Despite the Dallas metro adding more than 10,000 manufacturing jobs over the past 10 months, the region still has more job vacancies than applicants.
"Historically low labor participation rates in our area means manufacturers are often unable to staff their shifts," says Nick Armenta, regional manager of Olympus Controls, an engineering services company that specializes in the integration of motion control, machine vision and robotic technologies. In Texas, there is currently 0.8 unemployed persons per job opening, a gap that is especially pronounced in manufacturing.
Olympus Controls is inviting manufacturing professionals to AT&T Stadium for "Waves of Innovation," a unique event featuring live demonstrations of the newest automation and robotics solutions presented by veteran problem solvers ready to discuss attendees' manufacturing challenges.
The event will be held on November 15, 2023 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Choctaw Club in AT&T Stadium. Attendance is free, but you have to register.
Nick Armenta (left), regional manager with Olympus Controls, and Juan Puente, thermal spray supervisor at Dallas manufacturer Aircraft Tooling, discuss the spray process now handled by a collaborative robot
from Universal Robots.Universal Robots
More than 20 different automation companies will showcase a wide range of automation; from collaborative robots handling grueling sanding and polishing tasks, to vision-guided robotic arms picking up items using deep learning algorithms, along with applications for automated machine loading and laser marking.
Scott Paulk, engineering manager with Alexandria Industries in Dallas, says, "Knowing what’s out there makes our automation journey easier.” Some 40% of the work centers at Alexandria are already robotically automated. “We sometimes struggle with hiring skilled labor, automation helps offset this by enabling us to reallocate resources. Another benefit of robots is they get the younger generation intrigued; this has no doubt led to employees selecting our companies over a potential competitor.”
Aircraft Tooling, a Dallas-based repair center for the aviation industry, is also attending the event. The company was surprised to find that collaborative robots (cobots) could withstand the high temperatures and harsh environment while performing plasma spray processes. A task their employees have now been freed up from performing. Thermal spray supervisor at Aircraft Tooling, Juan Puente, readily admits that despite the cobot having “won their hearts,” there was significant hesitation as to whether the robot would operate reliably in the spray booth’s extremely hot and dusty environment. “We were very surprised. I thought the robot wouldn’t stand it,” he says.
Nick Armenta looks forward to surprising more Texan manufacturers. “Unlike most of the American economy, manufacturing requires your physical presence. Knowing the local talent and resources close to you will radically enhance your capabilities,” he says. “By bringing Waves of Innovation to Dallas, we are illuminating both the developing and established talent we already have here in Texas.”
Waves of Innovation exhibitors include:
- Apex Dynamics
- Asyril
- Cobot Depot
- Copley Controls
- Datalogic
- Dorner Conveyors
- Epson Robots
- Flexxbotics
- Kane Robotics
- Mecademic
- Mitsubishi Electric
- National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA)
- Nidec Corporation
- Olympus Controls
- Panasonic
- Robotiq
- Robotunits
- Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC)
- Spira Vision
- Universal Robots
- University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
- Zebra Robotics
Initial setup and programming of Dallas manufacturer Aircraft Tooling’s new collaborative robot took only four hours. The programming happens through the touch screen that comes with the robot, which can also be programmed either through the arrow keys on the robot’s touch screen or by using the “teach method”, allowing the user to simply grab the robot arm and move it through way points.Universal Robots
