Michael Robbins loves coming home, as he did this week.
And this time Robbins, who hails from Michigan, enticed thousands of people to show up with him.
Robbins, president and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) was in town for XPONENTIAL, the flagship international event focused on autonomy, robotics, and uncrewed systems across air, land and maritime domains.
The four-day event, held at Huntington Place, was expected to bring in more than 11,000 people.
“It’s very cool for me to bring this to my hometown,” Robbins said. “Michigan put together a really competitive package, both as a host city, but then separately, but relatedly, just having this very, very hungry industry here.
“And it’s not just about any one technology, it’s the manufacturing expertise of Michigan,” he added. “It’s the history of Michigan being the arsenal of democracy and all of that played into the thinking. And where we’re at in the autonomy industry right now is we’re shifting from this era of innovation and research and development into one of operations and trusted supply chains and scaled manufacturing. That’s what Michigan does really well. So that’s why really Michigan was such an obvious choice for us because this is a place that knows how to build, knows how to build scale.”
The event also served as the location for the Michigan Defense Expo, Michigan’s premier defense and advanced manufacturing event. which co-located with XPONENTIAL.
It was the first time MDEX has been hosted alongside XPONENTIAL. Among the attendees were defense leaders, prime contractors, global autonomy innovators, federal buyers and advanced manufacturers.
Officials are pointing out this is not an expansion, but a convergence.
MDEX is hosted by the NDIA Michigan Chapter and is designed to connect defense stakeholders, manufacturers and technology leaders to strengthen national security and the industrial base.
According to MDEX chair Misty Martin, the decision to co-locate with XPONENTIAL signals recognition of Michigan’s defense manufacturing ecosystem, mobility leadership, and capacity to move emerging technologies from concept to production.
“I’m super excited to be able to expose Michigan’s manufacturing defense base to that many people and to people who might not know what all we do in Michigan,” Martin told Corp! Magazine. “I know when I was a green suiter (Martin retired from the U.S. Army) I would have kids come up to me and they’d think it was so cool to see a soldier. Then their parents would say, ‘well, I didn’t know we had any military here in Michigan.’ And I’m like, ‘we make more government vehicles here than anywhere else in the world.’ I’ve been very proud of what Michigan does and contributes to the defense and to the sector, and so I’m super excited to be able to grow it like this.”
Across the week, attendees engaged in defense-focused programming, including integration with MDEX event, end-user workshops grounded in real-world deployment, government roundtables under Chatham House Rule, and international forums focused on standards alignment and market access.
The four-day expo created a unified platform unlike anything the region has hosted:
- Global representation across industry and government
- Cross-domain technologies from ground vehicles to aerial systems to autonomy
- Direct interaction between defense acquisition stakeholders and defense / autonomy leaders
- Exhibits from more than 600 exhibitors
- Dozens of education sessions about every aspect of the industry
- Networking sessions
For Robbins, it wasn’t just the number of exhibitors the expo drew, but the breadth of sectors they represented.
“What’s cool about it is it’s the whole ecosystem of autonomy,” Robbins said. “You’ve got your own providers, you’ve got autonomous boats, you’ve got ground robots and you’ve got the whole ecosystem that supports them. Components, software companies, additive manufacturing companies, companies that are supporting the industry in other ways.
“So it’s really unique in that respect,” he added. “It’s not just the end products. It’s the whole ecosystem, which is pretty cool to see.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who made the Day One keynote address, highlighted Michigan’s deep manufacturing roots and growing leadership in national security innovation, pointing to efforts to expand drone production, support dual-use technology development, and align workforce training with emerging defense needs.
“Michigan’s defense industry has a storied past, a strong present, and a bright future,” Whitmer said. “We’re home to world-class facilities, innovative companies, and talented workers. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together to create good-paying jobs, win a new fighter mission for Selfridge, and train workers to build ships, drones, submarines and more. As global competition increases, let’s stay focused and work together to build the future right here in Michigan.”
Exhibitors found the event to be a strong source of information and professional contacts. The team from Virginia-based HDT Global, an industry leader in all things expeditionary support equipment, was hoping to gain exposure for its many robot platforms.
“We’ve been working with the Army for years and the development of these robot platforms, but it’s not just the Army that we want to market them to,” said Dev Spradlin, HDT Global’s Director of Business Development-Expeditionary Systems. “We want to let other industry partners know that we’re open to partnering for payloads on our robots. Our robots are not just robots, they’re also mobile generators. So if you need counter UAS platforms that require power or require mobility to carry a heavy load, our robots stand ready to go into the fight, carry their payloads into the fight and power them so that they can help the war fighter succeed.”
Col. Denis Fajardo, commander of the Army’s Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas, whose primary function is maintenance, repair and overhaul of vehicles and equipment, said the XPONENTIAL/MDEX event was a chance to connect with hundreds of industry partners and vendors.
“We’re providing them with the ability to see some of the things that we have to offer and how we can partner with industry for the transformation, army transformation that we’re currently going through,” Fajardo said.
XPONENTIAL/MDEX drew an international flavor among its exhibitors, an international presence Jean-Francois Hould knew would be beneficial to him. Hould, a delegate representing Quebec, Canada, said Quebec companies are looking to expand into the Midwest region of the U.S.
Hould, who works out of Chicago and whose responsibilities cover 12 U.S. states, pointed out that Quebec exports more in Michigan “than we do in France or Mexico.”
“The main commodity that drives our exports are aluminum, which is very relevant for XPONENTIAL and MDEX,” Hould said. “We are the main supplier of aluminum in the U.S. We have nine of the 10 plants of aluminum in Canada. So that’s the backbone I will say of the commodities that we explore.
“We already like having good connections,” he added. “My team is actually doing a lot of B2Bs, helping companies to connect with other companies. So this is very exciting. We already see just business opportunities growing.”
So, after a week that featured more than 200 educational sessions, more than 600 exhibitors and thousands of visitors, what does Robbins hope to walk away with when it’s over?
“Positive reviews is what I’m looking for in that people found value in their time here,” he said. “Whether it was business-to-business connections or making sales or learning something. It’s everything from policy to engineering problems to operation challenges and sort of an opportunity for people to come together and solve problems, address points of friction, which is really as a trade association, what we’re doing is trying to move this industry forward.
“So having 10,000 people coming together and having conversations really helps to move the industry forward in a very meaningful way,” he added.
