Inviting Tech Companies to Indiana

While a visitor itself in Las Vegas, the state of Indiana rolled out the welcome mat last week at CES, inviting stakeholders in the tech space to examine the Hoosier State. Representatives from the Indiana Economic Development Corp., Conexus Indiana and Energy Systems Network took part in the technology exhibition. The organizations were highlighting the state’s embrace of technology, especially among manufacturers.

In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Conexus Indiana President & Chief Executive Officer Fred Cartwright said it was an opportunity for the state to shine.

“I think what it does for the brand is just show that we’re a place to come to, being involved in a very advanced tech ecosystem broadly across the state,” said Carwright. “All of these initiatives, including, the Indy Autonomous Challenge shows that we’re up to the challenge here. And, and we’ve got a lot of evidence to back that up.”

Cartwright says the model of an IAC race car created a lot of “buzz” on the expo floor ahead of the Autonomous Challenge at CES in Las Vegas which highlighted the first-ever head-to-head autonomous racecar competition.

“It’s a real draw, a magnet for startup companies and others to come in and figure out what Indiana is up to. And of course, we have a lot to tell them,“ said Cartwright.

Last month, Conexus released the results of a study showing the number of manufacturers in Indiana integrating the next generation of technologies into their workflow has doubled between 2020 and 21.

Conexus partnered with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for Excellence in Manufacturing to survey nearly 140 companies. The study shows more than 40% have implemented Industry 4.0 technology, including cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence.

“It’s been a fascinating thing to watch and see through such initiatives [such] as the Manufacturing Readiness Grants that the state helped fund, and that Conexus Indiana has administered to see how much difference these have made over a period of about a year and a half,” said Cartwright.