The Woodruff School's Annual Distinguished Lecture

Blake Moret is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rockwell Automation. He assumed the role of CEO on July 1, 2016 and was elected Chairman of the Board effective January 1, 2018. As CEO, Blake leads the world’s largest company focused on industrial automation and information, dedicated to making our customers more productive and the world more sustainable.

Impact of the Factory of the Future A Retrospective
Automation has contributed to sharply increased productivity in virtually all industrial processes, first in developed countries, but now in places with low labor costs as well. What has industrial automation brought society, and where is it going? This talk reviews past expectations of automation, what has flourished and what has fizzled, and what was totally unexpected. Thoughts on the future are offered, amid the backdrop of pervasive computing and communication resources, a rapidly increasing middle class, the skills gap for advanced manufacturing, a heightened interest in sustainability, and the sharing economy.

Lunch served after lecture in GTMI Atrium