The Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the global advocate for the automation industry, is disappointed in how 60 Minutes portrayed the industry in “March of the Machines” that aired Jan. 13, 2013.

“[Although] the 60 Minutes depiction of how technological advances in automation and robotics are revolutionizing the workplace was spot on, their focus on how implementation of these automation technologies eliminates jobs could not be more wrong,” says Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, a trade group representing some 650 companies from 32 countries involved in robotics, vision, and motion-control technologies. “We provided 60 Minutes producers several examples of innovative American companies that have used automation to become stronger global competitors, saving and creating more jobs while producing higher-quality and lower-cost products, rather than closing up shop or sending jobs overseas. They unfortunately chose not to include these companies in their segment. With respect to MIT Professors Brynjolfsson and McAfee, who gave their viewpoint in the [60 Minutes] piece, they are missing the bigger picture.”

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