Rethink 2024: Accelerating Digital Transformation in Manufacturing Event Recordings
Opening Address: What’s Next?
Over the past 20 years, the manufacturing industry has worked hard to understand and adopt the digital model of production, learning much along the way. But as new technologies emerge, the proverbial finish line continues to move, leading to new possibilities, aspirations, and opportunities as well as challenges. MLC’s founder will share his views on what manufacturing might look like by mid-century.
Speaker
- David R. Brousell, Founder, Vice President and Executive Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Keynote: Shining a Light on Business Model Innovation
To truly reap the benefits of digitalization, manufacturers need to accelerate their thinking and action around business model innovation. Emphasis needs to be placed on how advanced technologies can help discover new products, service-based revenue opportunities, and new business operating models. This session will leverage examples from the World Economic Forum’s Lighthouse program of advanced digital plants to shine a light on how manufacturers can innovate for the future.
Speaker
- Kiva Allgood, Head, Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
Case Study: 25 Years of Transformation—Triumphs and Pitfalls from a Manufacturing Digital Native
Protolabs began as a company aimed at filling a specific manufacturing need: injection molded parts really fast. As one of manufacturing’s original “digital natives,” that speed was a result of automation and digitizing a once-traditional process. Since those early days, the company has expanded its offerings and experienced significant growth. The ongoing digital transformation that followed over the next 25 years as a custom components manufacturer has provided a case study in digital evolution comprised of technology advancements, key acquisitions, difficult trade-offs, and even a few hard lessons learned along the way. Learn more about the company’s ongoing Manufacturing 4.0 journey that has driven its mission to serve customers on the forefront of innovation.
Speaker
- Robert Bodor, CEO and President, Protolabs, Winner of the 2022 ML Awards Small/Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year
Case Study: Making the World a Better Home through M4.0: Building Unity Across a Varied Organization
With more than 145 manufacturing locations across North America alone and several acquisitions in the past few years, Saint-Gobain faces steep challenges when it comes to deploying a unified digital strategy across the organization. With takeaways applicable to manufacturing companies of any size, learn about where the company has found success, where it needed to make pivots, and the progress it has made so far as it works to meet its mission – making the world a better home.
Speaker
- Regan Gallo, Director of Operations, Coated Abrasives NA, Saint-Gobain North America
Case Study: How J&J Achieved Preeminence in the Lighthouse Program
Johnson & Johnson holds the distinction of having more World Economic Forum-designated Lighthouse factories than any other company. A Lighthouse factory, says the WEF, “uniquely integrates new technologies, from artificial intelligence and robotics to cloud computing and big data.” Today, there are 153 Lighthouse factories worldwide; J&J has 10 of them (eight Lighthouses and two Sustainability Lighthouses). In this session, J&J will share how it achieved Lighthouse status, how its Lighthouse sites compare and contrast, and what lessons it has learned from the program.
Speaker
- Maria Araujo, Director, Fellow, Advanced Technology, Advanced Technology Center of Excellence, J&J Supply Chain Excellence, Johnson & Johnson
Panel Discussion: The Journey to Digital Manufacturing: Past, Present, and Future
As MLC reflects on the 20th anniversary of Rethink, two major questions need to be addressed. The first is: what has the industry accomplished so far in its journey to the digital model of manufacturing? And the second is: what does the industry still need to accomplish to truly realize the promise of digital? Four leading industry analysts will share their views on both questions.
Panelists
- Andy Chatha, President and CEO, ARC Advisory Group
- Julie Fraser, Vice President of Research, Manufacturing and Operations, Tech-Clarity
- Jeffrey H. Hojlo, Research Vice President, Future of Industry Ecosystems, Innovation Strategies, and Energy Insights, IDC
- Allison Kuhn, Research Analyst, LNS Research
Moderator
- David R. Brousell, Founder, Vice President and Executive Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Executive Interview: Securing the Connected Manufacturing Floor in the age of Edge Computing and AI
The manufacturing industry is a prime target of cyberattacks, creating the need for collaborative edge computing ecosystems and strategies that prioritize security and resilience. As the number of connected devices on the factory floor surges, the integration of next-gen networks and AI-driven innovations is empowering data-driven decision making, predictive analytics, and global advancements in robotics and machine learning. We are entering a transformative era in manufacturing – one which will bring immense business value but with increased need for security.
Executives
- Craig Sutton, Vice President, Industry 4.0, Eaton
- Jeff Taylor, Director, Technical Strategy and Innovation, AT&T Business
- Lee Wagner, Assistant Vice President, Connected Solutions, AT&T Business
In conversation with:
- Jeff Puma, Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Case Study: Creating the Roadmap for Digital and Automated Operations
To transform its factories, Whirlpool took a standard three-pronged approach including strategy, technical solutions, and change management. They leveraged data as the enabler and common language to truly supercharge the transformation. This session will examine the company’s initial and desired states; how data effected strategy, technology, and change management; and Whirlpool’s roadmap to scale these efforts to deliver tangible results.
Speaker
- Matthew Herman, Director, Global Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Whirlpool
Fireside Chat: Transforming the Future of Industrial Operations: Insights from Rockwell Automation’s 9th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing
Join us to discuss Rockwell Automation’s 9th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report. According to the report, 95% of manufacturers are either using or evaluating smart manufacturing technology to accelerate their digital transformation, yet only 10% have successfully integrated these solutions at scale. Through increased use of smart manufacturing technology, 94% of manufacturers expect to hire more workers or repurpose existing workers to take on new roles. In this discussion, we’ll explore how technology investments are driving growth and resilience in industrial operations. Attendees will gain insights on implementing smart manufacturing technologies, balancing technology investments with organizational adoption, and achieving business success.
