MODEX C-Suite Interview with Ron Jubis: Technology takes center stage at MODEX 2024

Ron Jubis, President, SICK Sensor Intelligence

MMH: What is your number one takeaway from MODEX 2024?

Jubis: The show expanded significantly from prior years, both in terms of exhibitors and attendees. It was a very busy show, but I was fortunate to have some time blocked to walk the show floor, which was great. It’s always incredible to see how this show has evolved with the significant amount of increased robotics, industrial robotics, AMRs and mobile platforms. There are so many new companies exhibiting at MODEX, and the longstanding exhibitors are also showcasing more robotics, AMRs, and mobile platforms along with their core offerings. This accelerated interest in all things robotics was very obvious this year.

MMH: What top three market trends are impacting the market this year?

Jubis: Inventory tracking, data transparency, and tracking of real-time data were the overarching takeaways. We've seen a resurgence of interest in RFID, which it's almost like deja vu from 20 years ago when a large retailer pushed out its RFID mandates to its largest suppliers. We’re also seeing a growing interest in analytics software—not just asset analytics, but analytics in terms of condition monitoring of how systems are functioning in real-time. When companies have this data at their fingertips, they can be predictive before a failure happens and catch things sooner in the process to avoid extended downtimes.

We’re also noticing a reduction of greenfield buildings and the shift to brownfield projects with the goal of making existing spaces more intelligent. This is a fundamental pivot from the COVID years, when the goal was to build as many warehouses as possible in order to sustain the influx of business. There's been a rethinking of how we get smart with our existing structures before we go build a new one.

MMH: How is SICK responding to these market trends?

Jubis: When you start looking at analytics solutions, you can potentially start opening up more gateways for hacking and problems to exist in areas that were previously inaccessible. That security piece is critical, and having highly-secure interfaces that provide real-time analytics of operations is very important. We're predominantly a hardware company, but our software and data security offerings also meet or exceed industry expectations, which is a game changer. Also, when you start introducing brownfields, robotics and the convergence of robots with people, safety becomes critically important. In response, we’ve expanded our safety services offerings in order to better meet our customers’ needs in that realm.