INDIANAPOLIS (February 28, 2025) — Conexus Indiana, in partnership with TechPoint, has named Arcamed of Indianapolis as the recipient of the second annual Manufacturing Innovation Award. The award was announced at the 26th annual Mira Awards gala, commonly known as “The Oscars of Indiana Tech,” at the Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts on February 27.
The Conexus Indiana Manufacturing Innovation Award recognizes industrial firms that have taken an exceptional leap into the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) through cutting-edge technology adoption. The 2025 finalists were selected from a group of statewide applicants operating in and serving diverse manufacturing subsectors, including precision parts, fasteners, furniture, medical devices, aerospace and automotive. Collectively, the six firms deployed a broad range of advanced manufacturing technologies like robotics, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), industrial internet of things and machine vision to drive productivity and efficiency gains.
This year’s winner, Arcamed, exemplified manufacturing innovation through the seamless integration of robotics, AI, and a strong focus on workforce development and empowerment. The Indianapolis-based contract manufacturer specializes in surgical case and tray systems for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
“Arcamed not only invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in advanced manufacturing technologies to enhance production, but also prioritized workforce development, ensuring that its team was empowered to thrive in this high-tech, digital manufacturing environment,” said Conexus Senior Director of Innovation Ryan Henderson. “This holistic approach to innovation really stood out to our independent judging panel of manufacturing professionals in the final selection.”
The cobot-based system was implemented by two of Arcamed’s young engineers and paired with custom-designed infeed, outfeed and part picking processes. The end result enables Arcamed to flexibly manufacture high-mix, low-volume products, and seamlessly handle parts of varying sizes from as small as a jewelry box to as large as a shoebox.
All of this year’s finalists embraced cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies and collectively invested millions of dollars to deploy AI-powered robotics, industrial IoT, autonomous mobile robots and machine vision systems to enhance manufacturing production.
Alongside this year’s winner, Arcamed, the 2025 finalists are:
- AMPG: The Indianapolis manufacturer of standard and custom fastening solutions was nominated for its integration of IoT and machine vision within its production equipment, which eliminated manual parts inspection and sorting to streamline production.
- Batesville Tool & Die: The Batesville, Indiana precision metal stamping manufacturer was nominated for its implementation of a cobot-based system with integrated machine vision to pick, position, weld, inspect and bin nut brackets at a rate of 1.2 million completed parts each month.
- Indiana Furniture: The Jasper, Indiana officer furniture manufacturer was nominated for its integration of a connected fleet of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) to efficiently transport raw materials and various products across large distances within its production facility.
- Major Tool & Machine: The Indianapolis industrial hardware manufacturer was nominated for its investment in a Digital Factory initiative that included the integration of dozens of advanced sensors on critical production equipment to track real-time machine status and plant conditions with a centralized dashboard and real-time visibility.
- Polygon Composites Technology: The Walkerton, Indiana composite tubing manufacturer was nominated for its machine vision system with integrated edge computing, machine learning and AI analytics. The system automates data collection from its production equipment for decision-making by operators and production managers.
According to Henderson, these six projects stood out for their strategic integration of emerging technologies in manufacturing production processes and tangible examples of workforce collaboration. “These innovation projects showcase how and why technology adoption and workforce development must go hand in hand,” said Henderson.
“Conexus and TechPoint hope other small- to mid-sized manufacturing firms across Indiana are inspired by these innovation projects and that they may catalyze new investments in the near future,” he added.
To learn more about Industry 4.0 technology adoption and the state of manufacturing innovation in Indiana, review Conexus Indiana’s Manufacturing Readiness Grants case studies.
About Conexus Indiana: Conexus Indiana, a branded initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, is dedicated to advancing the Hoosier State’s position as a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics. Working closely with industry, academia, and government partners, Conexus Indiana drives workforce development, economic growth, and innovation across the state. For more information, please visit ConexusIndiana.com.
About TechPoint: TechPoint, is the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on working with public, private and industry partners to expand tech talent pipeline, enhance resource connectivity for enterprise organizations and startups alike, and elevate the industry by activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.