Strikes, program changes, inflation, labor shortages, technology shifts, partner demands—for industrial suppliers, the list of challenges is endless, and finding ways to lead through them all is one of the trickiest management feats in all of business. We will talk with a longtime veteran of the supplier game, who’s customers include some of the biggest and most important carmakers in the world, for tips on how he keeps his quality high, his employees motivated and his business thriving in a time of constant change and challenge.
President and CEO, Bridgewater Interiors
Join a pivotal session led by the Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, focusing on the evolving U.S. manufacturing workforce. We’ll get a look at the current state of the market, challenges like skill gaps, technological integration and an aging workforce, while exploring innovative approaches for talent management and best practices for recruiting and retaining skilled talent. Gain insights into fostering a dynamic, inclusive work culture, adapting to policy changes, and leveraging population trends for strategic growth. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of your organization in the ever-changing manufacturing landscape.
President & Executive Director, Manufacturing Institute
The speed and explosive change in industrial automation being brought about by the recent leaps in technology—coupled with the hypergrowth in wages for skilled labor—are making automation necessary for every manufacturer looking to stay competitive right now. A seasoned expert will help you better assess your opportunities and challenges to lead the change in your operation and gain a needed edge to stay ahead.
Executive Director - Global Accounts and Manager of the Business Develop Group, FANUC America Corporation
To say that the use of AI tools has increased exponentially over the past year is an understatement. Generative AI’s usefulness is universal across sectors and functions, but when it comes to manufacturing specifically, there is a long list of practical applications that have the potential to rapidly transform your organization. Join Pavan Muzumdar, Automation Alley COO, as he digs into how companies can leverage AI to create competitive advantage. Don’t miss the chance to learn how you can take advantage of new untapped growth opportunities.
Chief Operating Officer, Automation Alley
Join your peers and subject matter experts for deep dives on the topic of your choice.
Facilitated by Andy Harris, President North America Strategies, STS Capital Partners and Wayne Cooper, Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Group
If you’re thinking about your exit (all, majority or minority) any time in the next few years, you’ll want to join this roundtable to learn what you can do to optimize your personal outcomes and maximize value. The roundtable will explore:
Facilitated by Ryan Clark, Senior Director-Strategy – Business Analytics, Armanino
Choosing the right technologies and integrating them into your operation are table stakes to stay competitive. But how do you evaluate the various systems and their impact on your operational technology (OT) strategy?
This roundtable discussion will help you explore:
Facilitated by Jason Hodell, Partner and Industry Practice Leader, Industrial Manufacturing, Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC and Ron Wainwright, Partner, Cherry Bekaert Advisory LLC
In the ever-evolving business landscape, sustainability in supply chains has emerged as a critical aspect for companies, whether public or private, especially those with a European footprint. This roundtable invites CEOs to explore the strategic implications of tackling sustainability and how middle-market manufacturers can gain a competitive edge in the face of growing regulations and shifting market expectations. We’ll talk about driving energy and cost savings, strategic tax credits to help pay for the projects, federal legislation, carbon / GHG reporting best-practices and optimizing your operations through digital tools and throughout the family of a conglomerate or PE fund.
Facilitated by Quentin L. Messer Jr., CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation; President and Chair, Michigan Strategic Fund
Mid-market manufacturers often run headlong into talent recruitment challenges, cultural barriers to retain essential talent, and upskilling existing talent to adopt new technologies. How can you implement talent recruitment, development and retention programs that address today’s labor market challenges? How can you reskill workers more efficiently, improve collaboration among your employees, and onboard new employees much faster and more effectively? In this roundtable, we’ll explore how manufacturing companies are responding to workforce scarcity, reacting to upward wage pressures and competition for labor, and providing equal access to job opportunities to prepare workers for the ongoing evolution of the manufacturing industry.
Experience breakthrough robotics and automation up close! Attendees will get an exclusive, inside look at one of the most advanced robotics facilities on earth, nearly two million square feet of cutting-edge technology where one of the world’s top automation companies is creating the future of industry. The company’s latest addition includes a just-unveiled 655,000 square foot state-of-the-art hub to house additional manufacturing, engineering and R&D projects, part of a massive expansion underway on the 67-acre site, giving attendees unprecedented access to the operations of one the very best advanced manufacturing firms in the world today.
