The rare art of achieving both increased productivity and flexibility

Join us as we draw from the extensive expertise and practical experience of our guests. Ben Armstrong, Executive Director of the Industrial Performance Center at MIT, and Julie Shah, Faculty Director of the Work of the Future initiative at MIT, as they share their insights gained from years of research and hands-on involvement in the field.

In this episode, we explore the challenges and lessons learned from past failures in lights-out automation projects. Through stories from renowned companies like GM, Tesla, Boeing, and others, we uncover the reasons behind these setbacks and shed light on how future endeavors can be improved.

However, our focus doesn't solely rest on large corporations. We also uncover the untold story of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), often overlooked in the realm of automation. Discover why this historically disenfranchised group has struggled to harness the benefits of automation and how they can overcome these barriers to achieve both increased productivity and flexibility.

Furthermore, we dive into a conversation about how automation is utilized for positive-sum work. Rather than replacing human workers, robots become valuable contributors, enhancing the effectiveness of human teams.

Learn about the exciting possibilities that lie ahead and how automation can be harnessed to create win-win scenarios.

Whether you're an industry professional, an automation enthusiast, or simply curious about the transformative power of automation, this episode is a must-listen.

Join us as we unravel the complexities and uncover the potential of automation with our esteemed guests, Ben Armstrong and Julie Shah.

• Insights from industry experts at MIT on the failures of lights-out automation projects.
• Exploring the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting automation.
• Strategies for achieving increased productivity and flexibility through automation.
• A vision for a future where automation and human teams collaborate for positive-sum work.

Panelist: Ben Armstrong, Executive Director of the Industrial Performance Center
Panelist: Julie Shah, Faculty Director of the Work of the Future initiative
Host: Chris Savoia
Producer and editing: Andreas Haagen Birch
Editor: Morten Vium

Resources from this episode

A Smarter Strategy for Using Robots