Episode Summary: 

In this episode of Better Tech on technology for factory, Drew Allen, Chief Executive Officer at Grace Technologies, discusses the evolution of industrial safety, predictive maintenance, and the transformative role of AI in manufacturing. With a background in international business and recognized by the National Association of Manufacturers with the 2020 Next Generation Leadership Award, Drew shares Grace’s mission to create life-impacting technology for factory floor workers. He explores how AI and machine learning drive innovation, the importance of listening to customer feedback, and the critical challenge of attracting top engineering talent. Drew also reveals his leadership philosophy centered on experimentation, extreme autonomy, and the vision of the factory of the future where safety, efficiency, and innovation converge.

Show Notes:

1. Drew Allen’s family has a rich history of innovation spanning back to Samuel Finley Breeze Morse, the inventor of Morse code, creating a lineage of entrepreneurship and inventiveness that inspired Grace Technologies.
2. Grace Technologies began as a systems integration business and evolved into a product company after identifying opportunities while working on projects for John Deere, demonstrating the power of customer-driven innovation.
3. Attracting top talent in electrical engineering, embedded systems, and software development is a major challenge for Grace, particularly in Davenport, Iowa, prompting expansion to additional U.S. offices.
4. Drew was early to explore AI applications, participating in a hackathon in San Francisco in May 2022 where Grace created a multi-agent approach to defect analysis and customer remediation processes.

This episode is hosted by Jocelyn Houle, Host, BetterTech