Last week’s Automate 2024 event hosted its first ever Women’s Empower Hour, which highlighted the growing number of women working in the automation space. In this episode of Manufacturing Matters, TECH B2B Marketing’s Amanda Del Buono and Morgan Chang, US Business Development Manager at LexxPluss, continue this essential workforce development conversation. They discuss navigating the automation industry as a female and touch on some of the latest news and insights from LexxPluss.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:00:07] Hello. Welcome back to Manufacturing Matters, the podcast where we aim to get to the heart of automation technology and how it plays into the growing automation industry. My name is Amanda Del Buono with Tech B2B Marketing, and today I’m joined by Morgan Chang, U.S. Business development manager at LexxPluss. Thanks for being here today, Morgan.

Morgan Chang: [00:00:28] Thank you. I’m happy to be here Amanda.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:00:31] So we have a handful of things that we were going to talk about today, but can you just start off by telling us a little bit about LexxPlus and what you do there.

Morgan Chang: [00:00:41] Yes. So again my name is Morgan Chang. I am the U.S. business development manager. So I am in charge of strategic partnerships in the U.S. while getting LexxPluss’s name out. I’m also in charge of connecting with small-midsize companies and helping them on their journey to automation. LexxPluss is a Japanese startup in AMR technologies, and if you’re not familiar with AMR and what that stands for, I’m sure many of you do, it stands for autonomous mobile robot. And these robots, if you imagine, kind of like a Roomba, but much larger. And instead of vacuuming, they help people in automation move products from one area to another. And LexxPluss was founded in 2020. Our co-founder was doing business, researching in autonomous driving technology, and in Japan, he also noticed there was a need for more automated services. He noticed in the manufacturing world, many of the tasks were still very manual. And in Japan, like in the U.S., there is a severe labor shortage, and he wanted to see how he could use this autonomous driving technology he was working on to help Japan with those labor issues.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:02:05] Awesome. I want to start our conversation on women and automation and manufacturing. It’s been a discussion that I’ve been having with several people, and you and I met at Business Forum and then we got to see each other at Automate’s women’s empowerment event just last week. But I was curious to kick that off, what brought you into automation and robotics? From our previous conversations, I know you were  working in other industries as well.

Morgan Chang: [00:02:39] Yeah. So I kind of fell into the industry. So back in about 2020, I was working at a solar energy startup,  navigating both as a sales manager and a project manager, as one does in a startup, wearing multiple hats. And I didn’t really know anything about manufacturing, anything about automation. The only thing I knew about robotics was Boston Dynamics. They’re like crazy dancing robots. But the world  kind of came to a pause because of the global pandemic, and the solar industry slowed down. So during this time, my founder of the company decided he was also wanting to get into the automation space. And given my STEM background, he asked if I was interested in being a part of this organization. At first I wasn’t sure. I helped out when I could during my free time. And then we got our first big project where we were building an automatic sheeter, and I was basically the first technical person to join. And I had to build, integrate, program this machine to work, and I fell in love with the automation world since then. From there I worked on collaborative robots, and now I’m in autonomous mobile robots. So it’s been a weird journey, but I’m excited that I took on this opportunity or else I never would have known how much I loved this industry.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:04:18] Yeah, absolutely. We talked a little bit about some experiences as a female in automation. I’m curious how that compares to when you were a female working in other industries before this and solar or what preceded that. Has it been different, or what have you taken from those industries that has informed how you work now?

