Ep. 92 - [Sean Dotson] Automation Trends in 2023 Robotics No-Code Low-Code Programming Manufacturing

Guest Bio Sean Dotson, PE is an experienced entrepreneur and C-suite executive. He currently serves as President of RND Automation, Florida’s largest manufacturer of custom robotic, assembly, and packaging machinery serving the medical device, durable and consumer goods markets. Sean also served as Chief Technology Officer of CAS Holdings, the parent company of RND Automation, i-Automation and PanelTek LLC. iAutomation is the east coast’s largest distributor of industrial devices and a contract manufacturer of electrical panels and value add mechanical assemblies. As the founder and President of RND Automation, Sean doubled the size and revenue of the company every 3 years until the sale of RND to Saw Mill Capital in late 2020. Starting with 3 employees in 2005, RND now employs 65+ engineers, designers, technicians and support personnel. He championed cross-functional collaboration across business units and technical teams during projects to gather requirements and cross-references business requirements with existing product capabilities. Sean oversaw end-to-end M&A activities, including all legal and compliance work on defending patents, non-competes, non-solicitation, and trade secret infringement resulting in two separate acquisitions including the 2018 acquisition of MDC Packaging, a medical device packaging machinery manufacturer. RND redesigned the entire product line from the ground up, with the packaging side doubling their top line revenue. Are the days of endless automation projects behind us? Will there continue to be endless VC and PE money for Industrial Start-Up companies? What will the future of low and no-code industrial solutions look like? All of these answers and more are on the docket! Join us as we continue to talk Future of Automation on Manufacturing Hub! ⏱️⏱️AUDIO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️ 00:00:00 Sean Dotson, a mechanical engineer, talks about his experience in the automation industry and how it has changed over the years. 00:05:00 Sean Dotson discusses the differences between electrical and mechanical engineering, sharing that he was originally more mechanically inclined but picked up some electrical knowledge along the way. 00:10:00 Sean Dotson talks about how he and his company were very conservative in their early years and how this ultimately led to them not being able to take advantage of the automation market as much as they would have liked. 00:15:00 Sean Dotson discusses the winners and losers in automation in sales. 00:20:00 Sean Dotson discusses the effects of automation on the workforce, promising some companies will be fine while others will experience some casualties. 00:25:00 Sean Dotson discusses the benefits of automation and how it can help companies reduce costs and improve efficiency. 00:30:00 Sean Dotson discusses the differences between "winners" and "losers" in automation. 00:35:00 Sean Dotson discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various automation technologies. 00:40:00 In this YouTube video, Sean Dotson discusses WINNERS and LOSERS in automation. 00:45:00 Sean Dotson discusses the current state of automation in manufacturing and how the industry is changing. 00:50:00 Sean Dotson discusses the advantages and disadvantages of automation, and suggests that, in the future, manufacturers will focus on standardizing their products and services to maintain customer loyalty. 00:55:00 In this video, Sean Dotson discusses how automation is changing the job market, and how low code can be effective. 01:00:00 Sean Dotson discusses the pros and cons of automation in the machine control industry, emphasizing the importance of low code options that are easy to understand and use. 01:05:00 Sean Dotson discusses the future of automation in terms of headwinds and opportunities. 01:10:00 Sean Dotson talks about the importance of being fearless and not being afraid to fail. 01:15:00 Sean Dotson discusses the different types of opportunities that come his way, and how he evaluates which ones to pursue. 01:20:00 Sean Dotson discusses the benefits and drawbacks of automation in the workplace. A special thank you to Profit x Design (ProfitxDesign.io) for sponsoring this them and your continued support of Manufacturing Hub. P.S. Profit x Design is Dave & Vlad, helping facilities run throughput more profitably and typically returning 20-100x ROI or more! - To learn more, visit https://www.profitxdesign.io/ Manufacturing Hub Episode 92. Recommended Materials Stiff The Drunkard's Walk Connect with Us Sean Dotson Vlad Romanov Dave Griffith Manufacturing Hub #manufacturing #automation #digitaltransformation #engineering #iot