Day One – June 25, 2024

Collaborative knowledge-sharing enables more uniform and efficient best practice and information exchange between factories. Our panelists will share their experiences and insights into breaking down silos, fostering a culture of collaboration, and leveraging technology to create seamless channels for cross-factory expertise.

Discover how unlocking the collective knowledge within your organization can lead to enhanced operational efficiency, improved decision-making and accelerated innovation. You will hear about the latest technologies, platforms and approaches facilitating efficient cross-factory communication and information sharing, which leads to improved operational performance and increased healthy competitiveness – both internal and external.

We’ll also discuss the importance of fostering a culture that encourages knowledge-sharing and collaboration, driving a collective commitment to excellence across all manufacturing plants towards a future where cross-factory collaboration becomes a cornerstone of operational excellence. 

Paul Ingram

Senior Director Digital Manufacturing
Nestle-Purina

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This case study is designed to equip participants with practical insights into selecting and implementing the most suitable methodology for their unique manufacturing project management challenges. Scott will dissect the strengths and nuances of agile and waterfall approaches in the context of delivering manufacturing projects faster and with enhanced cost-effectiveness. 

Enhance your understanding of Agile methodologies that emphasize iterative and flexible project management principles that promote adaptability and responsiveness; while the traditional Waterfall methodology is a more structured approach with sequential phases. 

• Selecting the right approach. Learn to assess project requirements, team dynamics, and organizational goals to determine whether Agile, Waterfall, or a hybrid methodology is the optimal fit for your manufacturing projects.
• Iterative prototyping. Explore the power of iterative prototyping in Agile, allowing for continuous refinement and improvement throughout the project lifecycle, compared to the more linear nature of Waterfall.
• Risk management. Understand how each methodology addresses and manages risks differently.
• Collaborative team dynamics: Discuss how Agile methodologies foster collaborative team dynamics, promoting communication and adaptability, and compare it with the more structured team roles in Waterfall.

Don't miss this opportunity to refine your project management toolkit and accelerate manufacturing project success.

Scott Gregg

Global Digital Plants Director
Mars Wrigley

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Emma van de Laar

AI & Analytics Lead
Mars Wrigley Europe

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Join industry leaders as they share experiences on forging collaborative relationships with other manufacturers, unlocking the potential to accelerated learning, shared successes, and mutual growth. Discover how non-competitive strategic collaborations can break down barriers, foster innovation, and create synergies that propel manufacturing enterprises to new heights.  

• Accelerated innovation: How collaborative ecosystems can accelerate innovation within the manufacturing sector, leading to the development of cutting-edge solutions and practices.
• Resource optimization: Optimizing resources through collaborative partnerships, including shared facilities, technologies, and expertise, resulting in increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Market expansion: Understand how collaborative efforts can facilitate market expansion, providing manufacturers with access to new markets, customers, and distribution channels.
• Shared risk. Explore collaborative approaches to mitigate risk, where manufacturers can collectively navigate challenges such as supply chain disruptions, regulatory changes, and technological advancements.

Join us as we delve into the strategies, benefits, and real-world examples that showcase the transformative power of collaboration within the manufacturing industry that can accelerate and propel Industry 4.0 execution and adoption. 

Brian Marsh

Director Digital Manufacturing
Nestle USA

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Ben Blanchette

Director, Digital Manufacturing,
Owens Corning

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Immerse yourself in a hands-on learning experience where we unveil the key building blocks of a robust manufacturing strategic roadmap designed to propel digital transformation and adoption at an accelerated pace. Join this workshop to gain practical insights and skills essential for crafting a roadmap that aligns seamlessly with your organization's vision for the future.

Workshop Highlights:

• Strategic planning essentials. Dive into the foundational elements of strategic planning specific to manufacturing, understanding how to align digital transformation initiatives with overall business objectives.
• Technology assessment: How to conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing technologies, identifying gaps and opportunities for integration to drive digital transformation.
• Stakeholder engagement. Strategies for engaging key stakeholders throughout the strategic roadmap development process, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and fostering a culture of collaboration.
• Data-driven decision making. Explore the role of data analytics in informing strategic decisions, and how to leverage data-driven insights to optimize manufacturing processes.
• Risk mitigation. The potential challenges and risks associated with digital transformation, and effective strategies to ensure smooth and successful implementation.

Steve Glor

Associate Director, Smart Manufacturing,
IDEXX Laboratories

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The conventional wisdom around digital transformation for manufacturing is that designing and implementing your strategy is akin to building a house. Start with a blueprint, then build the foundation, add walls, and last, a roof. In reality, the factory systems most in need of modernization have assembled organically, layer by layer, over time, resulting in multiple disconnected systems and disparate data sources that resist a linear approach to digitalization. 

