MLC Plant Tour: Taking Manufacturing to New Heights at Emerson Boulder

At more than a mile above sea level, Emerson’s Boulder facility gave manufacturing leaders a closer look at how automation, robotics and connected technologies are advancing operations

In Boulder, CO, the bar for an elevated experience is already high—more than a mile high, in fact. The Manufacturing Leadership Council’s recent tour of Emerson’s facility raised it further, giving manufacturing leaders a firsthand look at how automation and digital innovation are driving operational performance.

Visitors explored Emerson’s Interactive Plant Environment and its 112,500-square-foot manufacturing space, seeing how Emerson is applying connected equipment, advanced robotics and digital tools on the factory floor. From a 3D digital replica of the facility to systems that connect production machines with automation software, the tour offered a glimpse of how Emerson is building capabilities that can scale with future needs.

Staying on the Leading Edge

Emerson’s roots in Boulder trace to its 1984 acquisition of Micro Motion, Inc., a company founded by Jim Smith in his garage in 1977. What began as a startup helped pioneer the industrial use of Coriolis mass flow and density meters—technology that is still central to flow and density measurement today.

Boulder remains the headquarters of Emerson’s Coriolis meter business. During the tour, visitors saw how the company is connecting production machines to automation systems as it transitions away from legacy architecture. Its Interactive Plant Environment (IPE) serves as a training area, product showcase and test zone where Emerson can deploy new devices and simulate their applications.

Increasing Quality and Throughput

One stop on the ten-stop tour showcased an automated welding station that cuts welding time by 50%. A laser-guided system improves precision, while the robot identifies parts and loads the correct welding program autonomously, reducing operator training time.

For a high-mix, low-volume operation, these capabilities offer a compelling combination of speed, consistency and flexibility. The station illustrates Emerson’s broader operational excellence cycle, which asks employees to see, decide, act and optimize.

Beyond the Factory Floor

Learning extended beyond the production area and IPE. Participants exchanged perspectives with manufacturing peers, asked questions of Emerson leaders and joined breakout sessions covering MES strategy and AI roadmaps, smart devices for connecting maintenance and the workforce, and flexible automation for complex manufacturing.

In the flexible automation session, participants explored how Emerson maintains consistent product standards across global facilities while adapting to differences in products, facility layouts and local requirements.

The tour concluded with a panel discussion, giving participants another opportunity to engage directly with Emerson’s leaders.

The tour may have started more than a mile above sea level, but its biggest takeaways were grounded in the realities of manufacturing: improving performance, scaling innovation and putting digital capabilities to work.

MLC plant tours give manufacturing leaders a chance to explore real-world applications, ask questions and exchange ideas with peers. Find your next opportunity to take your learning to a higher level.