“EU MDR Extension – Creating $ Value-Add” presentation at IME South 2024 by Abhishek Gautam, Executive Engineer with DDL Inc.

The US will be competitive again in manufacturing. It’s a bold claim, made by Tom Kelly, Executive Director and CEO of Automation Alley, a nonprofit focused on helping Michigan businesses succeed by embracing innovation and automation. “You know how you beat China?” he prods. “You make products of one.”

Kelly spoke at the 2023 Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis event on Tuesday, October 10.

Packaging Digest talked with Kelly for a few minutes after his presentation to ask specific questions about possible implications for packaging. In this quick Q&A, Kelly addresses:

• How companies should rethink their core competency, which should be satisfying customers (not making product);

• What budget will replace the typical capital expenditures (it’s not what you might think);

• How critical it is to protect intellectual property; and

• How to address packaging machine warranties as they relate to user-3D-printed replacement parts.

Can you think of any packaging-related application or function that isn’t focused on sustainability or automation?

Will computers replace packaging designers when it comes to creating effective packs for ecommerce shipping? We talk about that, and other vital ecomm stuff, in this fast-moving podcast.