60 Seconds With Michael Larsson, Dematic/FIRST Robotics

Michael Larsson

Company: Dematic

Title: President, Dematic and KION Group Executive Board Member

Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.

Experience: 32 years at ABB (including 22 at ABB Robotics), three years at Dematic and long-time advocate of the FIRST Robotics program.

Modern: Clearly, you’ve been involved in robotics for many years. So much so, there’s even a story going around that your kids got involved with robots in high school. Is that really true?

Larsson: Yes, that is a true story. Both my daughter and son, who are now in their twenties, got involved with a program called FIRST Robotics Challenge in middle school. It was a great experience for both. They learned a lot about not just robots and how to build ones that work, but how to work in teams. And even today, they’re still friends with kids they met through the program.

Modern: That’s pretty cool. Now that was when you were at ABB. It seems like it was a very positive experience for your kids. Now that you’re at Dematic and they’re older, do you still have any contact with FIRST (also known as For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)?

Larsson: For sure. Dematic started in 2008, long before I got here, as a sponsor of FIRST. We award $20,000 in scholarships to kids annually. Over the years, we’ve awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships. There’s a lengthy process to be eligible and includes having participated in at least one FIRST Robotics Competition.

We take a lot of pride in being a part of FIRST. By the way, this is about more than scholarship dollars. I’m especially impressed by the excitement that FIRST routinely creates with kids and adults alike. That excitement is its own reward.

Modern: The scholarships are great. But does the company have any more involvement?

Larsson: We do. There are roughly 50 employees who mentor kids on the local teams or volunteer at local competitions. Each year, our people probably spend a total of 1,000 hours mentoring and volunteering over the course of a year. From where I sit, who wouldn’t want to be a mentor and see the creativity of these kids and what they develop and build?

But as you can guess, this is much more than building a robot that works. I already mentioned friendships. But it’s also about teams and developing in kids a holistic understanding of technology and how it works. It’s also about learning to collaborate, a much-needed skill in business as they mature.

Modern: Is this really just a secret way to recruit future employees for the materials handling industry?

Larsson: You have a devious mind. No, it’s not. But it would be nice if that happened in some cases. I actually have no idea how many winners have entered our industry. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few. And I certainly know that the program led to my son choosing a career in industrial operations engineering.

Modern: Have a last thought for others on the value of FIRST Robotics?

Larsson: We feel good about helping to build the next generation of engineers and other technical people for this industry. We will expand the program.