The conference schedule shows you all the
activities that we'll have
Day 1 | Tuesday 26, April
Starting with the Common & Central Business Aim: How to power efficiency gains and build robust manufacturing structures through Industry 4.0 technologies
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.
Starting with the Common & Central Business Aim: How to power efficiency gains and build robust manufacturing structures through Industry 4.0 technologies
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.
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 amachine level.
• Identify the everyday uses of digital twins been 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.
Cross-Departmental, Data-Led, Collaboration: How to build a digital enterprise and achieve business resilience and visibility throughout your manufacturing and supply chain operations
Industry 4.0, or even Industry 5.0, may not be your reality yet but human-technology collaboration is ever-increasing, with thepandemic having sped up technological innovation and adoption.
Digital transformation, at whatever stage, requires collaboration and communication across departments, to avoid pilot purgatory.
And, 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 bring visibility and resilience across manufacturing and supply chain operations.
• 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
- Aaron Alpeter, VP of Supply Chain, lululemon Studio (NC)
- Dion Eusepi, Director of Enterprise Architecture, Data & Cloud Integration Platforms, Stanley Black & Decker (ID)
Data-Driven, Resilient & Sustainable Manufacturing: How to leverage data to reduce future risks and avoid new costs
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:
• 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)
Supply Chain Resiliency and the Operational Role for Sustainability
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 and benchmark 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)
•Succeeding with Mobile Robotics & Human Collaboration
•Adopting Additive Manufacturing
*If you would like to suggest a discussion topic, or lead a table, please email lucy.ashton@mx0events.com
Breaking Down Barriers to Entry: How to set your digital and data-driven vision for the factory floor to determine your starting point and overcome hesitancy to tech-led efficiency
Meet with a panel of manufacturing leaders who have implemented a variety of automation technologies on the factory floor to bring operational gain.
Understand how to avoid doing tech for tech’s sake by identifying the technology that matches the business problem that you are trying to solve.
• Discover how to set your vision and measure progress along the way to track the effectiveness of your digital investment.
• Assess low-code/no-code approaches to automation projects and learn how to select the software suitable for your business and team’s needs.
• Brainstorm and benchmark your approach to data: when to start collecting, when is there enough data, and in a manual manufacturing process, what big data can be used, and which decisions can be made using it?
• Hear key tried and tested steps to take, and to avoid, when stepping away from manual manufacturing processes.
Moderator: Catherine Hayes, Industry Manager, South Carolina Research Authority (SC)
- Catherine Briley, Director of Industry 4.0 Integration, Cooley Group (NC)
-Meg Lanza, Head of Technology, BSH Home Appliances Group (SC)
-Jason Richardson, Digital Transformation Leader, AstenJohnson (SC)
-Marcos Servilla, Manufacturing Lead, Borg Warner (SC)
Transformation at Scale: How to take stock of and consolidate different systems to implement secure, digital plans and processes across multiple sites
How do you achieve standardized digital transformation at scale? Join these global manufacturing players to identify the steps that need to be taken when scaling digital transformation strategies.
Answer questions such as where do you start when you have multiple ERPs, across multiple sites and systems are disconnected, and speak different languages? And then, how do you go about tackling cybersecurity across national, or even global, manufacturing organizations?
Hear examples of working across new and legacy enterprise systems.
Moderator: Jessica Kinman, Board of Directors, Women in Manufacturing (WA)
-Erin Chase, Director, Operations Excellence & Digital Manufacturing, Johnson Controls (NC)
Interoperable Technologies, Tools & Talent: How to maximize new and existing resources to avoid wasted investments that you cannot scale
Fundamentals in selecting and implementing new tech tools and getting the most out of the ones you already have. Get a guide in common technology
suites and languages, and expert advice on personnel requirements and partner selection when starting digital initiatives.
Ensure that you are set up for future collaboration and interoperability.
Discover how the Cloud offers the products and services tosupport your IT/OT operations securely.
Senior Representative, ServiceNow
Can One Size Fit All Industrial IoT: How to make the right vendor and hiring choices when planning your technology roadmap
Build vs. buy is a key consideration for any industry embarking on digital transformation. Join this session to dig into the considerations behind vendor selection vs. in-house software builds.
Be guided on formulating your long-term technology roadmap, working with legacy infrastructure, and taking a bottom up approach to strategy.
Setting a Sophisticated Safety Culture: How to leverage new software to monitor and improve quality auditing
Gustavo Chohfi, VP, Quality Assurance, Cornerstone BuildingBrands (MI)
Confronting Cybersecurity & Regulatory Changes: Steps a small manufacturer needs to take to ensure compliance with cybersecurity standards
You’re a small manufacturer in an industry that requires you to be compliant with cybersecurity standards to play in the sandbox. You see on LinkedIn that your competitor recently shut its doors after a devastating ransomware attack. Your email is inundated with vendors telling you “Our product is exactly what you need to get compliant.” Is your head spinning?
In this presentation, a small manufacturer discusses their experience in building cybersecurity maturity and compliance readiness.
• Learn how to prioritize security to ensure compliance comes more naturally
• Understand shared compliance responsibilities of both the business seeking an MSP partner, and the MSP
• Gain real-life insights and shared experiences from an MSP/SMB partnership.
-Allison Giddens, President, Director of Operations, Win-Tech, Inc. (GA)-Andy Sauer, Partner & CISO, Sentinel Blue (VA)
Spatial Computing in Manufacturing: How to prepare andwhat to invest in the future platform
Industry pros says that spatial computing is the next iteration of computing platforms. Join this session to investigate spatial computing and how it is empowering actual digital transformation in manufacturing.
Learn how Amsted is creating high-fidelity, interactive digital twins and how video game engines are helping reimagine the management of automated production lines. Explore these topics in depth and peek into Amsted’s current XR portfolio.
Gain an understanding of spatial computing to determine how itwill disrupt manufacturing operations in the next five years.
Take away insights into the components to invest in to bring real value to your business, and those over-hyped trends to avoid putting your dollars into.
Nick Hughes, Digital Experience Designer, Amsted Rail (SC)
Senior Representative, Uber Freight
Autonomous Mobile Robots: How to introduce AMRs to steer through common operational challenges
Deep dive into what a factory floor with AMRs looks like, and how to manage robots’ complexities, coordinate interoperability and plans for widening implementation.
AI as a Gamechanger: How to apply AI to data analysis and automation to future-proof production and processes
Define what AI looks like in manufacturing with those working with it on the factory floor. Gain a 101 in AI and hear:
• 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
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 - Squint, Inc
The Future Digital Manufacturer: How to rethink and retrain to mitigate the challenges caused by skills gaps, varying levels of employee experience, and different learning needs
Technology is changing manufacturing systems and tools rapidly. However, at present, humans are still very much central to technology’s success. Yet, 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:
• 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?
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 and First Movers Fellow, Aspen Institute (NC)
-Rebecca Short, Director of Operations, Center for Workforce Development, Clemson University (SC)
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