"Shift your mindset from why you can't to why you must!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
It was an honor to present at the recent BIFMA 360 Leadership Conference in St. Petersburg, where I took a hard look at the "era of acceleration" currently transforming the manufacturing industry.
From the rapid integration of AI and robotics to the emergence of "swarm factories," the message is clear: the future is coming at you faster than you think. How fast are things changing? Take a look at my slide deck - I share the full thing right here. I don't often share these, but I'm particularly proud of what I put together.
To encourage them to keep moving forward, I just shared a deep-dive summary, and a video recap that collectively outline the mindset required to survive—specifically, my mantra to "Think BIG, Start small, Scale fast!"
How did I encourage them to think about tomorrow? I told them about what things would look like in exactly 10 years!
The slides and article guide you through "Project Aura," a hypothetical 2035 scenario where we build a "phygital" workspace using digital twins and bio-responsive materials. These resources outline a 10-step roadmap—from "cognitive briefs" to "product-as-a-service"—illustrating how technologies such as generative AI and 3D printing are reshaping the entire manufacturing lifecycle.
I also filmed a summary YouTube video as a refresher of what I covered in the keynote. It brings these concepts to life with practical leadership strategies for today. In it, I discuss the importance of building an "Xbox Room" to allow young engineers to experiment with new tools and the necessity of hiring "rebels and misfits" to shake up the current skill set. The video serves as a passionate reminder that we are in a time where trends can go "supernova" and change an industry overnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHm7JLDEXTM
Crucially, I warned them of the dangerous "barbell structure" forming in the industry - big companies are doing all these things, and small and medium-sized manufacturers are falling behind. I challenged these leaders to "kill the innovation killers" (the excuses that hold you back) while building the "experiential capital" necessary to avoid becoming the hollowed-out middle.
Overall?
My key guidance was not to try to avoid what must be done - and to do that, they needed to shift their mindset from why they 'can't' to why they 'must!
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Futurist Jim Carroll has spoken at well over 100 manufacturing events, outlining the trends that are rapidly redefining one of our most important industries.
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