IMTS+ Original Series Explores Motor City Manufacturers

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology has announced that Season Three of “Road Trippin’ with Steve,” an IMTS+ Original Series, will debut on July 27 (view Season Three trailer). This season, AMT technology analyst and show host Steve LaMarca takes an epic road trip to Detroit, Michigan, aka Motor City, to visit Stellantis, LIFT, and FANUC America.

“Detroit flourished at the turn of the previous century because of its skilled workers and innovation,” says LaMarca. “A century later, Motor City is working hard to regain its glory. The thing that blew me away during the filming of Season Three of ‘Road Trippin’’ was the pride behind the products of the companies we visited. The people and automation technologies they are using today would send Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, and Walter Chrysler to the moon with pride.”

“Steve brings a unique combination of passion, tech-savvy insights, and quirky humor to every episode of ‘Road Trippin’ with Steve’,” says Peter Eelman, chief experience officer at AMT, which owns and produces IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show. “On Steve’s grand tour of Motor City, you get to see three leading companies not through the lens of a PR department, but through Steve’s unique filter. Combining a personalized narrative with insights from a manufacturing expert is what makes our IMTS+ Original Series such compelling viewing.”

Other IMTS+ Original Series premiere dates include Season Three of “Manufacturing Explorers” on Sept. 28 and Season Two of “Smart(er) Shop” on Oct. 26. Viewers can now watch the all-new third season of Profiles in Manufacturing, which debuted this spring and features three manufacturing leaders who have the courage and audacity to dream big and do bigger.

Tour Stops

The “Road Trippin’” crew’s first stop was Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex – Jefferson. Spread over 3 million square feet, the facility houses an army of robots working as a team. Its assembly line includes the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, and Dodge Durango. “It was the first time I’ve seen that many robots,” says LaMarca. “It was like watching a well-choreographed dance or play.”

Next stop: LIFT, which is operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense, industry, academia and part of the Manufacturing USA institutes.

“In areas where our education system has failed, LIFT is doing its best to pick it up,” says LaMarca. “In terms of technology, they cover everything from welding to automation and robotics to metal additive.”

The last stop was a visit to FANUC America. The automation segment leader’s North American headquarters is a rite of passage in the manufacturing industry.

“It’s almost entirely a research and development lab dedicated to improving their products and proof-of-concept reliability testing,” says LaMarca. “I learned FANUC welcomed competition from other robot companies. It's not something that they shy away from because competition makes them better.”

26/07/2023