The TechEd Podcast

Over the next 2 episodes, we've gathered a panel of industry thought leaders from iconic manufacturing brands to discuss how Industry 4.0 is transforming their operations, how the workforce is evolving, and how training and certifications can bridge the skills gap.

This week is all about Industry 4.0 Technology in Manufacturing with leaders from:

• Harley-Davidson
• Plexus
• Generac
• Greenheck
• Kohler

1. SACA certifications are built by industry: In an effort to close the skills gap, the Smart Automation Certification Alliance has developed third-party certifications for Industry 4.0 competencies as defined and validated by industry leaders.
2. Industry 4.0 requires a whole new set of skills: Each guest shares exactly what new cutting-edge technologies they're investing in. These all require a workforce trained to operate, maintain and program these systems.
3. The IT/OT convergence: Smart manufacturing means everything is digitally connected. IT and OT are no longer separate silos, which means IT teams must be familiar with OT systems and processes for digital transformation to occur.

The Smart Automation Certification Alliance

SACA is a nonprofit organization that develops and deploys third-party credentials for advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 skills - both knowlege-based and hands-on.

What makes them unique? These credentials are designed, built and validated by industrial employers. Employers from this week's episode all took place in technical work groups that determined SACA standards.

SACA certifications are stackable, transferrable and can be utilized in education and industry. To learn more visit https://www.saca.org.

Manufacturing Panel:

• Al Doty - Advanced Manufacturing Chief Engineer, Harley-Davidson
• Scott Theune - CEO, Plexus
• Andy Martin - Senior Director of Manufacturing, Generac
• Michael DeBroux - Senior Mechanical and Automation Engineer and Engineering Supervisor, Greenheck
• Jim Molter - IT Manager for Smart Factory Deployment, Kohler

More Resources

Webinar video: https://youtu.be/6QucCDjxhMg

Episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/manufacturing-leadership-panel/

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Today's features. Tomorrow's technology. Gentex Corporation is built on a culture of innovation, developing cutting-edge technologies for automotive, aerospace and commercial fire protection industries.

In this episode, we're talking with Gentex President and CEO Steve Downing about what it takes to build a culture of innovation, and the kinds of career opportunities in a technology company.

1. Tier 1 & 2 suppliers are leading innovation: You may hear news from the OEMs and biggest brands about their latest tech, but it's the Tier 1 and 2 suppliers who are doing some of the most incredible R&D today. (Listen for a preview of 4 new technologies Gentex is developing for automotive and aerospace markets.)
2. Give your employees the resources to be creative: Gentex systematically invests in employee-led innovation. When you enable your employees to unleash their creativity, they'll come up with amazing products and manufacturing solutions that benefits the entire organization.
3. Career options in technology companies are endless: From engineers of every specialty, to automation technicians and ERP specialists, there is no better time to pursue a career in this industry.

How to Consistently Innovate

The key to innovation is focusing on your customer's problem and developing a unique approach to solving that problem. Better yet, offer a solution that you can ideate, manufacture and complete in-house for your customer. As a Tier 1 automotive supplier, Gentex has developed a strong push-pull relationship with OEMs built on trust. This enables them to come up with the best, most creative solutions.

Here are four new technologies being developed and manufactured at Gentex:

1. Digital vision - FDM (full display mirror)
2. Futuristic sensing systems
3. Core Dimming Technology - aerospace market
4. Driver and cabin monitoring system

The Future of Self-Driving Car Technology

According to Steve Downing, when looking at the evolution of car technology, it's important to ask: what is a car today, what will it be tomorrow, and what are the key enablers of that evolution? For Gentex, those enablers lie in the onboard technology, especially for ride-sharing vehicles of the future. We discuss tech for identification, safety, personal property monitoring, and vehicle condition monitoring for riders.

Building a Culture of Long-Term Innovation

As a publicly-traded company, Gentex is focused on long-term innovation and sustainability. The company invests resources in their employees to give them the space to creatively come up with new products and technologies that Gentex can take to market. These employees also come up with new and better processes for manufacturing those products.

