Built to help you solve problems and seize opportunities within six strategic business practices—nine if you count our inaugural, co-located ID&E Show targeted to engineering professionals—the IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Show offers you the information you need to take your business to the next level.
But if you’re specifically looking to perfect or learn the latest leadership best practices—Hoshin Kanri, Toyota KATA, Leader Standard Work, etc.—you have a jam-packed 2½ days of keynotes, plant tours and small group seminars to choose from.
Scroll through the list and see what you don't want to miss.
Look for the IW Best Plants Award Ribbon for the sessions featuring the 2016 IW Best Plants winners.
See the full IW M&T Show agenda for a broader view--or check out our other strategic business practice curricula:
- Kick-start or deepen your Lean/Continuous Improvement initiatives.
- Solve your workforce recruiting, training, engagement and retention challenges.
- Adapt the latest digital technologies – 3-D printing, IoT/SMART, AI/VR, robotics and more.
-
Learn and exchange ways to translate new emerging technologies into real-world engineering applications.
Leadership Highlights
Monday, May 8 - Morning
Plant Tours
7:45 am to 12 pm (only time to tour this facility)
-
Vitamix Facility
Observe and discuss the Vitamix Lean System, including visual metrics in production and non-production areas and the integration of problem solving and kaizen with those metrics.
8:15 am to 10:45 am (tour is offered again at 12:45)
-
Thogus Products
In this next-generation plant, you’ll see how a custom plastic-injection molder combines the latest robotics and automation with 3-D printing to capture competitive advantage.
8:30 am to 11 am (only time to tour this facility)
-
MakerGear 3D Printers Production Facility
See how MakerGear leverages a lean manufacturing approach to address 21st century business challenges.
8:30 am to 11:30 am (tour is offered again at 12:30)
-
Lincoln Electric Facility
Learn how piecework, one of the four pillars of Lincoln Electric’s successful Incentive Management, promotes commitment to quality throughout this high-volume, high-mix facility.
8:30 am to 11:30 am (only time to tour this facility)
-
ArcelorMittal Facility (only time to tour this facility)
Tour one of the most productive integrated steelmaking facilities in the world, producing one ton of steel for slightly more than one worker hour.
8:45 am to 10:50 am
-
Orlando Bakery Facility
See and learn how Orlando Bakery melds technology and continuous improvement with the Red Zone OEE and the Tool Box Paperless Distribution systems.
Workshops
9 am to 12 pm
-
Developing Creative and Alternative Programs for the Incumbent Workforce
In this three-hour workshop you’ll learn how to create strategic partnerships with universities, participate in a visioning session to identify workforce needs of tomorrow and get a minicourse on how to help technical professionals hone their presentation skills.
9 am to 12 pm
-
How to Get Started on Your Digital (aka SMART) Manufacturing Journey
Get proven methodologies—backed by real case studies—about how to appropriately leverage IIoT, Big Data, Cloud Computing, wireless and other SMART Manufacturing technologies in YOUR organization. Includes tools you can use, including the following:- A self-evaluation ROI checklist
- A roadmap pioneered by successful manufacturers
- Step-by-step priority setting guidelines
- And more.
Monday, May 8 - Lunch
11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Grab a boxed lunch with your new-found colleagues from a morning tour or workshop or before you go to your afternoon plant tour or workshop.
Monday, May 8 - Afternoon
Plant Tours
12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
-
Lincoln Electric Facility Tour
Learn how piecework, one of the four pillars of Lincoln Electric’s successful Incentive Management, promotes commitment to quality throughout this high-volume, high-mix facility.
12:45 am to 3:15 am
-
Thogus Products
In this next-generation plant, you’ll see how a custom plastic-injection molder combines the latest robotics and automation with 3-D printing to capture competitive advantage.
Workshops
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
-
A New Innovation Strategy to Drive Real Results
In this highly interactive three-hour workshop, you’ll learn new ways of thinking—along with new tools and techniques—that you can take back to your company and replicate, to drive increasingly dynamic and cutting-edge solutions.
