Detroit, September 14, 2026
In collaboration with the Consulate of Italy in Detroit, Comau participated in the popular event “Cars At The Station“, which offers the local community the tradition, innovation, and passion generated by the automotive sector.
Specifically, on Saturday, September 12, Laerte Scarpitta, Chief Americas Officer, presented Comau’s expertise and technologies in a public address, highlighting the role of the Italian company, which has managed to establish itself as a global technological leader thanks also to over forty years of consolidated presence in Michigan.
Event visitors also had the opportunity to test Mate-XT GO, Comau’s wearable exoskeleton developed to protect worker ergonomics and well-being, thus improving quality and productivity.
“Cars at the Station is an event that I find particularly meaningful for Detroit, also because of where it takes place. For decades, Michigan Central Station was one of the gateways to the city and, after its closure, became one of the most recognizable symbols of the challenges Detroit went through. Today, following its remarkable restoration, it has instead become one of the clearest symbols of the city’s resurgence and its determination to look toward the future.
It is no coincidence that an entire innovation ecosystem focused on the future of mobility has developed around the Station. Newlab, with more than one hundred startups working on new technologies and facilities where they can develop, test and bring those technologies closer to market, is a very tangible example of how Detroit is building a new chapter in its industrial history.
I therefore think Cars at the Station captures this Detroit particularly well: a city that does not forget its extraordinary automotive history, but wants to build on that experience to remain a leader in the future of mobility and manufacturing.
This is also why we are particularly pleased to see an Italian presence at the event. Italy and Michigan have deep industrial ties, especially in the automotive sector, and today there are great opportunities to further develop those ties in automation, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
COMAU represents this connection very well. It is an Italian company with more than fifty years of experience in industrial automation and robotics, and it has chosen Michigan as the home of its North American headquarters. Its participation in Cars at the Station therefore gives us an opportunity to tell not only the long story of industrial ties between Italy and Detroit, but, more importantly, the story of what we can still build together.”
Paolo Zanotto
Consul of Italy in Detroit
“We thank the Consulate of Italy in Detroit, and in particular Consul Paolo Zanotto, for offering us the opportunity to take part in the Cars At The Station event. This allowed us to present the value of our automation technologies and our commitment to the American market to a large audience. The MATE exoskeleton, which visitors were able to try, is a technology that supports people and that Comau has already tested in customer projects across numerous, highly diverse industrial sectors. It allows muscle strain to be reduced while maintaining correct posture and therefore prevents musculoskeletal diseases with measurable effects on productivity and quality of work.”
Laerte Scarpitta
Chief Americas Officer at Comau