The result of these investments? A company where employees feel free to unleash their creativity, where great new products are brought to market, and where the manufacturing process is as efficient as possible.

Partnering with Education

To round out our conversation, we discuss how Gentex has partnered with education to provide a pipeline of students who can pursue a career at Gentex.

A partnership with Grand Rapids Community College has allowed Gentex to have input on programs and curriculum, giving employees access to custom curriculum specific to the needs of the organization.

We also discuss the unique Production Support Engineer Program. This gives graduating engineers a chance to work on the facility floor, get to know all the departments and how the business works, and practice managing people.

More Resources

https://www.gentex.com

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Would you believe we're 90-95% of the way to solving the self-driving car challenge?! Researchers, like Srikanth Saripalli, are building and testing some of the most complex vehicles, sensor systems and algorithms that are enabling us to advance autonomous vehicle technology faster and faster. 

Dr. Sri Saripalli is the Director of the Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems at Texas A&M University, where his research takes his team into both the on-road and off-road sides of self-driving cars. He has a gift for taking complex topics and making them accessible and fascinating for any listener. 

1. We're 90-95% of the way to having fully self-driving vehicles.
2. On-road and off-road vehicles present two completely different sets of challenges to researchers developing the algorithms to make them autonomous.
3. Common sense isn't so common - this uniquely human trait is difficult to put into an algorithm. But researchers are working on it, in a concept called generalized artificial intelligence.

What's so fascinating about self-driving cars?

There are countless applications for robotics and artificial intelligence, but nothing seems to catch the interest of people across the world like autonomous vehicles.

Driving is such an integral, common aspect to all our lives, so we're drawn to the technologies and concepts that could enable a computer to drive for us. This technology has the potential to change the world!

Texas A&M University

The work being done at Texas A&M University is fascinating. Find out what makes it unique - from the funding sources, to research timelines, to the variety of applications being researched. 

On-Road vs. Off-Road Self-Driving Cars: What's the difference?

As it turns out...a lot.

On-road vehicles have a rule system in place to follow - street signs, roads, lines, and driving rules set by the Department of Transportation make writing algorithms simple...or do they? Pedestrians, obstacles, "the unknown" and the possibility of breaking the rules offers challenges to researchers. 

Off-road vehicles may have more freedom from DOT rules, but they're faced with a complex set of obstacles to constantly feed through their algorithms and make decisions. This is the challenge Sri and his team face as they do research for the DoD.

Common Sense and Generalized AI

Of course we can't have a conversation about self-driving vehicles without bringing up artificial intelligence. Sri helps us understand what generalized artificial intelligence is, and why it presents such a challenge to researchers who develop AI algorithms.

More Resources
See more from Sri and his team: https://unmannedlab.github.io

Find this episode on our website: https://techedpodcast.com/self-driving-car-research/

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What skills do today's students need to be successful in tomorrow's advanced manufacturing workforce?

Our host Matt Kirchner was recently a guest on the NSF-funded podcast "Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work," where he sat down with Michael Lesiecki to discuss this very question.

The conversation covers all things relevant to technical education and the industrial workforce. So educators, employers and public policy makers...be prepared to take notes on how we can prepare our students for the emerging workforce of advanced manufacturing!

In this episode...

Building up to Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 is here...but we can't get too far ahead and neglect to teach our students foundational manufacturing skills, like lean, safety quality, mechanical systems, electrical systems, etc.

Then we can add smart sensors and smart devices and teach the integration of all these technologies.

The IT/OT Convergence
In addition to systems integration, our students need cross-disciplinary skills between operations technology and information technology.  Matt discusses how these worlds converge in Industry 4.0.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
With IT and OT working together, we can embed AI and ML to collect the right data and optimize our manufacturing process. How can students learn AI and ML in a tangible, applicable way?

(Further listening: https://techedpodcast.com/11-predictions-how-artificial-intelligence-will-transform-manufacturing/)

Certifications
All these new technologies and processes mean a whole new set of skills. Industry-developed and recognized certifications will enable today's students to prove they have the skills employers need for advanced manufacturing facilities.

