New Ideas for a New Age

Manufacturing Leadership Summit

Featuring Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Cleveland-Cliffs

Your Customers Demand Faster, Better and Cheaper

Alternatives are just a click away, putting unrelenting pressure on you to deliver design innovation, leaner supply chains and world-class customer support. Meanwhile, you face shortages in key technical positions, rising costs and new global competitors.

Join your peers at Chief Executive’s 12th Annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit to talk strategy, build relationships, and learn about new ideas, technology and tactics that will help your company thrive.

The Summit is the place for manufacturing CEOs who are looking to:

Create growth and profitability in a tumultuous time

Embrace new digital technologies like AI intelligently

Attract and develop extraordinary leaders for their companies

Be inspired and challenged by peer CEOs from across the nation

One-of-a-Kind Tours

EXPERIENCE THE
Behind-The-Scenes

Out-of-the-classroom experiences are a critical component to the Summit experience. Go behind-the-scenes of Cleveland-Cliffs’ Cleveland Works, an integrated steelmaking facility with an annual capacity of 3.4 million tons of raw steel.

Learn From a Leading Producer

Cleveland Works serves the automotive, construction, converter and distribution markets and is a leading producer of Advanced High-Strength Steels. Over 2,000 employees, represented by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 979, operate two blast furnaces, two steel producing facilities, an 84-inch hot strip mill, a pickling line, a five-stand tandem mill, and a hot dip coating line.

Witness a Hot Strip Mill

Summit attendees will see the 84-inch hot strip mill, designed to reduce steel slabs to hot-rolled coils, which are then reheated to a predetermined rolling temperature to attain their final properties and a thickness of less than an inch, and also the Hot Dip Coating Line, using an electrochemical plating process in a galvanic tank, applies zinc as a protective coating to prevent corrosion.

Agenda Highlights

May 6

5:30 - 8:30 pm

Welcome Reception

Dutch Dinners for interested attendees

May 7

8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Cleveland Cliffs: How a 150-year-old Company Embraces Innovation

AI Gets Real in Manufacturing

Untapped Talent: The Underused Secrets to Win the Labor War

Peer Roundtables 

Offsite for Tour of Cleveland Cliffs

Networking Reception and Dinner
Cleveland Cliffs: How a 150-year-old Company Embraces Innovation

A fireside chat with Lourenco Goncalves, the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Cliffs 

May 8

7:30 am - 2:00 pm

Architecting a Transformation

Turning Worker Risks into Resiliency

The Future Supply Chain: Asking “What If” to Decide “What’s Next”

Offsite Tour

Agenda Highlights

May 6

5:30 - 8:30 pm

Welcome Reception

Dutch Dinners for interested attendees

May 7

8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Cleveland-Cliffs: How a 150-year-old Company Embraces Innovation

AI Gets Real in Manufacturing

Untapped Talent: The Underused Secrets to Win the Labor War

Peer Roundtables 

Offsite for Tour of Cleveland-Cliffs

Networking Reception and Dinner

May 8

7:30 am - 2:00 pm

Architecting a Transformation

Turning Worker Risks into Resiliency

The Future Supply Chain: Asking “What If” to Decide “What’s Next”

Offsite Tour

Why Attend

Benefit from the hard-won lessons of other successful manufacturing industries to save months—or even years—of costly trial-and-error

Understand how mid-market companies are leveraging AI, automation and robotics to scale efficiencies on the plant floor

Learn new ways to recruit employees in today’s tight labor market and techniques to inspire your team to embrace innovation

Hone your strategies with insights from some of the most respected advisers in the industry

Join us at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit 2024 to not only witness but actively participate in shaping the future of manufacturing. Engage with industry leaders, embrace new strategies, and arm yourself with the knowledge to lead in these transformative times.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Dayna Badhorn

Regional President of the Americas, Avnet

Manoj Bhargava

Founder, 5-hour ENERGY

Ronald Hall

President and CEO, Bridgewater Interiors, LLC

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

Individual
Standard Registration
$2,495$1,995Early Bird Through 12/31/24
  • All general and roundtable sessions

  • Opening cocktail party

  • Meals & networking receptions

  • Private tours and exclusive access to manufacturing experts

Team of 2+
Per Person Registration
$1,995$1,495Early Bird Through 12/31/24
  • All general and roundtable sessions

  • Opening cocktail party

  • Meals & networking receptions

  • Private tours and exclusive access to manufacturing experts

DEADLINE

INDIVIDUAL

TEAM OF 2+

Book by December 31, 2024

$1,995

$1,495/person

Book by March 31, 2025

$1,995

$1,795/person

Book after March 31, 2025

$2,495

$1,995/person

Rate Schedule

What Past Attendees Have to Say:

"Speakers were very informative. The tours demonstrated tech, processes and ideas that were extremely useful."

Darren Seabrook

"Many relevant topics were presented. I always learn something when viewing another manufacturing operation."

Robert Ogilbee

“Very organized, a lot packed into 2 days. New concepts discussed, and very professional. I enjoyed the tours, interviews and networking reception.”

Paul Elia

“The speakers had exceptional stories. Their topics related to issues happening at our facility. Great!”

2024 Manufacturing Leadership Summit Attendee

What Past Attendees Have to Say:

"Speakers were very informative. The tours demonstrated tech, processes and ideas that were extremely useful."

Darren Seabrook

"Many relevant topics were presented. I always learn something when viewing another manufacturing operation."

Robert Ogilbee

“Very organized, a lot packed into 2 days. New concepts discussed, and very professional. I enjoyed the tours, interviews and networking reception.”

Paul Elia

“The speakers had exceptional stories. Their topics related to issues happening at our facility. Great!”

2024 Manufacturing Leadership Summit Attendee

Over a Decade of Manufacturing Excellence

Celebrating its 12th year, the Manufacturing Leadership Summit (formerly known as the Smart Manufacturing Summit) has consistently served as the premier gathering for CEOs and senior executives in the manufacturing industry.

Renowned for its exclusive, behind-the-scenes tours of cutting-edge facilities, the summit offers participants a rare look at real-time innovation and operational excellence. Each year, the event has facilitated a rich exchange of insights and strategies, helping leaders not only expand their professional networks but also gain practical knowledge to drive growth and modernize their businesses.

Join us to connect with peers, uncover new perspectives, and shape the future of manufacturing.

VENUE

The Westin Cleveland Downtown

The Westin Cleveland Downtown, located in the heart of the city, offers an exceptional venue for the Manufacturing Leadership Summit. Overlooking Lake Erie and just minutes from Cleveland’s classic attractions, The Westin is the ideal location for executives to connect and engage in valuable conversations. With luxurious accommodations and modern meeting spaces, it provides the perfect environment for strategic discussions and networking.

Attendees can take advantage of room block with discounted rate of $209/night.

SPONSORS

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Roundtable

Strategic Planning Workshop

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:

  1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
  2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
  3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

 

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.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

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.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

Golf Outing

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.

To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.