Optional offsite networking dinners will be coordinated as well.
The fastest growing part of all American manufacturing is undoubtedly electric, and we will hear directly from one of the pioneering CEOs at the vanguard of the revolution. Mujeeb Ijaz is the founder and chief executive officer of Our Next Energy (ONE), a Michigan-based energy storage technology company and one of the few U.S.-owned battery manufacturers. With over 30 years of experience developing electric vehicles and battery systems technologies, focusing on furthering the adoption of electric vehicles through advancements in battery safety, range, and cost, he will help us understand the landscape and how to make the most of this generational opportunity.
Founder and CEO, ONE (Our Next Energy)
In the dynamic landscape of modern manufacturing, companies face a host of challenges that call for a fresh perspective on risk management. From integrating advanced technologies to expanding into new markets, navigating cyber risk and addressing changing workforce dynamics, the traditional view of risks as obstacles is evolving. Instead, these ongoing exposures can present untapped possibilities for manufacturers to transform risk into opportunities for resiliency and growth. By adopting a proactive rather than a reactive approach to risk management, changes can become new avenues for optimizing operations, fortifying your business against potential disruptions and identifying new markets. Learn ways to embrace risks as strategic allies, and gain pragmatic tips to turn it into opportunity—and higher profitability.
Vice President, Travelers Insurance
Health Services Manager, Neenah Enterprises Inc. (NEI Group)
Assistant Vice President and Manufacturing Segment Leader, Travelers Insurance
Chips—as everyone discovered during the pandemic supply chain disruptions—are the new oil. They are in everything, and without them, you and your suppliers stand a good chance of stalling out. It’s a key vulnerability for every manufacturer, one we all need to become far smarter and more resilient around. One of the top leaders at Avnet, the most important company in the entire global electronics supply chain, will help us understand the landscape better and help us devise smarter strategies to make sure we are never lacking in the vital resource of the 21st century.
Regional President of the Americas, Avnet
Bhargava is not your garden-variety industrialist. The 70-year-old former monk ran a family plastics factory in Indiana for a while but then, about a quarter-century ago, invented energy “shots” — those two-ounce cans of caffeine, taurine and vitamins that people buy at convenience-store checkouts for mental clarity and focus, or just to get through the day without nodding off. Bhargava’s 5-hour Energy brand still manufactures its own shots, and larger energy drinks, but with the first $1 billion in proceeds from inventing the energy-shot category Bhargava has pivoted to becoming a different kind of industrialist: continuously creative, serially innovative, earnestly philanthropic, who wants to solve the world’s problems with technologies, devices and systems that he helps design, market and deploy. Join us for this extraordinary session, with plenty of lessons to unleash more creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in your organization.
Founder and CEO, 5-hour Energy
Manoj Bhargava’s entrepreneurial breakthroughs stem from a homegrown innovation culture that’s focused on tackling tough challenges without being held captive to old thinking, downsides and impossibilities. In this exclusive tour of his R&D skunkworks, we’ll see how he’s scaling that mindset to build the next generation of manufacturing excellence, where unprecedented speed and agility are the result of an engineering and product focus unlike any you’ve seen before.
From their audacious assault on full vertical integration to solve supply chain problems to their psychological development program to build the next generation of young “can-do” engineers, you’ll see—in person—how Bhargava’s team is able to do the near impossible, like designing and bringing entirely new, complex medical manufacturing facilities online in just 6 months. You’ll have the opportunity to explore the pilot plant where his groundbreaking medical and water devices are built and understand the thinking behind it, witness firsthand how R&D is revved up within their factories while maintaining operational efficiency and see how they find new ways to assess and tackle problems that stall and stump other organizations. It’s unlike any other facility in America, and it’ll challenge you and your team to “think different” about how you approach your future.
Tour At Capacity
We’ll go inside one of metro Detroit’s newest, most exciting factories, for a look at how one of the top 100 automotive suppliers in the world is bringing their just-launched facility to life. It’s a live, in-person case study of ramping up a new factory to supply some of the most difficult and exacting customers at a time of tremendous change and disruption in the mobility industry.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
