Worlds leading annual networking event attracts 525+ global automation leaders

ANN ARBOR, MI, December 19, 2016 - The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) today announced its annual A3 Business Forum, taking place January 18-20, 2017 at Disneys Yacht & Beach Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. With more than 525 global automation executives scheduled to attend, the A3 Business Forum is the worlds leading networking event for robotics, vision, imaging, motion control and motors professionals.

Keynotes for the conference feature experts such as ITR Economics analyst Alan Beaulieu sharing the global 2017 economic outlook and sales intelligence thought leader Sam Richter. A3 also hosts technical breakout sessions at the event, featuring industry experts from Amazon, Microsoft, and other leading vendors and analysts. Topics include:
• the future of electric vehicles and their impact on automation industry
• industrial operability from sensor to cloud
• ophthalmology imaging solutions to eradicate curable blindness
• why intuitive, friendly robots are critical for team adoption
Executives discuss innovations, analyze how to apply automation breakthroughs, share common challenges and develop strategies to overcome them through discussions on automation, robotics, economics, business transformation, and sales.
"The Forum highlights key trends and issues defining our market," said Jeff Burnstein, President of A3. "We provide an invaluable resource that helps our members remain competitive in global markets. The Forum is filled with lively discussions among suppliers and customers in a relaxed networking setting where business deals are made."
Forum Caps Record Breaking Q1-Q3 2016
Based on results from the recent quarterly survey by A3s daughter organization Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the first nine months of 2016 was a record-breaking period for the automation industry. A total of 23,985 robots valued at $1.3 billion were ordered from North American companies in the first nine months of 2016, an increase of seven percent in units and three percent in dollars over the same period in 2015. The record sales were driven primarily by a 14% increase in orders by automotive OEMs and component suppliers. The food and consumer goods industry ordered 40% more robots compared to last year. RIA estimates North American factories now use 269,000 robots, which is third only to China and Japan.
Similarly, MCMAs quarterly survey showed that motion control shipments increased five percent in the same period. Sales to date have been driven by strong demand for actuators/mechanical systems (14% to 423M), electronic drives (12% to $451M), and motion controllers (6% to $119M).
AIA quarterly results showed that, while the vision market contracted in the first nine months, Q3 represented a notable increase in performance with cameras gaining three percent, lighting five percent, software five percent, and smart cameras 24%. In total, sales for machine vision components and systems in North America increased by seven percent to $574M in Q3.
Editors, Analysts Invited to Join A3 Business Forum
The A3 Business Forum opens the door to an exclusive gathering of automation executives. If you are an industry analyst or editor interested in attending, please contact cheryl@hughescom.net for details.
Click through for first-hand accounts of 2016 A3 Business Forum.
About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)
The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA - Advancing Vision + Imaging, and Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). RIA, AIA, and MCA combined represent some 1,000 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward. For more information, visit these websites: A3 - www.a3automate.org. RIA - www.robotics.org. AIA - www.visiononline.org. MCMA - www.motioncontrolonline.org. Automate 2017 - www.automateshow.com.