Morgan Chang: [00:04:47] So it’s been completely different. I have a passion for retail. I am always doing retail part-time, and the retail environment is very, very female-oriented.  So going from a very female-oriented environment to any type of technical sales role, whether that’s solar sales or in the automation world or even when I was in school studying informatics, it’s a different realm, because you go from being the majority to the minority. It does have a different atmosphere to it, but I do find it very fulfilling and challenging. I do like, especially in the automation world, connecting with other women who are in this industry, who have gone through the struggles of sometimes being the only woman in the room or the only technical woman present. It’s really rewarding to see how they’ve overcome these challenges and grown. And it’s inspired me to continue pursuing this path and learning from them and continuing growing. I hope that I can also inspire other women in STEM or girls in STEM to pursue a career in STEM and especially automation. I’ve just had so much fun in this industry. I also feel like the community, both the women and the men, the community in general and the automation world is very supportive. We are a group of people who are excited to learn and discover new things, to become more innovative and ease human lives.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:06:26] Yeah, yeah, it is true. One of the things I love about this industry, and especially from reporting on it, is the people in it really love what they do and they love talking about it, which is nice when you’re, back in my journalism days, it makes writing an article easy when people want to be interviewed. But playing on what you were talking about with hearing some of your predecessors in this industry who were the only female in the room, having these conversations, you and I have been together in having our first experiences at Business Forum and then at Automate over the last year or so. And it’s been interesting because I understand that these are the first two years, like the first year that they’ve really done much with women and automation. From my perspective, it’s wild, like, oh, well women have always been in the majority from my perspective. But hearing that this was the first time for them to do this and seeing how many women were there, I was just curious what was your perception of the Women’s Empower Hour at this year’s event? Or the women’s event that we met at at Business Forum previously?

Morgan Chang: [00:07:38] I absolutely loved it, because when I joined my first company and working in automation, again, it was COVID. So I was kind of just stuck in my little bubble, my little realm. I didn’t know too many other people in general in automation. And when I did go to customer sites or I would go talk to engineers within that smaller bubble, it was almost all men. So when I did have the opportunity to go to my first Automate and see that, wow, there are other women there. That was very exciting and empowering. But it was even more fulfilling when I attended that first event that they did at the A3 Business Forum and then the women’s empowerment event with Automate, it was such a fulfilling experience having a group full of women, because while there are quite a few women in the automate world, having all the women together was just inspiring because it just was really eye-opening. Like, wow, there actually are way more women than I expected in the industry due to the fact that I was kind of just stuck in my own little bubble. I think in automation, while women are still a slight minority, I think when it comes in the general aspect or as a holistic aspect, we actually play a greater role and there’s way more women than I expected once I went away from my little niche and bubble.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:09:14] Yeah, I think you’re right. I think in a post-COVID world, a lot of us are remote now. So it’s hard to see that outside. And it’s also good to just get to know other women and hearing some of their stories and mentorship that can be built there is really cool.

Morgan Chang: [00:09:34] Exactly. And that’s one of the fulfilling parts about this networking with other women. That’s a great opportunity to find mentorships and even people for you to mentee. And I’m a strong supporter of being a mentor and having a mentor. I think that’s a really good way to open your mind and get out of your own perspective and hear other ideas.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:09:57] Absolutely. So on that, if you were your own mentor when you were a younger person, getting into this industry, not being familiar with the fact that you were the minority here, what advice would you be giving yourself? What would you tell those younger women that you may have seen at the Empowerment Hour  at Automate?

Morgan Chang: [00:10:23] I think one big thing that I learned just within the past few years is finding a mentor, I think that’s huge. And I wish I would have found a mentor earlier, whether that was a woman mentor or a female mentor, but someone to look up to and guide my career path. I feel like growing up, when I went to school, I just picked an undergraduate degree that was like, oh, this seems interesting, and it seems like it’ll get me a job. But it wasn’t something I was really passionate about, and it took me some time in my career to dabble in different things, to find out what I really liked and what brought me joy at work. And so I think if I was younger and able to find a mentor and network, that would have been a faster way to discover things I liked about certain industries. And it would have been quicker for me to discover my passions than working through different industries. Although I don’t mind that I took this journey to get here, because I ultimately did get here, which shows that your path isn’t always straightforward and to always be open to any opportunities that might come your way. It could be that divergent path that leads you to something more fulfilling. And it’s a way for you to discover a new passion perhaps.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:11:45] Totally. I’m curious, now that you’re here and you do have such a passion, what could we be doing to encourage not just young women. I mean, we talk a lot about STEM education and things like that. But it’s a prosperous career for any women living independently or with a family. How do you think that we could be reaching out to more women and getting more women involved?

