Movers & Makers: Finalists named for Manufacturing Innovation Award, Rising 30 nominations deadline approaches and more

Finalists named for 2nd annual Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award

Congratulations to all the finalists for the 2025 TechPoint Mira Awards, including our own Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award finalists! The Manufacturing Innovation Award recognizes industrial firms that have taken an exceptional leap into Industry 4.0 through cutting-edge technology adoption.

The six finalists are:

• AMPG (Indianapolis): For its integration of IoT and machine vision within its production equipment, which eliminated manual parts inspection and sorting to streamline production.
• Arcamed (Indianapolis): For its deployment of several cobots with integrated machine vision and AI capabilities to automate high-mix, low-volume production and seamlessly handle parts of varying sizes.
• Batesville Tool & Die (Batesville, Indiana): For its implementation of a cobot-based system with integrated machine vision to pick, position, weld, inspect, and bin nut brackets at a rate of 1.2 million completed parts each month.?
• Indiana Furniture (Jasper, Indiana): For its integration of a connected fleet of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) to efficiently transport raw materials and various products across large distances within its production facility.
• Major Tool & Machine (Indianapolis): For its investment in a Digital Factory initiative that included the integration of dozens of advanced sensors on critical production equipment to track real-time machine status and plant conditions with a centralized dashboard and real-time visibility.
• Polygon Composites Technology (Walkerton, Indiana): For its machine vision system with integrated edge computing, machine learning and AI analytics that automates data collection from its production equipment for decision-making by operators and production managers.

The winner of this award and many others will be announced on February 27 at the Mira Awards gala in Carmel.

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Last call for nominations: Rising 30 Class of 2025

We are in the thick of our Rising 30 nomination cycle for the Class of 2025, with the nomination window for the upcoming class closing on January 6.

The Rising 30 program, presented by Purdue University in 2025, is a way for us to honor the best young, advanced manufacturing and logistics professionals the Hoosier state has to offer—and for you to recognize the rising star on your team!

Are you looking to get involved? Here are a couple of ways you can help:

1. Nominate someone today.?Submit a nomination for a talented young professional in the AML industry using the button below.
2. Spread the word. Share the opportunity on social media and encourage others in your network to nominate someone exceptional.

If you have any questions about the nomination process, check out the Rising 30 nomination primer, which serves as a guide to get you started.

RISING 30

A look back: Conexus' top stories from 2024

In October, Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech Community College, was named the 2024 Andre B. Lacy Vanguard Award recipient, joining an esteemed group of leaders recognized for their extraordinary impact in Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries.

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In May, Conexus Indiana inducted the newest members of the Conexus Indiana Rising 30, an exclusive group of young professionals recognized for their early-career accomplishments in the advanced manufacturing and logistics industries.

As is the legacy, it was an exceptional class of young professionals.

MEET THE HONOREES

Earlier this year, Conexus Indiana joined the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership to survey Indiana’s key industry clusters to better understand AI adoption and its role in Indiana’s economy.

The findings were published in May in Conexus' report linked below. ?

READ THE REPORT

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In February, teams of students from Eastbrook High School, Mitchell High School, Perry Central High School and White River Valley High School were named winners of the 2024 case competition.

Each school received cash prizes to support their School-based Enterprise, an in-school AML business managed and operated by students.

MEET THE WINNERS

With nearly 30% of Indiana’s GRP and 20% of its workforce tied to the sector, the prosperity of the Hoosier economy hinges on the health and resiliency of our manufacturing base.

In September, Conexus contributed to the Sagamore Institute’s Workforce 2024 book, posing a critical question: What will it take for Indiana to ignite an era of manufacturing renaissance?

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Jasper Group's consideration of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for material handling in a plant of more than one-million square feet was supported by a local technology integrator, Robotic Solutions.

In August, Conexus published a video case study on the project implementation which created efficiencies across the plant.?

VIEW THE CASE STUDY

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