How to Solve the Technology Hesitancy Issue in Manufacturing w/ Erik Nieves
Erik Nieves, co-founder and CEO of PlusOne Robotics, discusses the 'technology hesitancy' that prevents small and mid-sized manufacturers from adopting automation. He argues that the perceived labor shortage is often a retention and churn issue, and that ROI calculations frequently fail to capture hidden costs like onboarding and facility overhead. Nieves advocates for 'supervised autonomy'—segregating tasks so robots handle the 80% of work they can do reliably while humans manage exceptions—and urges manufacturers to stay in the US by making their plants attractive workplaces.