Morgan Chang: [00:12:16] I love that we are doing more opportunities like the the women networking group, Women Empowerment. I didn’t realize that A3, the Business Forum that we met at, that was one of their first women-only events that they did. And I love that. I also think it should be not just women only, but women and allies, because I think our allies really help us succeed in the workplace. I think just showing that this is an industry where women can thrive. I liked how we were able to hear at the women’s empowerment group at Automate the journey some of these women went through and how successful that they are in an industry, even though they aren’t the dominant figure. And I think historically women have been newer in the workforce in general. So when it comes to different industries, it’s going to take some time for more and more women to join whatever work industry due to historical events. But I think advocating for diversity and showing that women can be successful is a really good way to encourage other women to either join an industry like this or at least do some research into  perhaps joining an industry that’s not female dominant.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:13:41] Yeah. Or maybe something that they didn’t really think about doing. Sometimes I remind people that, oh yeah, you don’t think about things that happen in the background, right?

Morgan Chang: [00:13:55] And I feel like maybe not just women, but I think for me, my perspective, this industry in general, I didn’t even really think about as an option when I was going to school. Maybe for other people, they knew about this industry and it was something that they wanted to get into. But for me, this was something I discovered, and I wish I knew about this industry sooner. Maybe I would have chosen a different career path. But it’s funny when people think of tech jobs, they usually think of software or apps, but with how automation is going, I feel like a lot of these automation jobs are the new tech jobs, and it’s another avenue as well.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:14:41] Yeah, absolutely. Robotics is also tech and just as cool.

Morgan Chang: [00:14:47] Exactly. And there are more options than the crazy dancing robots. Sometimes I forget, like, robotic arms are still robots.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:14:55] Yeah, yeah. And there’s a lot of different things, especially as the younger generation comes up, who have been raised with technology from day one. It’ll be interesting to see how they start looking at applying it in different ways that we haven’t thought about.

Morgan Chang: [00:15:13] Exactly. And technology changes so fast. There could be something that comes out within the next 10 years that we could not even fathom.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:15:23] Well, on this discussion, I wanted to switch gears a little bit since we’re right off the heels of Automate. And LexxPluss launched some new rebranded products at the event. So can you tell me a little bit about those and how was their reception?

Morgan Chang: [00:15:41] So this was my first time being with LexxPluss at Automate. And I thought the reception was received quite well. We debuted one of our products, which was originally called the WaniGripper. We had originally designed it and debuted it in Japan first, and the WaniGripper in Japan had resonated well, because “wani” stood for crocodile, and it described the way the gripper latches onto carts to allow the AMR to tug different cargo. However, in the U.S., people don’t know what “wani” means. So we decided to do a rebranding and renaming of it to the LexxTug, which is very self-explanatory. When you hear it, you know what that item does. And, again, it’s an attachment with the AMR, allows you to attach to most carts with little to no modification. So it can also allow the AMR to tow up to about 500 kg, which I think is a little over 1,000 pounds. And there was a lot of interest specifically in that product.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:16:57] Awesome. It sounds like it kind goes into that flexibility and being able to work with other equipment that’s on the floor, right?

Morgan Chang: [00:17:07] Exactly. So the reason we developed that was because in the logistics world, in Japan, there are many distributors that have the same type of cart, and they have hundreds and hundreds of these carts. And it would have been very inconvenient for them to add some sort of adapter plate so that the AMRs can tunnel through them. And they didn’t want to switch out their carts either. They’ve already made the investments for these carts. So that’s what led us into the development of WaniGripper and now LexxTug, so that it can latch onto these existing carts. Most of the carts we’ve used and tested require no modification, but there are many, many types of carts throughout the industry, so we can’t say that they can attach to all the carts. However, if it does require modification, it’s just a simple modification of either adding an L bracket to the cart or even adding an aluminum extrusion to the cart.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:18:09] Okay. Well, I just had one more techie question for you. It seems like when we were on the floor, there was a lot of talk about ease of use. And I think that’s something that you guys talk about, and interoperability. I was just curious from LexXPluss’s perspective, how important is ease of use and being flexible for instances like you were just discussing.

