How to Solve the Technology Hesitancy Issue in Manufacturing w/ Erik Nieves

The Manufacturing Executive · 7 Sept 2021 · 29m · Episode 65

What this episode covers

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.

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