Next-generation manufacturing focus of Wisconsin event

More than 750 manufacturing leaders from across Wisconsin will converge in Milwaukee April 23 to learn about new strategies to ignite business growth and make the transition to next-generation manufacturing. They will be attending Wisconsin’s “Manufacturing Matters! Conference” at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee. The annual conference is hosted by the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), a non-profit organization that helps small and mid-size manufacturers grow and succeed. For more info or to register, visit www.manufacturingmatters.org or call 877-800-2099. Registration is $289 for manufacturers before April 9 and $339 after.

“The pace of change and globalization makes it imperative for manufacturers to take a serious look at where they are today, and where they want to be three to five years from now,” said Mike Klonsinski, WMEP’s executive director.

More than 40 conference presenters will share best practices and fresh insights on how Wisconsin’s small and mid-size manufacturers can become next-generation manufacturers – firms that are lean, innovative, globally-focused, environmentally aware and able to attract and retain skilled workers. “This is a time of great opportunities and challenges, and companies who make the transition will succeed in this new environment,” Klonsinski said.

Morning keynote Daniel Burrus, author of the international best-seller Technotrends, is one of the world’s leading technology forecasters and business strategists. A Pewaukee resident and CEO of Hartland-based Burrus Research Inc., Burrus has helped hundreds of companies identify new opportunities and successful competitive strategies. In his presentation, Accelerating Growth, Leading with Strategic Foresight and Certainty, Burrus will show Wisconsin manufacturers how to identify “hard” trends and capitalize on opportunities from the next wave of technological change.

Afternoon keynote Doug Hall is founder and CEO of Ohio-based Eureka! Ranch, a business development firm that has worked with Nike, American Express, Procter & Gamble and other Fortune 500 firms. In his presentation, Made in the USA: Choices for Growth, Hall will provide business leaders with the tools, techniques and mindset they need to achieve top-line growth of 20 percent or more.

Thirty workshops include sessions on lean manufacturing; strategic business development; culture change; product development; sales and marketing; supply chain; workforce development; environmental performance; and custom manufacturing. In panel discussions, Wisconsin manufacturers will discuss successful growth strategies and bottom-line results from lean improvements

Major sponsors include: Ariens Company; Harley-Davidson Motor Company Inc.; Deere & Company; Oshkosh Corporation; Milwaukee 7; Southeast Regional Economic Partnership; The Business Journal; Insight on Manufacturing; Clifton Gunderson LLP; Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce; Wisconsin Technical College System; Commercial Communications Inc; Guardian Business Solutions Inc.; Lapham-Hickey Steel; Tax Projects Group LLP and Vrakas Blum.

For more information about WMEP, visit www.wmep.org.