The Brains of the Factory—Scaling Automation Leadership with Matt Wise

About this episode

Matt Wise discusses the importance of automation in factories and shares insights on scaling E-Tech Group as a leading system integrator.

As we kick off the new year, Talking Industrial Automation revisits a listener-favorite conversation with Matt Wise, CEO of E-Tech Group—one of Control Engineering and Plant Engineering's 2025 System Integrator of the Year award winners. Matt shares how he explains automation as "the brains of the factory," why marketing and business strategy matter just as much as engineering, and how E-Tech Group scaled into one of North America's largest system integrators through acquisition, talent, and long-term vision. The conversation explores today's biggest industry challenges—from labor shortages and rising complexity to AI, multi-site automation, tariffs, and uncertainty—and what it takes to guide clients through them as a true automation partner. Whether you're a system integrator, manufacturer, or industry leader looking to start the year with fresh perspective, this encore episode delivers practical insights on growth, leadership, and the future of industrial automation.

People in this episode

Host: Lisa Richter

Guest: Matt Wise

Topics covered

• automation leadership
• industrial automation
• business strategy
• system integration
• industry challenges
• growth
• AI

Keywords

• automation
• system integrator
• business strategy
• industry challenges
• AI
• leadership
• growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: E-Tech Group, Control Engineering, Plant Engineering

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