Episode 29: The Automated Microfactory

Augmented reveals the stories behind the new era of industrial operations, where technology will restore the agility of frontline workers.  In episode 29 of the podcast (@AugmentedPod), the topic is: The Automated Microfactory. Our guest is Brian Mathews, CTO, Bright Machines.In this conversation, we talk about increasing the speed, scalability, and flexibility of manufacturing using an intelligent, software-driven approach. Can discrete manufacturing, that is, the production of distinct items such as electronics, automobiles, furniture, toys, smartphones, and airplanes, now achieve the same efficiencies that we have seen in the software world? What does the next decade look like?Augmented is a podcast for leaders, hosted by futurist Trond Arne Undheim (@trondau), presented by Tulip.co, the frontline operations platform, and associated with MFG.works, the manufacturing upskilling community launched at the World Economic Forum. Each episode dives deep into a contemporary topic of concern across the industry and airs at 9 am US Eastern Time every Wednesday. Augmented--the industry 4.0 podcast.After listening to this episode, check out Bright Machines  as well as Brian Mathews' social media profile: Bright Machines (@brightmachines): https://www.brightmachines.com/  Brian Mathews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewsbrian/Trond's takeaway: For fully software-enabled platforms to take hold, the automation of discrete manufacturing has to change exponentially in the years ahead. This has been long in the coming, and the impact is almost impossible to fathom. Factory-level automation is one thing. However, the onset of relatively mobile microfactories and the ability to remotely update, tweak, and even radically improve physical things that already left the initial production facility will not only change timelines, but might alter the very notion of what a product is. Given that the sci-fi that Brian and I both love is coming nearer reality--good luck to sci-fi writers trying to write about the next century's innovations. That is going to take some extra creativity.Thanks for listening. If you liked the show, subscribe at Augmentedpodcast.co or in your preferred podcast player, and rate us with five stars. If you liked this episode, you might also like episode 42, Business Beyond Buzzwords, episode 21, The Future of Digital in Manufacturing, or episode 27, Industry 4.0 Tools. Augmented--industrial conversations that matter.Special Guest: Brian Mathews .