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Samuel Kirkpatrick
7 biggest challenges in precision manufacturing - and how smart automation is shaping the future
Precision manufacturers face mounting challenges: increasing customer demands, labour shortages, rising costs, and the pressure to deliver uncompromising accuracy at speed. In this session, Sam Kirkpatrick will explore seven key challenges impacting the industry today and examine how emerging technologies such as automation, AI-driven decision-making, and data-led production, are reshaping the future of precision manufacturing. Drawing on real-world insights, Sam will discuss how manufacturers can leverage smart automation to drive efficiency, agility and long-term resilience.
About Samuel
Sam Kirkpatrick is an innovative engineering leader with over a decade of experience in automation and smart manufacturing. Since joining ANCA in 2012, he has been instrumental in the development of AIMS (ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System)—a modular, intelligent automation platform designed to transform CNC tool production through connected, autonomous processes.
Sam has led global engineering teams and helped shape AIMS from concept to deployment, drawing on experience from GE Global Research and industrial automation across multiple sectors. Now as Senior Product Manager, he drives the strategic direction of AIMS and its role in shaping the future of automated manufacturing. He holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering (Robotics) from Lehigh University, where his research in the VADER Lab informed his approach to robotics and intelligent systems.
