Our Portfolio of Industry 4.0 Solutions

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GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -- South Carolina manufacturers are coming up with innovative solutions to one of the industry's biggest problems: the labor shortage. It's one of the big topics up for discussion at the South Carolina Manufacturing Convention and Exposition today. The event is the largest of its kind in the state and features 215 exhibitors, showing off the latest technology.  

Experts say tech could help companies fill in gaps in their workforce. "It was an issue before the pandemic, an issue during the pandemic and it's an issue today," said Andy Carr, the senior vice president of South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Carr's nonprofit connects manufacturers with resources to be competitive. He said solutions that help companies digitize, also called industry 4.0, will be crucial moving forward. "They help manufacturers reduce cost [and] improve productivity," Carr said. Tech like this isn't being shipped in from Silicon Valley. Rather, it's being made right here. Greenville-based company WYCO creates robot arms that can be used in production. A spokesperson said this type of technology is called collaborative because it's designed to work alongside people.  He also said interest in their products has been growing.

 Gemba Systems is another Greenville business that helps companies digitize. Their augmented reality glasses are on display at the convention and can be used to help expedite training.  The lenses were set up to recognize parts on an engine, allowing on-screen prompts to show a user how to change the spark plugs. 

Stanfield Gray, the founder of Dig South, keeps track of tech trends in the region and helps businesses connect with the latest advancements. He's attending the conference and said South Carolina is becoming a tech hub. "You can grow and scale a company in the south now and that was very difficult to do 10 to 15 years ago," Gray said. While technology can help expedite production when companies are short-staffed, experts said the state needs to keep investing in its workers.  "There's a great workforce that's here that maybe doesn't have the training, [but] they have the skills," Gray said. 

Carr said getting workers ready for the jobs coming in is their priority right now.  "I think what we need to do is make sure that we've got all the programs available to make sure that we've got qualified workers," he said. Governor Henry McMaster's decision to spend $17 million in COVID-19 relief funds on technical college scholarships was a step in the right direction, according to Carr. 

"You don't have to go to California for these folks," Carr said. "They're here. They're in the upstate. They're in the midlands. They're in South Carolina."

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