Consumer confidence and business optimism are up, which means we’re seeing an American workforce where some aren’t as hesitant to strike out on their own and take a chance with a new business venture.
Whatever assertiveness this next group of executives took to their manufacturing startup, it was recently boosted by a round of funding that yielded $179 million to get it off the ground.
It’s called Bright Machines, and it’s the brainchild of former tech leaders at renowned CAD software company AutoDesk, as well as execs from electronics manufacturing company Flex, Ltd. The intention of the initiative is to take a new look at electronics manufacturing, an application with a heavy labor component relating to assembly and QA, and integrate robotics and software to remove many of the manual processes.
According to Reuters, Bright Machines will focus on two key areas, the first of which are “micro-factories” that use adaptable robots to make multiple products, rather than just working on a process as they would on an assembly line. The other focal point is on how software can address gaps and smooth out the process.
This might entail more seamless communication, where engineers can upload a design file direct to a robot to help it learn via AI, rather than designers and production equipment working on disparate systems and a lot getting lost in the shuffle.
And while it sounds ambitious for a startup, it’s not exactly a scratch project. The venture began as an “incubated project” within Flex Ltd. and then spun off as AutoLab AI. 300 employees and a big pile of cash later, it changed its name to Bright Machines.
According to Tech Crunch, Bright believes this will be a huge market and “if they can attract the right talent, they can bring a substantive change to manufacturing that is lacking today.”