The tech and people shaping manufacturing’s future have the floor at Techtonic Shift

When Mike Galiazzo looks at local manufacturing floors, he sees lots of tech tools that will help companies maintain and grow a presence in Baltimore.
As Galiazzo, who is the President of the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland, puts it, “Manufacturing as an industry is moving into the fourth industrial revolution.” It not only describes new machines, but the algorithms that will help them further automate processes. To define this next digital wave of how stuff gets made, Galiazzo and others frequently use the term “Industry 4.0.”
So there’s a need for firms to learn about these new technologies that could help them stay competitive, and learn from each other. As he looks to the future, Galiazzo also sees a need to equip the next generation of workers with the skills to use these tools.
Both will be evident on May 3 at Martin’s West, when RMI hosts Techtonic Shift.
As Galiazzo describes it, “The Techtonic Shift is both a shift in the industry in terms of moving toward advanced tech and a shift in the effort to recruit highly talented students” in STEAM fields.
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Amid manufacturing players from the area, the event will have exhibiting companies with technology like robotics, virtual and augmented reality from Balti Virtual, 3D scanning from Direct Dimensions and industrial-sized drones made by Textron Systems. We’ve seen examples of these two coming together, like Arnold Packaging’s recent move to open an automation division and sign a distribution deal with Baltimore startup Ready Robotics.

Along with companies, the event will include job seekers, as well as students from local universities, colleges and high schools, who can attend the event for free. Along with checking out the technology, the idea is to raise awareness of the jobs that are available. To that end, each company will have a handout describing current openings.
“It’s a place where manufacturers can come and meet job prospects, talk to state government agencies about programs and services that are being offered,” as well as “demonstrate these products and services to the public at large,” Galiazzo said.
Technical.ly Baltimore has one spot on the floor up for grabs.
Sign up for the Technical.ly Baltimore daily newsletter and type in “RMI” in the optional code field to enter and get the chance to win an exhibitor space at Techtonic Shift 2018 as part of our media partnership with the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland, and share your brand at the largest gathering of Maryland manufacturing companies, job seekers, STEM students and resource providers. For those who are already signed up for Technical.ly Baltimore’s newsletter, subscribe to the Technical.ly National daily newsletter and do the same. Winners will be chosen and notified on April 20.