Recap: MMA Operations Conference Spotlights Innovation in Michigan Manufacturing

Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA) recently hosted the MMA Operations Conference at The Lansing Center on March 14th, bringing together industry leaders and innovators. The highlight of the event was the i4.0 Accelerator Pitch Event, where 4 Michigan startups showcased their cutting-edge solutions.

Keynote speaker Amy Seymour from ITS, an Industry 4.0 Accelerator portfolio company, set the tone for the day with sharing her story of how handling adversity shapes who we are able to become. Attendees were then able to attend numerous breakout sessions highlighting key topics like employee engagement, profitability, cybersecurity, AI, and more.

After lunch, the Industry 4.0 Accelerator took the stage for a pitch event featuring Detect-It, Andonix, Crossbraining, and Khenda. Detect-It impressed with its vision system and neural net builder for automated detection, while Andonix showcased its connected worker platform with an AI co-pilot. Crossbraining presented its innovative video collaboration and training platform, and Khenda offered a solution to optimize manual assembly with a full suite of tools.

The panel of judges for this event included John Walsh (MMA), Michael Billiel (Star Cutter Company), and Suzanne Morrison (Hatch Stamping Company). After Q&A and careful consideration, Khenda emerged as the victor, securing the $5,000 first place prize, with Detect-it being selected as the People's Choice through audience voting.

The event served as a testament to the innovative spirit driving Michigan's manufacturing sector forward, with promising technologies poised to revolutionize operations in the Industry 4.0 era.