Show Notes Dive into the future of manufacturing and distribution with the second episode of the TechX Podcast, where host Seth Waters is joined by Merritt DeGraw, the visionary Chief Technology Officer at Fortuna. Together, they unravel the complexities of integrating cutting-edge technologies into traditional industries, and into the strategies companies can employ to embrace automation without being overwhelmed by its complexities. Through Merritt's extensive experience in sectors ranging from public space and internet to medical devices, this episode shines a light on the pivotal role of automation, machine learning, and computer vision. Discover the essential skills that today's workforce needs to develop to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape, and how these technologies are not just altering the way we work, but also the very nature of work itself. Topics Discussed The impact of technology across different business sectors Discussion on emerging technologies and their implementation in the manufacturing and distribution sectors Skill development in the manufacturing sector Importance of automation, machine learning, and computer vision in modern manufacturing The role of education in navigating the adoption of new technologies Leadership and cultural shifts in the face of rapid technological advancements Quotes "Workers have to be skilled up to be able to facilitate... they're becoming more of a governance versus a doer." - Merritt DeGraw "Educate yourself...Understand what's out there." - Merritt DeGraw on embracing automation "Not everybody is going to fit in the new world... find people with the aptitude that really want to understand, want to move that needle forward." - Merritt DeGraw "Keep an open mind... things are going to move fast and you've got to be comfortable with that move." - Merritt DeGraw on leadership in the era of automation "If you don't innovate, then you're going to be left behind." - Merritt DeGraw on the importance of embracing change Transcript Advertisement: This episode is brought to you by Fortuna. Seth Waters: Well, welcome back to the TechX podcast. My name is Seth Waters. I'm the Chief Marketing Officer at Fortuna, and I'm here again today with Merritt DeGraw. And you met Merritt last time we were together. He is the Chief Technology Officer at Fortuna as well as Planned Capacity and a bunch of other places. Before we jump in, I'd love for you just to highlight again some of the places you've been in the past few years. Merritt DeGraw: Yeah. No, again, I worked in public space with Cubic, I've worked at Internet space, SAAS-based stuff with a few companies and medical device company tech, NuVasive Inc., Akamai Technologies, a small little startup, SAAS, that did air medical, air emergency medical response and tracking for health helicopters and medical billing so that I've dealt with a multitude of different industries and different compliance components also. Seth Waters: Okay. So you've been around and had lots of experiences that have shaped you. Merritt DeGraw: Yes. Seth Waters: But let's continue our conversation from last time, focusing on the manufacturing and distribution industry. Today, I want to talk really pushing on skill development and workplace culture leadership when it comes to technology in manufacturing and distribution. So, let's dive in. Let's talk about skill development. What skills are currently in high demand in the technology area when it comes to manufacturing and how can workers develop them? Merritt DeGraw: You know, it's one of the big ones or I should say. I think we alluded to it in the previous podcast, but automation is a big factor in all sort of space. We're talking from a robot programmer, a robot to go do something right. Seth Waters: Yeah. Merritt DeGraw: Versus using AI to kind of tie in and do some of those elements also, right? So machine learning, computer vision, right? Those are all elements that you're starting to see where, you know, again, I wouldn't say replacing workers, but workers have to be skilled up to be able to facilitate, right? A welder doing a well job needs to understand how to program a cobot to be able to do that same weld, right? Right. So that way you could, you know, kind of expand the capabilities of that person, right? So they're becoming more of a governance versus a doer. Right, again, it's nothing, nothing wrong. I think there's still welders out there. And I'm not saying it's going away, but I think for you to be able to handle some of the throughput, you're not going to be able to find enough welders, which is one of the big challenges is, you know, a lot of the blue collar jobs are not, you know, there's not a lot of people going into them as much as they are. So, there's a shortage in those areas nowadays. So again, really driving the ability to multiply the multipliers, if you want to call it their capabilities through using ...
