The Smart Factory Connection Tour, a French business accelerator program, is scheduled to visit Troy on Nov. 15 at Automation Alley, the French American Chamber of Commerce – Michigan Chapter, Business France, and Automation Alley announced Thursday. Michigan is the only U.S. stop on the tour.
“The French American Chamber of Commerce – Michigan Chapter is dedicated to fostering relationships and opportunities between French and U.S. companies,” says Cris Josson, executive director of the organization. “Smart Factory’s focus on manufacturing and integration provides an ideal platform for French and American companies to collaborate and directly responds to the needs of our members.”
Representatives from eight French startup companies will pitch their products and business to Detroit-area companies to learn about potential collaborators, vendors, investors, and customers. The French companies were vetted through a juried selection process.
“Detroit is a global hub of manufacturing innovation and opportunity. The Smart Factory Connection Tour offers the opportunity for manufacturers to connect with eight of France’s most promising startups to encourage growth within their firms,” says Laurence Grelet, head of industry and cleantech, North America, at Business France, which is the French trade commission.
The French companies include AKEOPLUS, which specializes in mechanics and smart robotics; ALPHA-3i, a software publisher for the manufacturing industry; Apix Analytics, which develops and commercializes multigas analyzers for industrial and environmental applications; CAI Labs, which develops photonic solutions to increase the capacity of existing optical fibers; Expert Teleportation, a smartglass software publisher, InfoDream, a quality-control software developer for the manufacturing industry; Scortex, which deploys artificial intelligence for the automation of complex visual inspection for quality control; and Ubudu, which creates indoor location solutions to improve industrial performance.
The event will also feature representatives from leading global companies in automotive manufacturing, consumer technology, and other innovations. Joey Lanius, managing director of industrial, rail, and travel practice at Accenture, will give a presentation titled “Digital Transformation in Manufacturing.”
The Smart Factory Connection Tour Detroit is open to the public and will take place from 8-11 a.m. Automation Alley is located at 2675 Bellingham. Registration and more information are available here. Follow the tour on Twitter at @BF_IndustryNA.
Smart Factory takes place after Automation Alley’s Integr8 The Industry 4.0 Conference at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit on Nov. 14. The global conference will focus on the eight technologies currently disrupting the manufacturing industry.
Hundreds of experts from around the world in advanced materials and additive manufacturing, robotics, cybersecurity, and beyond are planning to attend the conference.
