Wednesday, June 5
7:15 a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast and Exhibition
8:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions*
8:10 a.m. 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.
- 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
8:40 a.m. 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.
- 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
9:10 a.m. 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
9:40 a.m. Networking and Refreshment Break
10:15 a.m. Case Study: Hardwiring Innovation Processes from the World of Tech Into a 155-Year-Old Company*
- Craig Slavtcheff, Executive Vice President and Chief R&D and Innovation Officer, Campbell Soup 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.
10:45 a.m. 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.
- 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
11:15 a.m. Case Study: How Woodward is Transforming Supplier Collaboration*
- Chris Platz, Global Head of Cost Engineering, Woodward, Inc.
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.
11:45 a.m. Meet the Innovators: 1:1 Briefing Sessions, Networking Break
12:30 p.m. Networking Lunch featuring Topic Tables
1:35 p.m. Concurrent Interactive (Re)Think Tanks
Choose from one of the following interactive sessions.
2:35 p.m. Networking and Refreshment Break
2:55 p.m. 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
4:00 p.m. Content for Rethink 2024 Concludes
Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala
6:00 p.m. Manufacturing Leadership Awards Cocktail Reception
7:30 p.m. Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala and Dinner
AI in the Factory
Creating Digital Roadmaps
Industrial Cybersecurity
Next-Generation Leadership
Need we say more? Spend several days building relationships and connecting with like-minded executives both in and out of the event sessions.
Hear from industry experts with curated content throughout the event, including real-world case studies, panel discussions, research insights, executive interviews and more!
Participate in our personal 1-on-1 meetings to understand how different solutions can help you overcome your current business challenges.
Collaborate, engage, share and learn with your peers in our interactive Think Tank sessions. With a dozen topics to choose from, you are certain to walk away with new insights and ideas.
No matter where you are in your digital transformation journey, Rethink will help you understand how technologies can accelerate your journey, provide real-world insights and access to the manufacturing organizations leading the way.
A Rethink exclusive! Hear the highlights from each of our event partners during the Rethink custom VIP tour. In two minutes or less, you’ll gain quick insights and know where you’d like to take the opportunity to understand more.
Join small group table discussions during lunch to discuss specific industry topics around some of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today.
Connect with some of the top Manufacturing Leadership Award project finalists and gain firsthand insights into their projects during our lightning round sessions and meet n’ greet tables.
Located along the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a white sand beach, the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort offers a luxurious setting and an experience like no other!
