The Noble County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 23 at Sylvan Cellars Event Center in Rome City. The breakfast meeting was attended by stakeholders from the county, region, and state who gathered to hear updates about the state of the local economy and a keynote presentation on “Industry 4.0” by Josh Meinika, a local industrial technology expert.
Before presentations got underway, attendees were shown a video montage of various manufacturing and distribution environments utilizing modern technologies, including automated machines, augmented reality, cobots, and cloud-computing, to produce and move goods. Mayor SuzAnne Handshoe, EDC President, welcomed guests and provided a brief overview of the many strategies the EDC is pursuing to help grow the local economy. Gary Gatman, EDC director, also welcomed guests before introducing Meinika.
Meinika has been employed at Robert Bosch Motor Systems in Albion, Indiana for nearly 23 years and has advanced from an entry level position as a machine operator at 19 years of age to the plant’s industrial technology manager, holding several positions during the rise to his current role. Today, Meinika is responsible for coordinating the Bosch Production System locally and within the global community, as well as Industry 4.0 (i4.0) project management. The company was granted a tax abatement on investments in a plant expansion and new equipment, much of which utilizes digital technologies, for a $7 million expansion announced in 2020. Construction is nearing completion. Meinika talked about how the “Internet of Things” (IoT) is being used in a new warehousing area, as well as on the production floor.
Following the keynote presentation, attendees heard insights from Gatman based on data gathered and compiled over the past two months related to Noble County’s economy. Gatman noted some significant strengths, including increasing household incomes, small business environment, and education systems, before pointing out challenges, or as he noted he preferred “opportunities”. These included a lack of housing, aging workforce, and flat population growth.
The full State of the Local Economy report, as well as a copy of the slides presented by Meinika on Industry 4.0, are now available electronically using the links below. Sponsors for the Annual Meeting, recognized for their contributions, were Indiana Michigan Power, NIPSCO, Wabash Valley Power, and Ligtel Communications. Breakfast selections were catered by the Fox Den Coffee Shop in Albion, one of the county’s most recently established locally owned small businesses.
