RIA & A3 Mexico
About: Bob Doyle - Vice President
Bob Doyle is Vice President – Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and A3 Mexico at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He directs and manages the day-to-day activities of RIA, the leading trade association for the robotics industry in North America with over 470 member companies. Doyle also played a lead role in launching the association’s A3 Mexico operations, growing the organization's reach internationally.
1. Being the Vice President to RIA & A3 Mexico, you have been a strategic planner and relationship builder. How do you attain balance in maintaining your responsibilities across these two associations?
It is a very exciting time to be part of the robotics and automation industry! The growth in the industry and the technologies being introduced makes it fun to manage these associations. I certainly couldn’t do it without a strong team of Association for Advancing Automation (A3) colleagues based in our Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA office. We also recently hired our first employee based in Mexico. Having her on board as our marketing and membership manager will really help grow our A3 Mexico association.
2. How do you advise automation ideas of A3 Mexico that transform the way business is carried on?
Mexico offers a great deal of opportunity for the robotics and automation industry. Investments in manufacturing using high tech automation has grown, especially over the last few years. That is why we decided to start our association there; to help cultivate an industry that was already growing.
3. In your opinion, what are the factors influencing the North American Automation market?
The automotive industry continues to be the driver for robot sales in North America. However, we’re seeing more non-traditional industries now realize the benefits of automation and are buying more robots. This is good for the industry as a whole because as automotive can be somewhat cyclical, the growth in robot sales in other industries helps keep the industry strong if automotive is down. We saw this happen in 2017 where automotive was down but overall sales still increased because of the growth in other industries. We’re especially seeing more robotics and automation adoption in smaller and medium-sized enterprises.
4. What are your approaches in uplifting the use of automation technologies to the association members?
Our association members are the companies driving the automation industry forward. They are the ones helping manufacturers and other end users transform their business through automation. Our mission is to help connect, educate and lead these companies and their current/future customers. We do this through many different ways, such as content-rich websites, educational webinars, conferences, and trade shows.
5. What are the ongoing automation innovations of RIA & A3 Mexico?
We continue to look at new and innovative ways to ensure we are serving the industries we represent in robotics, machine vision, motion control, and motors. Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence are new areas that we are ensuring that our members are educated on and take advantage of these technologies.