The Future Is...Infinity
What is Industry Infinity.0? Matt explains it all.

View the original recording on the Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work podcast: https://www.preparingtechnicians.org/episode-35-the-emerging-workforce-of-advanced-manufacturing/

Find this episode on our website: https://techedpodcast.com/the-emerging-workforce-of-advanced-manufacturing/

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David Noyce has spent his entire career researching transportation - in areas like advanced traffic operations, understanding driver behavior, and innovative technology like vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. In this episode, we're talking all about the future of smart transportation and the research being done across the country to bring transportation into the realm of smart cities.

Cutting-Edge Transportation Research

For decades, Noyce has been performing cutting-edge transportation research at UW-Madison to help make our roads better and safer. In fact, his team helped develop the flashing yellow left turn signal that has vastly increased safety in those situations. 

Some of the work we discuss includes:

• Research at UW's Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory (TOPS)
• Wisconsin Driving Simulator Laboratory
• Wisconsin Connected and Automated Transportation Consortium
• Safety Research Using Simulation (SaferSIM) Center

Innovative Research Methods

Noyce's transportation research itself is fascinating, but the way it's performed is even more innovative, including simulation, smart devices, and collaboration.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is home to the SaferSIM Center, where a full-scale driving simulator helps researchers study human driving behaviors in different scenarios. 

This research is part of the national consortium of universities performing similar work, known as University Transportation Centers. These institutions share data and collaborate to drive the future of transportation technology and infrastructure. 

In addition, the university is doing live research on Park street in Madison using smart sensors and smart devices to track driving behaviors and patterns. They're even working on a statewide basis with company partners who are helping to drive transportation innovation.

The Future of Autonomous Vehicles

Perhaps most exciting of all is the work David Noyce and his team are doing on autonomous vehicle research. UW-Madison has partnered with Gateway Technical College and the City of Racine to do research on a full-scale self-driving vehicle called The Badger. 

Students and researchers will use The Badger to learn about autonomous vehicle technology, capture tons of data as it drives around Gateway's Racine campus, and develop the algorithms that will enable vehicles like The Badger to drive safely on our city roads. 

Here's the big question: Will all vehicles be autonomous in 10 years?

Elon Musk predicted that in 10 years, you won't be able to buy a car that isn't self-driving. Does David agree? Listen to find out!

Episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/driving-smart-transportation-research/

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Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin is known as "The Education Governor." Having spent his career as a school teacher, principal, district  superintendent and Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Governor Evers has a depth of insight into education that we tapped into on this episode of the podcast.

In this episode...

Connecting the Dots
"What's best for our kids is best for our state" - a motto Governor Evers stands by as the state makes decisions about education, supporting our communities and investing in our economy.

How should schools be spending the unprecentended funding they're receiving? The governor weighs in with his thoughts.

Workforce Training Initiatives
Our technical colleges colleges are a great resource helping get people back into the workforce, aided by workforce grants initiated by the governor.

Some other workforce topics we discuss include...
What workforce training initiatives are out there? Which ones are working? What are the barriers keeping people out of the workforce, and how can we remove them? How do you balance the need for skilled talent with an already low unemployment rate?

Industry 4.0 in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is home to well-recognized and forward-looking brands that are driving trends in Industry 4.0, keeping the at the forefront of manufacturing.

We discuss the impact this innovation has on the workforce, and how organizations like the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation are helping employers invest in the state as they grow.

Bringing Education & Industry Together
 At the end of the day, the best way to grow a state is to bring education an dthe workforce together.

We discuss how leaders from both sides can work together to benefit students and the state's economy.

Episode web page: https://techedpodcast.com/governor-tony-evers/

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What's the best tool for giving underserved populations an opportunity for economic mobility, an incredible career, and financial stability? Apprenticeship. 

Joshua Johnson lives and breathes this mission as the Director for the Innovation Hub for Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Accessibility in Registered Apprenticeships at Jobs for the Future.

