Not just spinning their wheels

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"People are starting to take a longer-term view on capital projects now," said Tom Doyle, president of QComp Technologies Inc., a Greenville company that introduced a driverless forklift that works with robot-based manufacturing systems.

Second, some companies are buying new factory machines so they don't miss a federal tax break to write off half the cost in the first year. With other tax incentives, the savings could be even higher for some small and mid-size businesses.

"The last fiscal quarter in this industry is always strong" because companies want to spend cash rather than pay taxes on it, Tank said.

The trade show covers nearly 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and includes some novelty items such as a Fanuc "casino robot" from Ellison Machinery & Robotics that plays craps.

Prices of industrial robots have dropped as the machines have become more common.

"For about $30,000, you can get a robot to load and unload parts," Tank said. "And some robots now have 'vision,' which allows them to take a picture of a part and find it."

QComp Technologies' driverless forklift, which is not at the show, can eliminate the use of pallet conveyors, reduce labor costs and avoid product damage. It can be navigated using routes downloaded through a wireless computer system, can travel 230 feet per minute and can lift 2,000 pounds.

"We have the first one running around on our plant floor now," Doyle said.

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