2023 MX.0 Southeast Agenda

Faster design and production, lower costs, keeping machines working for longer, and at optimal power, are all the manufacturer’s motivations for investing in Industry 4.0 technologies.

However, which Industry 4.0 technologies should you be starting with, and are they even necessary for your current business needs? This session gives a recap of Industry 4.0 and gives practical examples of how-to bring connectivity, sensors, and AI to your manufacturing systems, to create ‘smart manufacturing’.

Hear a manufacturing practitioner’s experience and lessons learned, to pinpoint:
• How to build and implement automation, and quickly, to avoid lost time and money for your business.
• How to identify the tools and systems needed to automate your businesses’ needs, and how to integrate new software into your legacy systems.
• How to ensure your talent is aligned with your tools and technology to avoid pilot purgatory.

Digital twins and virtual commissioning offer fast and innovative ways to implement Industry 4.0 systems, and relieve the challenges brought by testing in a real-life setting.

Dive into the benefits that digital twins are bringing manufacturers as they become more and more mainstream. And understand how virtual commissioning supports the build and integration of new, complex, manufacturing equipment.
- Learn what makes a digital twin and hear real-life examples of how digital twins are being used to improve operations at a machine level.
- Identify the everyday uses of digital twins now seen in practice and the benefits brought to the different aspects of design and engineering.
- Understand how to use virtual commissioning to speed up the build and integration of new automation.

‍Industry 4.0, or even Industry 5.0, may not be your reality yet but human-technology collaboration is ever-increasing, with the pandemic having sped up technological innovation and adoption.

Digital transformation, at whatever stage, requires collaboration and communication across departments, to avoid pilot purgatory. Many manufacturing businesses are taking a more holistic approach to tech implementation now, striving to be smart enterprises, not just smart factory floors.

Join this panel to hear leaders from different parts of the product journey to learn from their experiences in working together to ensure technology investments pay off across manufacturing and supply chain operations.
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• Gain best practice in data sharing and cross-departmental security policies.
• Hear how to ensure the processes are in place to maximize human and tech efficiency.
• Take away template approaches to people and processes to support successful digital transformation rollout.
• Gain insights into how to recalibrate according to market trends, and the impact of macroeconomic and political shifts.

Moderator: Joseph Etris, Vice President IoT Solutions, Gemba Systems
- Dion Eusepi, Director of Enterprise Architecture, Data & Cloud Integration Platforms, Stanley Black & Decker (ID)

Industry 5.0 might seem like a very distant goal, but sustainable manufacturing, a key pillar of its concept, is already here.

Future regulations, taxes, and a negative impact on manufacturers’ bottom line are lurking, and sustainability practices driven by data are needed to meet future business challenges. This session discusses:
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- The business value of ESG and the opportunities for financial gain.
- Upcoming regulatory changes and how to mitigate new costs to small to large manufacturing businesses.
- How to advance and automate data analytics to operationalize sustainability practices in the most efficient way.
- How to set up each step in your sustainability rollout to have the infrastructure in place to scale.
- How to meet your supply chain where they are at and decide on a shared and practical ESG approach.

N.Tyrone Ellis, Aftermarket Engineering Leader, Trane Technologies (NC)

What are manufacturers and retailers doing to improve supply chain resiliency, how mature are these efforts, and to what degree does sustainability play a role in both the current and future of the supply chain. Simon Ellis, Program Vice President at IDC will review recent survey insights and offer his views on both the near and longer term directions for supply chains.

Simon Ellis, Program VP, IDC

Meet with peers in a closed group discussion led by a senior manufacturer to get to grips with your key challenges.
This is your chance to ask questions to a manufacturer who has already carried out your future plans and probe your peers to find practical solutions collaboratively, benchmarking your approaches. Discussion Group Topics:

•Mixed Reality for training & workforce development
Scott Burkey, Technology Fellow, XR, WestRock Company (GA)

•Reskilling the workforce for Industry 4.0 - where to begin what to do
Mike Ungar, Co-Founder, Industry 4.0 Club (SC)

•The effects of onshoring & how tech is helping to fill the skills gap
Jonathan Weiss, Smart Manufacturing and Industrie 4.0 - Advisor and Software Executive (SC)
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*If you would like to suggest a discussion topic, or lead a table, please email lucy.ashton@mx0events.com

Gain a 101 in AI. Define what AI looks like in manufacturing with those working with it on the factory floor, and hear:
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• Real life case studies of how AI has improved manufacturing production with financial benefits.
• The AI solutions available and how to assess them based on your business needs.
• Essential steps to take during AI implementation, and common mistakes to avoid, to ensure ROI
• How to prepare your people and data to guarantee AI’s effectiveness.

Moderator: Suzanne Dickerson, Director of SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance, SC Council of Competitiveness (SC)
- Chad Corbin, Digital Manufacturing Leader, Michelin (SC)
- Dr. Marcel Schaefer, Senior Research Scientist, Fraunhofer USA (SC)

This ‘shark tank’ session will consist of 3 x 10-minute pitch-style presentations showcasing the latest vendor innovations on the market!

Hear 10-minute presentations on hot solutions, then listen to the presenter answer the judging board’s questions for five minutes, before voting for the product you find to be the most impressive, via the Event App.

4.30 pm: Judges’ Intro
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4:35 pm: Pitch 1 + Q&A- Bridge the Gap Between the Physical and Digital World
Brandon Rudnicki, Enterprise Account Executive - Automotive North America, NavVis

4:50 pm: Pitch 2 + Q&A - StartProto

5:05 pm: Pitch 3 + Q&A - Devin Bhushan, Founder & CEO, Squint, Inc

Technology is changing manufacturing systems and tools rapidly but, at present, humans are still very much central to technology’s success. Today, the fluctuating levels of skills and experience, and gaps in the labor market, present a strong roadblock to manufacturers looking to get the most out of their technology investment. From education systems, to approaches to internal training, there are few who don’t agree change is needed.

Join this panel of experts to learn how you can play your part in leading change and bring future financial benefits to your industry.

Key Discussion Points:
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• How can commercial, education, state, and government bodies improve collaboration to standardize the skillsets needed by manufacturing companies, and advance productivity and effectiveness?
• What steps can education programs take to enhance engineers’ employability, and what can those working within the manufacturing industry do to support the development of future talent?
• What can be done to innovate workforce training alongside your systems to ensure that decade-old practices are not being used to teach modern-day techniques?
• How to rethink your technology implementation strategy and training approaches to overcome hesitancy, and even fear, of new digital technologies.
• How can you use immersive technologies to support and teach Gen Z employees?
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Moderator: Ramy Harik, Professor, University of South Carolina (SC)
- Scott Burkey, Technology Fellow, XR, WestRockCompany (GA)
- Andy Carr, President/ CEO, South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SC)
- Manuele D’Aversa, CEO &General Manager, Linde+Wiemann US Inc (SC)
- Hao Dinh, Vice President of Technology, Enpro & First Movers Fellow, Aspen Institute (NC)
- Rebecca Short, Director of Operations, Center for Workforce Development, Clemson University (SC)