Fortunately, the advent of artificial intelligence has enabled scalable, non-intrusive solutions that do not necessitate the replacement of existing applications to achieve comprehensive visibility into what is happening in your plant right now. 

In this session, we’ll examine and challenge the traditional approach to digital transformation for manufacturing and highlight how AI can leverage maximum value from existing industrial and manufacturing systems to provide benefits earlier in the digital transformation process. 

Key takeaways: 

• Overcome challenges associated with multiple disconnected systems and disparate data sources that slow or prevent decision-making or multiple legacy technologies that cannot be easily integrated to leverage shared data. 
• Discover the technology enabling 50% faster decision making via real-time aggregation and interpretation of data from plant systems. 
• Learn about the solution enabling manufacturers to maintain an agile organization, and shift or change production as needed with live insights into plant processes and data. 
• Effective strategies for integrating manufacturing systems with user experience and enabling a seamless human-machine interface that reinvents how operators interact with the plant. 

Sponsored by: Stefanini

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Leo Vieria

Digital Industry Director
Stefanini

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Navigate the complex landscape of Industry 4.0 where we strip away the hype and focus on practical strategies for setting realistic goals and securing long-term commitment from the c-suite. This case study will go beyond buzzwords, providing actionable steps to drive meaningful digital transformation within your organization.

Learn how to identify and establish achievable Industry 4.0 goals aligned with your company’s organizational vision, avoiding common pitfalls associated with overly ambitious or vague objectives.

• C-suite engagement. Understand the language of the c-suite and develop compelling narratives to garner support for Industry 4.0 initiatives, ensuring alignment with broader long-term business strategies and objectives.
• Building a business case. Master the art of constructing a robust business case for Industry 4.0, incorporating tangible benefits, ROI projections, and risk mitigation strategies to secure executive buy-in.
• Long-term roadmapping. Effective strategies for developing a long-term roadmap that aligns Industry 4.0 initiatives with broader business objectives, ensuring sustained commitment and support.
• Change Management: Address the organizational changes associated with Industry 4.0 adoption, and learn proven techniques to navigate these challenges and how to foster a culture of innovation.

Participants will leave equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of Industry 4.0, set realistic goals, and secure long-term commitment from the c-suite.

Hao Dinh

Vice President of Technology
Enpro

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Come expand your Industry 4.0 network. Join us for this fun, interactive and structured meet-and-greet networking session, where you can connect with multiple industry leaders in quick 2-minute, 1:1 meetings. Just enough to break the ice!

While some manufacturers insist that quasi IT/OT convergence is good enough, most successful Industry 4.0 advanced players claim complete convergence is the best foundation to drive Industry 4.0 adoption, and enablement, and secure and protect assets and intellectual property.

This workshop provides an in-depth exploration of why this convergence is crucial for achieving full Industry 4.0 enablement, and learn the correct strategies and methodologies to seamlessly integrate IT and OT within your manufacturing ecosystem.

Workshop Highlights:

• IT and OT dynamics. Understand the distinct roles of IT and OT within manufacturing processes and understand how their convergence is a pivotal step towards Industry 4.0.
• Why converge. Explore why the integration of IT and OT is essential for achieving holistic connectivity, data visibility, and real-time decision-making capabilities in the modern manufacturing landscape.
• Challenges and solutions. Identify common challenges associated with converging IT and OT, and effective solutions to overcome these hurdles for a smooth integration process.
• Cybersecurity. Review the cybersecurity aspects of IT/OT convergence, understanding the measures required to ensure a secure and resilient interconnected manufacturing environment.

Convergence also facilitates seamless data integration and analytics, arming manufacturers with actionable insights for process optimization and innovation.

Terry LeDoux

Manufacturing Consultant and former VP Digital Manufacturing
Nestlé Purina

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The early stages of Industry 4.0 adoption can be painfully slow, but these foundational years are critically important – where positive building blocks are achieved.

Join us for a deep dive into the challenges, successes, and foundational elements that set the stage for a transformative digital journey from Initiation and Vision setting. We will cover the challenges faced during the initial phases of digital transformation and early adoption of key technologies and program including IIoT, data analytics, and automation, and understand how these technologies lay the groundwork for enhanced operational efficiency.

We’ll also explore the importance of operational knowledge enabled data-driven decision making, cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing, and the importance of fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability within the organization.

Wei Yuan

Senior Manager & Industrial Solution Lead
Hitachi

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