1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
-
Preparing Today’s Multigenerational Workforce for Smart Manufacturing
Learn how to get your Baby Boomer, Millennial and soon Centennial employees up-to-speed with SMART Manufacturing—with knowledge mapping and transfer, skill assessment, and by leveraging each generations strengths.
Tour the Expo Hall
2 pm – 6:30 pm
-
Latest Technologies
Compete in the drone racing circuit, go head-to-head with industrial robots in pick-and-place contests, explore virtual manufacturing worlds, and experience the power of augmented reality while browsing the latest traditional gear and tools designed to add new productivity and quality to your operations.
-
Vendors & Suppliers
Meet with the vendors and organizations that stand ready to help you implement technology, train and engage your workforce, and help you more efficiently and effectively operate your facilities.
3 pm – 3:30 pm
-
Network with the next-generation of manufacturing professionals
Meet—and maybe begin recruiting—the world’s best up-and-coming robotics professionals, the International Champions of the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship—the team that bested 20,000 others in the 2016 competition. - Test drive the team’s winning robot.
Cocktail Reception
5 pm – 6:30 pm
-
Network with like-minded peers
See and talk shop with old friends and meet new potential partners and peers.
Tuesday, May 9 – Morning
7:45 am to 8:45 am
Featured Keynote: Digital Transformation
-
How Ford is Reinventing Itself for the Digital Age
The executive VP and CTO of Ford describes how the 100+ legacy manufacturer became a digital pioneer.
9 am to 10 am
Lean Workforce
-
How to Build a Learning Organization using Toyota KATA
2016 IW Best Plants Honoree Maclean-Fogg Metform Group set itself up for sustainable growth with a focus on continuous learning.
Advanced Lean/Continuous Improvement
- How Harley-Davidson Leverages Lean to Drive Health and Safety Excellence
Leadership
- Coming Soon!
10 am to 11 am
-
Hands-On Tech
Power up with a drink, a snack, and up-close-and-personal look at the technologies that are transforming manufacturing.
MAIN STAGE: Watch GE's Digital Factory Demo
Experience Industrial Augmented Reality: Try on DAQRI’s revolutionary smart helmet, and see for yourself how this revolutionary technology can transform your operations
Get hands on with Collaborative Robot: Experience the true power (and simplicity) of collaborative robotics by programming your own sequences and pick-and-place operations.
Test Your Drone Skills: Compete for prizes—and bragging rights—in head-to-head drone races with other attendees.
11:15 am to 12:15 pm-
How to Choose the Right KPIs
Learn how to keep staff on track with the right KPIs. Presenters from Johnson Controls Inc. credit their success to this best practice.
Lean Technology
-
A Lean Journey into IIoT
Adopt IIoT successfully and smoothly with minimal disruption, with the lessons learned and best practices used by Vibco Vibrators.
Leadership
-
How to Totally Transform Your Business Model
Learn how a Midwestern rustbelt manufacturer moved from a model of low-margin commodities to high-margin electronics. Includes the “decisional framework” that guided the company through obstacles and challenges along the way.
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
Featured Keynote: Toyota Production System
-
Insights from the Inside of the Toyota Production System—and its Continual Evolution
The President & CEO of Toyota Material Handling North America reveals the inside scoop on how Toyota continues to evolve and strengthen the TPS.
2 pm – 3 pm
Lean/Continuous Improvement Fundamentals
-
Get Advice from the IW Best Plants
In this interactive session featuring audience Q&A, you drive the agenda. Three of the 2016 IW Best Plants winners will answer your questions about the strategies and best practices that helped them achieve operational excellence and business success.
Advanced Lean/Continuous Improvement
-
Developing Your Safety DNA
Discover the new research and technology in industrial psychology leveraged by Kenworth Trucks, a division of PACCAR, to develop the safety leadership skills of its supervisors.
Lean Leadership
-
How to Align Goals, People & Systems for Sustainable Success
Leaders from Revlon provide you with a system that works.
