MT Magazine January/February 2022

SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUE

IMTS

24

Off the Beaten Path, On the Grid The second season of “Manufacturing Explorers” launches on IMTS+ this spring. Preview all the places Travis and Max visited in their investigation of the future of renewable energy. BY MICHELLE EDMONSON SENIOR DIRECTOR, EVENTS & CONTENT

Appleton, Joplin, Riverton, Kansas City, Moss Landing. As Johnny Cash might have said, “They’ve been everywhere, man.” While f ilming season two of the hit reality show “Manufacturing Explorers” for IMTS+, Travis and Max visited these cities to explore the future of renewable energy. “Manufacturing Explorers” follows the father-son duo of Travis and Max Egan as they explore the technologies, innovations, and people that drive manufacturing. A manufacturing industry veteran, Travis is the chief revenue off icer at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. Max is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Alabama with a passion for sustainability. In the first season of “Manufacturing Explorers,” Travis showed Max the biggest and best of manufacturing technology – from CNC machines to additive processes. For season two, we put Max in charge. As an intern at Burns & McDonnell, the largest design and construction firm in the power industry, Max gave his dad – and all his viewers – an inside look at the future of renewable energy. “Seeing the world of manufacturing through Max’s eyes was refreshing. His perspective is not burdened with preconceived notions,” said the elder Egan. “The future of renewable energy is bright. It is having a significant, positive impact on the energy

market – not to mention the game-changing impact on the health and outlook of our planet.” In the words of Max Egan, “Change is here … Participate … Be the Change!” Set to launch in spring 2022 on the new IMTS+ – a digital platformdedicated to all things manufacturing technology – the second season of “Manufacturing Explorers” will take viewers on a tour of all things energy. From Burns & McDonnell’s headquarters in Kansas City to a solar panel array in Joplin, Missouri, to a power station in Riverton, Kansas, Travis and Max discover what happens when you flip the switch. They also stop at an industrial construction and fabrication company in Appleton, Wisconsin, to see how the infrastructure for power generation is built. Their journey continues to the facility boasting the largest battery storage in the world, located in Moss Landing, California. Travis and Max may have traveled off the beaten path, but they never went off the grid. And they certainly learned a lot about the power grid. Tune in and see the places that are powering our nation and preparing for our sustainable energy future.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Michelle at medmonson@AMTonline.org.