With the early-bird date fast approaching, registrations are pointing to record attendance for the IndustryWeek Best Plants Conference, to be held in Greenville, S.C., April 22 to 24, according to event directors. Conference attendees who register by Tuesday, February 19, can save $150 off their registration and secure their preferred plant tour--some of which are already sold out.
The popular conference, IW's annual salute to outstanding North American manufacturing facilities, provides continuous improvement practitioners the opportunity to learn from the best of the best, the winners of the IW Best Plants Award program and other manufacturing industry thought leaders. It also features the IW Best Plant Winners Award Ceremony, where IW’s continuous improvement community recognizes and honors the winning teams.
The event features 14 behind-the-scenes plant tours, 36 presentations featuring over 50 manufacturing leaders—including past and present IW Best Plant Award winners--and four keynotes delivered by leading manufacturing executives. Several networking opportunities, including an opening cocktail reception sponsored by Rockwell Automation, and the BMW Driving Experience sponsored by Kronos and Cushman, enable attendees to get to know each other, share challenges and exchange ideas.
In addition, the IW Best Plants Conference includes the Solutions Hall and a new “unconference.” The Solutions Hall provides attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors opportunities to meet and discuss ways to improve manufacturing operations. It features 30 vendors who “get” the lean and continuous-improvement.
The unconference, “2013 North American Conference: MESA unConference: Open Forum on Making Your Plants Operate Best,” provides additional rich, interactive sessions in which you, the conference attendees, set the agenda. It is hosted by the IW Best Plants Conference title sponsor MESA International.
For an additional fee, attendees can sign up for workshops, which deliver deep-dives into critical best practices and strategies. The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership hosts three: Cellular-Flow, Training Within Industry, and Lean Product Development. Milliken Performance Solutions, Milliken & Co., hosts one: Building a Sustainable Safety System.
“Through plant tours, high-profile keynotes, numerous presentations and networking opportunities, conference attendees will learn how to operate more competitively and increase profitably,” said Patricia Panchak, IndustryWeek Editor-in-Chief. “We’re expecting over 600 manufacturing business leaders from across a full spectrum of industries.”
At the IW Best Plants Conference, attendees will:
- Discover the best practices and strategies that IW Best Plants Award winners use to achieve breakthrough performance.
- Learn how to adapt and implement the best practices and strategies in their facility through compelling presentations.
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Gain business-critical insights from top executives of world-leading companies, including
- Pete Selleck, Chairman and President, Michelin North America, Inc.
- Dan Ariens, CEO, Ariens Company
- Paol Jeppesen, CEO and President, SKF USA
- Rich Morris, VP Assembly, BMW Manufacturing Co.
- See first-hand the continuous improvement efforts implemented at the most competitive plants in the Greenville area, including tours of the following companies' facilities: Baldor Electric, Bosch Rexroth, Caterpillar, Electrolux, GE Aviation, GE Power and Water, Grainger, Honeywell Aerospace, Milliken, Morgan AM&T, Robert Bosch, TaylorMade and Timken.
- Meet and network with other industry professionals, IndustryWeek editorial staff, and conference speakers—which include past and present IW Best Plant Award winners.
- Understand why 99% of previous IW Best Plants Conference attendees would recommend their colleagues attend this conference.
Five Tracks Mirror Mission-Critical Priorities
Tailor your learning experience by choosing from among 36 sessions across six tracks, including
- Continuous Improvement Fundamentals
- Advanced Continuous Improvement
- Leadership & Innovation
- Workforce Development
- Supply Chain Strategies
- Manufacturing Technology Strategies
Special Networking Event
Every attendee will have a chance to experience a high-speed test-track ride or a “hot lap” ride at the BMW Performance Driving Center during the Tuesday evening networking event.
Attendees who want the opportunity to drive a BMW performance vehicle—in a performance drive, timed laps, rat race or off-road course—must be one of the first 200 attendees to register for the conference and schedule a 15-minute one-on-one meeting with a conference sponsor.
The IW Best Plants Conference is sponsored by MESA International. Plant tours are sponsored by ATS. Visit http://www.iwbestplants.com for complete information on the IW Best Plants Conference including session details and speaker information.
