Question · Q3 2025
George Anthony Bancroft asked for Crane Company's view on automation, its long-term impact on margins, and its ability to support faster growth, considering the growing backlog and expansion across both businesses, including areas like Golden Dome.
Answer
Max Mitchell, Chairman, President, and CEO, explained that Crane views automation as a means to enhance productivity, ease work, error-proof processes, and reduce cycle time, with successful localized implementation of cobots. He clarified that Crane's strategy is not towards fully automated facilities but rather spot-based automation for specific tasks to reduce variation and associate burden. Alex Alcala, EVP and COO, added that automation also focuses on difficult-to-maintain tasks and addressing skilled labor gaps, such as in welding, rather than factory-wide automation.