He has a passion for creating awareness around the life-changing power of apprenticeship - evidenced by his own inspiring life story (which you'll get to hear in this episode!).

In this episode, we're talking all about apprenticeships, and specifically the good that apprenticeships can do for historically underserved populations.

Jobs For the Future (JFF)
Jobs for the Future is a national nonprofit focused on creating innovative, scalable solutions for workforce development and helping to re-skill our workforce. Their efforts focus especially on underserved populations, giving them the training and courage to move forward in the workforce.

DEIA at JFF
Diversity, equity, inclusion & accessibility are key to the mission of JFF, especially when it comes to apprenticeship.

Joshua talks about his team's goal to help employers across the country build registered apprenticeship programs and sign a pledge of commitment to DEIA within these programs. Their initiative is funded by a national grant and includes strategic partnerships that will carry out the mission over the next four years.

Modern Apprenticeships
In 2022, there are countless industries adopting the registered apprenticeship model. That's right...it's not just for manufacturing and construction. Individuals interested in healthcare, finance, skilled trades and more can take advantage of apprenticeship's work-and-learn model to further their career.

Another big truth Joshua talks about is that modern apprenticeship is about more than having a single job the rest of your life. It's an onramp for endless career options. You can choose to stay in it, but it can also lay the foundation for a future as a business owner within your trade, an entrepreneur in a whole different industry... whatever you want to do, apprenticeship will lay the foundation for you.

We wrap up our discussion talking about Youth Apprenticeships - and for all the reasons above, states should embrace the YA model because apprenticeship is an incredible career pathway option!

Episode web page: https://techedpodcast.com/power-of-deia-in-apprenticeships/

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Michigan has some big plans to reinvigorate their workforce. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity  is ready to meet the challenge.

We sat down with LEO's Director Susan Corbin to talk about her unique department, where workforce development and economic development are aligned and working together.

At the forefront of our discussion is Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Sixty by 30 goal, which seeks to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree toward the goal of 60% by 2030.

Sixty by 30 Initiatives
We discuss the different programs that are enabling stakeholders to carry out the mission of Sixty by 30:

• Michigan Reconnect: Helps pay tuition and training fees for individuals seeking degrees and certificates from their local community college
• Skills to Work: Provides resources to individuals seeking to continue their education and training
• Futures for Frontliners: Covers college tuition for those working the front lines during the height of the pandemic
• Going PRO: Provides resources for those pursuing a career in the professional trades

Also in this episode:

Automation in the Workforce
The timing couldn't be more perfect to launch an initiative like Sixty by 30. Like many states, Michigan employers are investing in advanced automation and Industry 4.0, requiring a workforce with a whole new skillset.

MiREV
As "the state that put the world on wheels," Michigan continues to innovate in the automotive industry. We discuss the $5 million Michigan Revolution for Electrification of Vehicles Academic (MiREV) grants to the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) to prepare talent needed in today's electric vehicle and mobility industry.

Visit Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to learn more about the programs they offer: https://www.michigan.gov/leo/

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The University of Michigan is the first top 10 engineering school in the U.S. to launch a Department of Robotics. With its hands-on, innovative approach, the university is preparing today's students to become tomorrow's roboticists.

We sat down with Damen Provost, Managing Director of the U-M Robotics Institute to talk about the exciting field of robotics and the cutting-edge research being done in Michigan.

Roboticists
What is a roboticist? From industrial robots, to bideps, to aerial drones, robotics is a broad field with endless potential. Damen helps us understand the 3 fundamental capabilities of these smart machines and what it takes to be come a "full stack roboticist".

Partnering with Real Roboticists
U-M has developed strong partnerships with Ford and its team of 100 roboticists. Hear about the industry-education collaboration and how its impacting students at the university.

Democratization of Engineering Education
To enable more students to pursue STEM pathways, U-M has made some of their curriculum accessible to other universities, schools and students.

The more educators work together, the greater the benefit to all students, no matter their socioeconomic background.

Access the 5 open-source courses here: https://robotics.umich.edu/academic-program/courses/online-courses/

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