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Automation is Hiring Faster Than Schools Can Graduate Engineers

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Automation is no longer a future promise. It is a present-day hiring engine. Across factories, warehouses, energy grids, and research labs, companies are deploying robots and intelligent systems at a pace that demands a steady supply of skilled engineers.

The trouble is simple to state and hard to solve. The machines are arriving faster than the people who design, build, and maintain them.

This gap is not a temporary blip. It is a structural mismatch between what employers need and what the education system can deliver. Demand is compounding. Supply is moving in a straight line. When those two curves diverge, the result is a labor shortage that touches every corner of the technology economy. [Read more…] about Automation is Hiring Faster Than Schools Can Graduate Engineers

Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

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Automation is becoming a software problem. The deeper robots move into production, the more workers need to be confident handling dashboards, updates, alerts and data-driven decisions.

The old image of factory automation was a robot arm behind a safety cage, doing one repetitive task faster than a human being ever could. But whilst robots weld, lift, assemble and pack at speeds fast enough to warrant their own keepers and still save thousands of man-hours, the knowledge of that robot engineer is increasingly software-based.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Robotics said that, worldwide, more than half a million industrial robots were installed in 2024 alone, topping up a figure approaching 5 million robots in operational use. [Read more…] about Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

Fanuc to invest $90 million in US robot manufacturing capacity expansion

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Fanuc America has announced plans for a $90 million investment to acquire property and construct a new 840,000 sq ft facility in Michigan providing production-ready space for the potential expansion of the company’s existing US-based manufacturing capabilities for robots.

Targeted for completion in late 2027, this strategic project is expected to add 225 jobs. This expands Fanuc America’s engineering capacity and advanced manufacturing capabilities to support growing demand for automation solutions across North America, including physical AI, virtual commissioning and digital-twin technologies.

Mike Cicco, president and CEO, Fanuc America, says: “This investment builds on Fanuc America’s Michigan manufacturing footprint, which has included producing robots for paint application domestically for more than four decades. [Read more…] about Fanuc to invest $90 million in US robot manufacturing capacity expansion

Opinion: Manufacturing’s future is high tech, and the workforce must adapt

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Modern manufacturing blends AI, automation, and sustainability to create meaningful careers and economic resilience, says Georgia Tech in this opinion piece

For decades, manufacturing has been synonymous with job creation, a pillar of economic growth and stability.

Today, the industry is evolving into something far more dynamic: a hub for innovation, sustainability, and purpose-driven careers. Experts say this transformation is reshaping not only what manufacturing looks like but why it matters. [Read more…] about Opinion: Manufacturing’s future is high tech, and the workforce must adapt

Dover to invest $20 million to expand manufacturing operations in Virginia

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Dover Food Retail, a part of Dover Corporation and a manufacturer of commercial and industrial refrigeration systems and refrigerated display cases, says it will invest over $20 million to expand its Virginia operations.

The company says it plans to do this by relocating its Anthony brand manufacturing from Sylmar, California, to its Virginia campus, which is projected to create more than 300 new jobs over the next year.

The investment will expand on its current production with skilled workers manufacturing a wide range of commercial glass refrigerators and freezer doors and frames, utilizing cutting-edge technology to meet the demanding specifications of food retail customers across North America and worldwide. [Read more…] about Dover to invest $20 million to expand manufacturing operations in Virginia

The evolving role of the human worker alongside cobots: Upskilling and new job creation

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In the early days of industrial automation, the arrival of machines on the factory floor was often seen as a threat to human employment.

Entire roles were mechanized, displacing workers and forcing industries to re-evaluate the relationship between people and machines.

Today, as collaborative robots – or “cobots” – become more common in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and beyond, the conversation is shifting.

Rather than replacing humans, cobots are increasingly seen as tools that augment human capabilities, reshaping the modern workforce through upskilling and creating entirely new job categories in the process. [Read more…] about The evolving role of the human worker alongside cobots: Upskilling and new job creation