Speakers
- Austin Locke, Principal, Data Science and IIoT, Kalypso, a Rockwell Automation business
- Steve Riordan, Global CPG Digital Services Lead, Kalypso, a Rockwell Automation business
In conversation with:
- David R. Brousell, Founder, Vice President and Executive Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Fireside Chat: Manufacturing Transformation -> Humans + Machine + AI: A Bold Vision for the Next Era
Digital Innovation began at the core of Manufacturing 4.0 enterprises, but it now lives at the enterprise edge where work gets done. Additionally, we are in a productivity transformation era where machines and humans work collaboratively to redefine how work gets done. This session unpacks a future vision where connected workers harness the power of human-centered automation, augmentation and AI to revolutionize factories. Explore how these advancements are reshaping industry and learn firsthand how leaders are navigating this wave of change.
Speakers
- Kirby Best, President and CEO, Bespoke Manufacturing Company
- Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies
In conversation with:
- Steven Moskowitz, Ph.D., Senior Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Executive Interview: Industry Megatrends for Effective Growth Strategies
What do manufacturing executives need to know to plan for the most effective, reliable, and successful business future? Megatrends across industries such as automotive, healthcare, and industrial can serve as a guidepost for manufacturing leaders seeking new market opportunities and transformational change. Learn how fast-evolving changes across these complex industries are shaping how companies traditionally manufacture goods and approach go-to-market partnerships, while ensuring sustainable practices across the ecosystem.
Executive
- Becky Sidelinger, President, Reliability Solutions, Flex, Winner of the 2023 ML Awards Large Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year
In conversation with:
- Penelope Brown, Senior Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Panel Discussion: Next-Generation Leaders
What’s on the minds of the next generation as they develop into the leaders of tomorrow? This panel discussion will examine the hopes, aspirations, and visions for the future from some of this year’s top finalists for the Next-Generation Leadership award.
Panelists
- Angela Accurso, Director of Workforce Programs, MxD
- Marlon Alberto Gonzalez Martinez, Storage Order Management Fulfillment Team Leader, IBM
- Megan McCarthy, Business Process Manager for Global Manufacturing Electrical, General Motors
- Jonathan Miller, Automation and OpEx Manager, Saint-Gobain Life Sciences
Moderator
- Penelope Brown, Senior Content Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Case Study: Hardwiring Innovation Processes from the World of Tech Into a 155-Year-Old Company
The pace and scope of innovation demanded in food by consumers continues to be high, driven by a range of macrotrends including food exploration and nostalgia, ag-tech, and sustainability. To keep pace, food companies have to innovate on how they innovate, focused on the three drivers of “speed to insight,” “speed to design,” and “speed to execution”. Campbell has looked to the world of tech, including machine learning and AI, as inspiration to transform its innovation processes, building on its 150+ year old history of inventing delicious, nutrition, safe, and affordable foods.
Speaker
- Craig Slavtcheff, Executive Vice President and Chief R&D and Innovation Officer, Campbell Soup Company
Executive Interview: Innovating Vehicle Autonomy for Attainable, User-Friendly Warehouse Automation
The benefits of advanced automation in manufacturing range from cost reduction and productivity increases to improved worker safety and increased business agility. While many approaches to automation are accessible to most manufacturers, some have a prohibitively high barrier to entry in terms of cost, complexity, or technical difficulty. The use of autonomous vehicles is a paradigmatic example. In this session the Hyster Yale Group President and CEO will discuss their strategies for overcoming such barriers in an initiative that was part of their transition from selling products to providing end-to-end solutions.
Executives
- Rajiv K. Prasad, President and CEO, Hyster-Yale, Inc.
- Prasoon Saxena, President, Manufacturing and Commercial Industries, NTT DATA Americas
In conversation with:
- David R. Brousell, Founder, Vice President and Executive Director, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Case Study: How Woodward is Transforming Supplier Collaboration
Woodward, Inc., a $2.9 billion manufacturer of energy control solutions for industries from aerospace to transportation, embarked on a digital transformation initiative in 2021 to improve its costing and supplier collaboration capabilities. In the years since, Woodward has made substantial progress, including cutting supplier negotiation time by 90% in some cases. This session will describe how Woodward uses a pre-defined digital factory of supplier manufacturing capabilities to automate quoting. The session will also describe how Woodward is using cobots to augment its workforce.
Speaker
- Chris Platz, Global Head of Cost Engineering, Woodward, Inc.
Lightning Round: Meet the Manufacturing Leadership Award Finalists
Get a deeper look at some of this year’s top projects from the Manufacturing Leadership Awards.
Featuring presentations from:
Molex – Twinax Cable Production Operator Transformation, Digital Network Connectivity Project Category
- Shreyas Avanna, Data Scientist, Molex
Owens Corning – New Digitally Enabled Remote Support Strategy Drives Record Manufacturing Results, Operational Excellence Project Category
- Jerome Williams, Director of Stable Operations – Roofing, Owens Corning
The Wonderful Company – Farm to Shelf: Producing, Packing, and Delivering the Perfect Mandarin with IoT and Cloud Technologies, Digital Supply Chains Project Category
- Dhruba Misra, Information Technology Manager, The Wonderful Company
