MT Magazine May/June 2023

CECIMO 2023

THE WORKFORCE ISSUE

30

Minds Blown, Doors Opened During Trade Mission BY TRAVIS EGAN CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

The concept of Silicon Valley as an epicenter of innovation is entrenched in the American consciousness. Thinking so is natural, as the Valley plays home to research and academic institutions (Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley) long known for producing innovative people, the internet, and

integrated circuits. As something of a contradiction, the stories of computer companies founded in a garage (Hewlett-Packard, Apple) border on legendary and provide a distinctly American edge to our image of tech entrepreneurialism. Add in venture capitalists who support commercial growth (Intel, Oracle, Cisco, eBay, Netflix) and who are as likely to meet new people at a collaborative workspace as they are cruising the halls of academia, and the result is a region of dynamic forces pushing today’s tech boundaries. While the ingredients to our innovative secret sauce seem ordinary to Americans, they remain somewhat enigmatic to others. So that AMT’s European counterparts could gain a deeper understanding of the unique culture of Silicon Valley, AMT coordinated a three-day trade mission for a delegation from CECIMO, an umbrella organization serving the common interests and values of the European machine tool and related manufacturing technology industries. Ryan Kelly, the general manager of AMT’s San Francisco Tech Lab, arranged for the delegation to visit 11 innovators in late March. The companies visited ranged from the world renowned to startups: NVIDIA, Meta, Velo3D, Rapid Robotics, Autodesk, Arris, SRI, HEIDENHAIN, OhmniLabs, Urban Machine, and Lumafield.

Alexander Kernbaum demonstrates the intricacies of the da Vinci surgical robot arm, the world’s leading robot surgical system, which was developed at SRI in Palo Alto, California.

“The Silicon Valley culture, approach to innovation, and ability to build and scale companies deeply impressed them,” says Douglas K. Woods, AMT president. “They realized that they could be more connected to the business models and disruptive technologies that create transformative companies.” As an example, Kelly says, “A typical entrepreneur with an automation background would think, ‘I’m going to create a robotics company.’ In Silicon Valley, that entrepreneur thinks, ‘How can I provide the absolute best possible user experience to my customers through a robotics-as-a-service business model, borrowing from lessons learned from the software-as-a-service business model that dominates software today?’” “The trip was truly enriching, eye-opening, and inspirational,” says Filip Geerts of Belgium and the director general of CECIMO. “I witnessed numerous technological advancements that were nothing short of a glimpse into the future. “Common themes that stood out across the visits included

The CECIMO delegation and AMT staff gathered at the Meta headquarters.