Industry 4.0 Innovation Shines at MMA Ops Conference

The Industry 4.0 Accelerator had an outstanding day at the MMA Operations Conference on April 17 at the Lansing Center, where innovation and collaboration took center stage. As part of the conference, we hosted a dynamic Industry 4.0 Technology Pitch Event featuring four cutting-edge startups: Ubivis, Azumuta, FleetGlue, and Peer Robotics.

Each company took the stage to present their breakthrough solutions tackling some of manufacturing’s biggest challenges — from real-time data insights and paperless shop floors to unified robot fleet management and collaborative robotics. The energy in the room was electric as attendees listened, engaged, and ultimately voted for their favorite solution.

We’re thrilled to share that FleetGlue was selected as the Judges’ Choice Winner for its seamless platform integrating mobile robots, helping manufacturers accelerate automation with ease. Meanwhile, Peer Robotics took home the People’s Choice Award, winning over the audience with its collaborative robots designed to work safely alongside human teams.

Beyond the pitch competition, the Accelerator also hosted a breakout session on Autonomous Material Handling — a hot topic chosen by MMA members. The panel, featuring Joe LaRussa and representatives from our portfolio companies, sparked a lively discussion on implementation best practices, workforce considerations, and how to achieve fast ROI. Attendees walked away with actionable insights and made valuable connections with tech providers and fellow manufacturers.

A huge thank-you to the MMA for hosting such a fantastic event, to our panelists and startups for sharing their expertise, and to all the attendees who joined us to shape the future of Michigan manufacturing. We’re proud to continue driving Industry 4.0 innovation forward — and we can’t wait to see what’s next!