Morgan Chang: [00:18:35] So one of our goals is to make the automation process as smooth as possible for our end users. And that includes if you’re a small-midsize enterprise, starting small, maybe starting with one robot at a time and then scaling up, because some of these smaller companies can’t afford to automate an entire process all at once. It’s a big capital expense, and it’s a big chunk of their time that goes into it. So that’s one thing that we really strive for in our product and our definition of automation. We want to solve your problems and ease your lives by solving different pain points. So whether that’s starting with one robot and growing or making different accessories to allow the use of the AMR easier to integrate into your current environment. There’s another product that we debuted at Automate, which is called the LexxHub. We noticed that while AMRs are great tools, sometimes they don’t always communicate well in their environments, and we had certain customers that wanted our AMRs to communicate with elevator doors. In Japan, things grow up versus the U.S., things kind of grow wide. So sometimes our AMRs would have to travel to different levels. And so the LexxHub helps us connect with I/Os and PLCs to connect to other devices in the AMR’s environment. We’re continually doing development on our product to make it easier and easier to use, because the easier a product is to use, the less of a barrier to entry there is for end users to incorporate automation into their facilities.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:20:20] Yeah, the LexxHub is really interesting. Does that integrate with other OEMs’ PLCs and scanners and things like that? Is that an easy interoperability?

Morgan Chang: [00:20:34] Exactly. It allows for our AMR to communicate through PLC devices, and we’ve tested it with a variety of PLC devices, so it does not require a specific brand. And then through there, we’ve noticed in many of the manufacturing worlds, things are still communicated with PLC. And so the LexxHub allows us to do that. However, we still have, which many AMRs do, API integration as well.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:21:01] Okay. Very cool.

Speaker3: [00:21:03] We have the opportunity to do both. Me, coming from the collaborative robot arm world, I’m trying to push our development team to make the programming of the AMRs just as easy as it is to program a collaborative robot arm. However, we’re still at the beginning stages, but I can see in the future, robotics in general are just going to be becoming more and more easy to use.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:21:31] Yeah, that hit on where I was going to go for you next with the ease of use. I think that would be really cool. Like you had talked about earlier, my Roomba turns on. I mapped my apartment, and he can do his thing in whatever room I tell him to go to. It would be nice if you can open up an app and say this AGV needs to do this, this, and this, or this AMR needs to go here, here, and here. And it’s trained and that’s done.

Morgan Chang: [00:21:55] Exactly. I think right now just in the AMR/AGV industry, there is still a little bit of a gap for the ease of usability. Typically, when it comes to these projects, you usually will want to hire some sort of integrator to help with the deployment process. But I think there is a trend of more and more of these AMR developers working on a way to make it much easier to use.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:22:22] Well, I think from the collaborative robot space, it’s probably a little bit easier since they aren’t  traveling the whole floor and carrying 500 kg of weight, so it might be not as complicated to make that as simple.

Morgan Chang: [00:22:41] Fingers crossed, you know, with the development of AI, maybe you’ll be able to just voice command it or use AI to program it in the future.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:22:50] That would be cool. Well, is there anything else that you would like to add or you think that we need to talk about?

Morgan Chang: [00:22:57] So since we have the additional time, I’d like to invite all the people who are in the Indiana or Midwest area. We are at LexxPluss doing an open house on Thursday, May 16, to debut our new demo facilities in Fishers, Indiana. If you follow us on LinkedIn,  just look up LexxPluss. There should be postings of it. It will be at the Fishers IoT Lab, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on May 16. So hopefully I can meet some of you guys there and chat some more about automation, women in manufacturing, and automation or AMRs in general.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:23:38] That’d be awesome. I also, before we let you go, did want to say congratulations on your MBA. I saw that you earned that this past weekend.

Morgan Chang: [00:23:46] So yeah, graduated. Thank you. I really appreciate it. It was a tough two years, but I survived and I’m happy to have crossed the finish line.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:23:58] And you’re better for it.

Morgan Chang: [00:24:00] Thank you.

Amanda Del Buono: [00:24:01] Again, thank you so much for being here, Morgan. Again, to our listeners, I’m Amanda with Tech B2B Marketing. This was Morgan Chang with LexxPluss. If you have any questions for Morgan or LexxPluss, feel free to reach out anytime, and we’ll get those over to her. If you would like to listen to any past episodes of Manufacturing Matters, please go to manufacturing-matters.com and you can also fill out a form there if you would like to be a guest on the show. Until next time, remember, manufacturing matters.