New data confirms growing impact of Manufacturing Readiness Grants program on success and scale of Indiana’s small- to mid-sized advanced manufacturers

2024-10-08T00:47:16-04:00October 2, 2024|

INDIANAPOLIS – Conexus Indiana announced today the results of its most recent study measuring the impact of Indiana’s Manufacturing Readiness Grants program. The report reaffirms the program’s pivotal role in transforming and modernizing Indiana’s advanced manufacturing sector by incentivizing capital investments in advanced technologies at small- to mid-sized businesses. The Manufacturing Readiness Grants program was launched in 2020 as part of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s (IEDC) Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement (EASE) program. The Indiana General Assembly extended funding for the program in 2021 and again in 2023. The program has seen increasing interest, with the number of applications and continuing to exhaust funding each fiscal year. Since the program’s inception, $57 million in matching grants through 526 awards have been made in 79 Indiana counties. The program boasts a 13:1 leverage ratio, demonstrating that for every dollar [...]

Conexus Indiana: 5 Keys to Driving Indiana’s Manufacturing Future

2024-06-28T14:16:52-04:00June 28, 2024|

Fred Cartwright, President and CEO, Conexus Indiana While there is much conversation in Indiana regarding the future of advanced manufacturing, most of the challenges—and opportunities—the industry faces are not unique to Indiana. Conexus Indiana’s President and CEO Fred Cartwright was reminded of this when he participated in a U.S. Industrial Policy Roundtable in D.C. in May. The event had five key takeaways, which he expanded on in the piece, that mark the need for advancing regional and national discourse concerning this critical sector of Indiana’s economy. Read Cartwright’s recommendations for industry innovation, which include focusing on education and training of our future workforce, providing strategic funding and proactively building the powerful partnerships necessary to effect real change. [READ MORE]

AI in manufacturing economy lags other Indiana industry sectors, but manufacturers continue to make strides on adoption to enhance production capabilities

2024-05-17T12:33:11-04:00May 14, 2024|

Conexus Indiana recently released its latest report, AI in Indiana Survey Report highlighting the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Indiana advanced manufacturing and logistics (AML) ecosystem. For the last three years, Conexus Indiana has studied Industry 4.0 technology adoption trends among Indiana manufacturers. Data from the three surveys, fielded between 2020 and 2022, showed many Indiana manufacturers are steadily increasing adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies with a focus on efficiency and productivity gains in their production facilities. Since the completion of the last survey in early 2022, the development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved, particularly with the launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT platform. Consequently, AI has progressively been at the forefront of the national media and public policy discussions. [READ FULL REPORT] Additional context is available in a recent Conexus Indiana blog post. About [...]

Conexus Indiana names accomplished young professionals to 2024 Rising 30 class

2024-05-13T09:04:59-04:00May 9, 2024|

Honor recognizes 30 professionals in Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries INDIANAPOLIS - Conexus Indiana today announced 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. The Rising 30 program, presented by KSM, is in its fourth year and is part of Conexus Indiana’s mission to strengthen Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries. Program honorees represent Indiana’s top talent under the age of 30 who will drive the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries successfully into the future. This year’s winners exemplify leadership and innovation in Indiana’s largest industry sector and are poised to become Indiana’s future industry leaders. “The dynamic professionals named to this year’s Rising 30 cohort are defining what it means to be a young leader in Indiana’s AML [...]

Conexus Indiana presents Manufacturing Innovation Award at TechPoint’s 25th annual Mira Awards

2024-04-29T12:56:03-04:00April 26, 2024|

WATCH Smoker Craft Video INDIANAPOLIS — Conexus Indiana, in partnership with TechPoint, names Smoker Craft Inc. of New Paris, Ind. as the inaugural Manufacturing Innovation Award winner. The award was announced at the 25th annual Mira Awards program presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Salesforce and a host of the state’s most innovative companies, universities and organizations. The Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award recognizes industrial firms that have taken an exceptional leap into the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). The six nominees collectively prioritized productivity and efficiency gains through the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies like robotics, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), industrial internet of things, machine vision and more. This year’s winner, Smoker Craft, exemplifies innovation within a manufacturing environment. The multi-generational, family-owned Elkhart County manufacturer is one of the oldest and largest boat builders in [...]

CICP unveils AI survey results to explore organization usage and overall interest of AI adoption statewide

2024-04-19T12:05:50-04:00March 19, 2024|

INDIANAPOLIS — Exploring how key industry sectors in Indiana are using or plan to use artificial intelligence (AI), the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) today unveiled results from its AI in Indiana survey, which was administered statewide last fall in partnership with two of its branded initiatives – Conexus Indiana and TechPoint. The AI in Indiana survey generated nearly 200 responses with 55 percent indicating the adoption of at least one AI capability—a share in-line with McKinsey & Company’s Global Survey on AI, a widely recognized survey that inspired CICP’s survey questions and has been used by economists and community leaders to track the progress of tech adoption. McKinsey & Company’s Global Survey on AI finds that, while some companies are AI leaders, it is still “early days” regarding broad-based AI adoption. The AI in Indiana survey also found that [...]

Four Indiana student-run businesses awarded at Conexus Indiana Case Competition

2024-02-29T13:27:01-05:00February 27, 2024|

INDIANAPOLIS – Students from four Indiana high schools were named winners in the 2024 Conexus Indiana Student Industries Case Competition. Teams of student leaders from Eastbrook High School, Mitchell High School, Perry Central High School and White River Valley High School will receive cash prizes to support their School-based Enterprise (SBE), an in-school entrepreneurial advanced manufacturing and logistics business that is managed and operated by students. “The Case Competition, which is open to schools operating SBEs throughout the state, gives high schoolers a platform to showcase their practical decision-making and problem-solving skills,” said Kyle Marshall, senior director of talent programs at Conexus Indiana. “The competition also gives them an opportunity to present to and interact with a panel of industry leaders in Indiana – an opportunity they otherwise might not have while in high school.” Competing schools were divided into [...]

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