3 pm – 4 pm
-
Hands-On Tech
Power up with a drink, a snack, and up-close-and-personal look at the technologies that are transforming manufacturing.
MAIN STAGE: See—and Celebrate—the Most Disruptive Products of the Year: You’ll get a chance to hear from some of the innovators building the future of manufacturing—and meet the New Equipment Digest staff—at this celebration of the NED Innovation Award honorees.
Witness the Wonders of 3D Printing: See the full potential of additive manufacturing, with hands-on tests of the latest 3D printers and gear.
Re-Test Your Drone Skills: The contest continues! Beat your time!
4:15 to 5:15
Lean/Continuous Improvement Fundamentals
- Coming Soon!
Advanced Lean/Continuous Improvement
-
How to Streamline Operations With a Kanban System
Executives from IW Best Plants winner Firstronic share one of the strategies that helped earn them the 2016 IW Best Plants Award.
Lean Leadership
-
Learn a Foolproof Way—Using Hoshin Kanri—to Create and Execute Your Strategic Vision
You’ll hear about a system that will help you properly plan and execute your strategy using Hoshin Planning – from the senior executives at Wabash. Includes a review of critical elements that made Wabash National’s hoshin planning efforts a success.
Tuesday, May 9 – Evening
Special Networking Night Out
6:30 pm to ??
Kick back and talk over what you’ve learned the first day (or not!) at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Enjoy great food, music, and private browsing of the Rock Hall's iconic collection.
Wednesday, May 10
7:30 am – 8:30 am
-
The Secret to Effective Employee Engagement Practices
Gather the employee engagement techniques that helped propel the Intertape Polymer Group to their 2016 IW Best Plants Award. Features how the company develops teams, assesses performance, sets goals and creates a culture of continuous improvement through employee engagement at all levels of the organization.
Advanced Lean/Continuous Improvement
-
How to Improve Equipment Performance & Reliability
Let the leaders of The Raymond Corporation advise you on the critical factors and results you can achieve with Total Process Reliability, featuring tips to help you identify opportunities for improvement.
Lean Leadership
-
The Secret to Operational Excellence Success
You might think it’s all about innovative management practices, but Lean Leader Billy Taylor, Goodyear’s Director of Manufacturing, will demonstrate how to achieve operational excellence through process discipline and alignment from the C-Suite to the manufacturing floor.
8:45 am – 10 am
Featured Keynote: Lean Leadership
-
Define, Align & Execute to Achieve and Sustain Operational Excellence
Back by Popular Demand with a new, high-energy keynote, Goodyear’s Lean Leader Billy Taylor reveals how the Goodyear Business Operating System converts strategy into winning.
10 am – 11 am
-
Hands-On Tech
Power-up with a drink, a snack, and up-close-and-personal look at the technologies that are transforming manufacturing.
MAIN STAGE: Try on the Ultimate Industrial Wearable
Don suitX’s exoskeleton to experience its super-human capabilities—and learn how it can help your employees work more safely and productively.
Take the Man vs. Machine Challenge: Go head-to-head against the latest industrial robots to see who will win the future of manufacturing.
Pilot Tri-C’s Winning Robot: Meet—and maybe start recruiting—the winning robot’s designers, the 2016 International Champions of the FIRST Robotics Competition from the Cuyahoga Community College Youth Technology Academy.
Final Chance to Test Your Drone Skills: Take your last laps on the drone course before contest winners are announced!
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Lean/Continuous Improvement Fundamentals
- Coming Soon!
Advanced Lean/Continuous Improvement
-
How to Extend Continuous Improvement to Your Suppliers
Learn the tools and techniques for bringing your suppliers—whether internal or external—along on your continuous improvement journey.
Lean Leadership
-
Lean for Leaders
CEO Jim Lancaster shares how to achieve stability, improvement and growth with daily lean leadership best practices.
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm
Featured Keynote: IIoT Case Study Panel
-
An IIoT Case Study Showcase
In this highly interactive panel, you'll get a chance to ask your questions--and get answers from three companies on the leading edge of the IIoT transformation.