12 Michigan Companies To Join Automation Alley for October Trade Mission To Washington D.C.

TROY ? In October, 12 companies from Southeast Michigan will travel to Washington D.C. with Automation Alley to showcase their products, services and technologies to high-level military officials, decision-makers and industry leaders at the Association of the United States Army 2013 Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Held every October in the nation?s capital, the AUSA event is one of the largest land warfare expositions and professional development forums in the world. The theme for this year is ?America?s Army: Globally Responsive, Regionally Engaged.? Automation Alley is planning the trade mission in partnership with Macomb County, the Michigan Defense Center and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

The three-day event consists of presentations, panel discussions and workshops on military and national security subjects, and includes more than 700 industry and military exhibits occupying more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit space. Presentations on the state of the Army and related defense subjects are given by the secretary of the Army, the Army chief of staff and other senior Army and Department of Defense representatives. Each year, more than 30,000 attendees participate in the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

This will be Automation Alley?s fourth domestic trade mission. Since 2001, Automation Alley has conducted 19 trade missions to destinations across the globe, most recently to Indonesia and Singapore. These trade mission activities have created more than $282 million in new export sales for participating companies.