“Few young people wake up in the morning and go, ‘You know what? I’m going to work in the world of quality assurance. That sounds like a good place to be,’” says Hexagon’s Joel Martin. Today, he serves as director of product sales for Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, but working in metrology happened by luck. After completing his degree in electrical engineering, Martin joined Leica Geosystems in the 1990s and repaired GPS receivers and satellite sensors. At the time, laser trackers were an emerging technology, and an opportunity to work with the fledgling metrology group introduced him to a field that would shape the next three decades of his career. When Hexagon acquired Leica, Martin's career took a new trajectory. What began in metrology evolved into a 30-year journey with one of the world's leading providers of measurement technologies, manufacturing software, digital engineering solutions, and production intelligence. Along the way, he worked in service, support, applications engineering, product development, research and development, and global technology leadership, helping manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, energy, shipbuilding, and space exploration solve increasingly complex challenges. “The thing that has kept me here is the ever-changing opportunity,” he says. “No two days are the same.” Where Technology Meets Possibility Martin describes manufacturing as a unique intersection between technology and real-world challenges. “What solidified my career path and got me hooked on metrology was attaching technology to customer problems,” he says. “Customers were trying to solve things that were, quite frankly, unsolvable. Nobody had done them before, and they were leaning on us to help develop the technologies and solutions to make it happen.” Whether helping a Formula One team gain a competitive advantage measured in microns or assisting manufacturers developing next-generation products, Martin thrives where engineering innovation and customer needs meet. “If you put me in an R&D lab all day, I’ll probably get bored,” he says. “If you put me in front of customers all day, I’ll probably get bored. It’s the attachment of the two that I love.” A similar passion runs throughout Hexagon, and Martin says that “Innovation drives the underlying culture at Hexagon. It’s not just what we make. It’s identifying the next-generation problems and figuring out how to solve them.” Making Manufacturing Smarter Martin says that manufacturing today faces a unique challenge: Investment in domestic manufacturing continues to grow, while labor shortages and an aging workforce place increasing pressure on companies to operate more efficiently. At the same time, manufacturers are generating more data than ever before. “What people are asking now isn’t ‘How do I collect more data?’” he says. “They’re asking, ‘What do I do with it?’” The answer lies in creating connected manufacturing ecosystems where information flows seamlessly from design and simulation through production and inspection. Hexagon’s technologies are designed to help manufacturers make sense of that information and transform it into actionable decisions. Younger employees are driving the shift, as they have grown up with smartphones, cloud computing, and connected devices and bring a different perspective into manufacturing. Rather than forcing users to adapt to complicated technology, they create solutions that simplify complexity. “They don’t tolerate some of the limitations that we’ve always dealt with,” he says. “They look at a process and say, ‘Technology should just work.’ We need to make it easier to use and easier to adopt.” As experienced workers retire, decades of manufacturing knowledge leave with them. To combat the knowledge deficit, Hexagon's objective is to embed more expertise directly into its technologies, reducing the learning curve and allowing manufacturers to leverage sophisticated measurement and automation tools without requiring years of specialized training. “Technology should solve user problems, and technology providers bear the responsibility for delivering it,” Martin says. Solving the Impossible The diversity of challenges Hexagon encounters appeals to Martin. Hexagon operates across nearly every scale and sector of manufacturing, from microscopic medical components to aircraft carriers, satellites, and skyscrapers. “There isn’t really an area where we say, ‘This is where we play,’” says Martin. “We’re involved from the very smallest and most precise applications to some of the largest engineering projects in the world.” Playing in so many areas creates opportunities to help manufacturers tackle problems that have never been addressed before. “Saying no to customers isn’t an option in our culture,” he says. “When nobody has solved a problem before, our teams get more excited. They love the challenges.” That includes the sales team. Martin laughs when recalling his initial resistance to moving into sales more than two decades ago. “I thought sales was selling cars,” he says. “Instead, I discovered that manufacturing sales is often engineering by another name. We’re solving problems.” The Next Era of Manufacturing Martin sees an enormous opportunity over the next decade. “U.S. manufacturing is growing, and we have the technology to accomplish what we need,” he says. “Now we just need to connect the dots between technology, training, and the young generation coming into manufacturing. They are eager to solve problems in new and exciting ways.” He predicts the next five to 10 years will be defined by solutions that embed expertise directly into the workflow, rely less on tribal knowledge, and have analytics for measurement, quality, design, and production integrated into the workflow. Rather than wrestling with technology, people can focus on solving problems. IMTS: Give Us a Challenge For Martin, IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show represents the future of manufacturing. Hexagon (IMTS booths #134102 and #133210) will showcase several new technologies at IMTS 2026 while highlighting its partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see a Formula One race car and experience driving simulators at the booth. While new equipment and technology launches are always highlights of the show, Martin believes the greatest value of IMTS comes from booth conversations. “What I love about IMTS is that it’s not a widget sales show,” he says. “People come to IMTS with real problems. They look at problems they have to solve today, by the end of the year, and two and three years over the horizon. That’s how we approach the show as an OEM.” Register NowAs an example, Hexagon unveiled the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800 at IMTS 2024. By combining laser tracking with laser radar functionality, users can accurately measure fine edges and features across large volumes with unparalleled measurement productivity from a convenient standoff distance. Whether used to inspect large aerospace or automotive structures, ship sections, or wind turbine components, the ATS800 eliminates the need for operators or robots to be in close proximity, enhancing safety and saving time. “When we brought the ATS800 to IMTS, it was a functioning prototype that wasn’t yet into production,” recalls Martin. “We wanted to get this groundbreaking solution in front of some key customers so they could see our thought process on inspecting large structures, and IMTS was the perfect place to do that. Two years later, the ATS800 is changing workflows as customers take advantage of measurement technologies that didn’t previously exist.” As manufacturing continues to evolve, Martin remains continuously energized by helping customers solve problems. “We can drive innovation through collaboration,” he says. “By working together and embracing change, we can push beyond what was previously thought possible.” Further Reading:The World According to Larry Robbins and Shaun Thomas: Building Manufacturing’s Future Through Innovation and PeopleBelmont Built an EDM Legacy by Looking to the FutureThe World According to Steve Stokey: Building the Future Through ManufacturingThe World According to Chad King: Where Precision Meets Speed
Discover how Hexagon drives innovation through problem-solving and collaboration.
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