Automate 2017 show breaks records

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has announced that the Automate 2017 show and conference broke all previous attendance records with show attendance of 12,960 people, which is a 37% increase over 2015. With the co-located ProMat and ProFood Tech attendees taking advantage of free entry, well more than 20,000 people visited Automate. The show is North America’s premier biennial event devoted to leading-edge automation technology and business innovation.

Automate featured more than 400 exhibitors displaying their latest technologies and services, including global suppliers of robotics, motion control, motors, vision systems, metrology, software and system integration services for enterprises large and small. In addition, more than 1,000 attendees participated in the 120+ Automate conference sessions, which were held in conjunction with the International Symposium on Robotics – Americas, a greater than 90% increase over 2015.

“Automate has firmly established itself as the leading automation show in North America,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “This year’s record attendance demonstrates the growing global demand for the entire ecosystem of automation technologies and services.”

Automate features key automation industry business leaders and has become the primary event for breaking automation news. The show opened with a jobs forum titled “Working in the Automation Age,” featuring speakers from A3, Amazon, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, RAMTEC Ohio, and FANUC. In conjunction, A3 released a white paper exploring how companies like General Motors and Amazon continue to grow their workforce even as they add automation technologies.

Automate 2017 also garnered increased international participation. For the first time, 13 Chinese automation companies exhibited, reflecting China’s dramatic growth in robotics implementation and development. A first-ever joint US-China Robotics Forum brought together leaders from the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and its counterpart, the China Robot Industry Alliance (CRIA).

A3 also announced Apellix as the winner of the Automate Launch Pad Startup Competition. Sponsored by GE, the competition provided eight innovative startup companies with an opportunity to generate awareness of their technology and find new sources of funding. Apellix offers a Platform-as-a-Service for industrial workers performing critical but dangerous tasks. The patent-pending Apellix Worker Bee robotics system physically interacts with and modifies its environment to move workers out of harm’s way. The $10,000 prize will allow Apellix to bring their product to market sooner.

A3 has also announced the date and location for Automate 2019. It takes place April 8-11 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“A3 anticipates that demand for exhibition space for Automate 2019 will be even higher than prior years,” added Burnstein. “We expect to run out of space well before the event.”