have. They also guide businesses to state funding and grants that can help financially with the ultimate goal of helping businesses grow.

Click here to learn more about the center or call or email Galerneau to set up a free assessment at 906-299-4795, [email protected].

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