The Automation Navigator - Sean Dotson
Sean DotsonThe Automation Navigator explores the evolving world of automation, robotics, packaging, AI, economics, and leadership. Drawing on decades of experience in industrial automation, it offers practical insights and clear thinking to help operators, engineers
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 51 | Founded | 3 years ago | Last Issue | 6 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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automationnavigator.substack.comLatest Issues
The Change Order You Should Have Written But Did Not
The Phone Call
It is 2:30 on a random Tuesday afternoon. Your best engineer is elbow-deep in the panel working on a conveyor integration that ships in three weeks. His phone rings. It is the plant manager at the customer site, someone h...
The Boring Robotics Deal Nobody Is Writing About
The robotics headlines right now are all walking, talking, occasionally falling over. Humanoid robots on factory floors. Investor decks with billion-dollar TAM slides. Every tech publication has run the “is this the year of the robot” piece...
You Are Financing Your Client's Project: Have You Priced That?
I have had this fight more times than I can count. Shop quotes a job, wins it, mobilizes, builds the thing, ships it, commissions it, and then spends six weeks trying to collect the final 30 or 40 percent while the client’s procurement depa...
A Billion Dollars for a Name
Industrial hardware does not have software margins. The cap table has not heard this however.
Mind Robotics closed a $400 million round on May 13, led by Kleiner Perkins, at a $3.4 billion valuation. That round followed a $500 million...
Three Things Are Happening to Rockwell at Once
Beckhoff posted 6% in a flat market. Rockwell laid off 900 people (and counting).
Beckhoff Automation closed 2025 with €1.24 billion in revenue, up 6% year over year, the first positive growth year since the 2023 downturn. Q1 2026 was d...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Founder, CEO, engineer, robotics and automation leader. I speak about automation, packaging, robotics, technology and M&A activity in our industry.
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