National Manufacturing Week details announced

With an intensified emphasis on education, seminars, training and networking opportunities, the 2006 National Manufacturing Week conference promises to deliver unmatched business building opportunities for U.S. manufacturers by bringing together more global manufacturing leaders than ever before. Eight top keynote speakers and 400 additional speakers will discuss topics covering the entire manufacturing process, from design to factory floor to customer fulfillment. 

“The breadth of business insight and thought leadership that will be shared in our sessions and seminars is unprecedented in the manufacturing industry,” said Kel Marsden-Kish, industry vice president, National Manufacturing Week. “We are thrilled to provide the strengthened focus on education, learning and networking that our customers need to compete in the global marketplace, and to help translate that learning to small and mid-size manufacturers.”

Reflecting broad support from the U.S. manufacturing community, the National Manufacturing Week conference will present an expanded real-world conference uniquely reflecting the manufacturing process and geared to the needs of small and mid-sized manufacturers. The conference, which begins on March 20, will contain five primary tracks – Design, Plant, Automation, IT and Management – and 23 sub-tracks. This year, the conference will begin one day before the exhibit floor opens on Tuesday, March 21, providing more time on Monday for conference educational offerings to go into greater depth and detail.

The lineup of keynote speakers includes:

• ASIMCO’s Chairman & CEO, Jack Perkowski, on: “China: Opportunities and Challenges.” Perkowski was featured in the best-selling non-fiction book, “The World is Flat,” by NY Times reporter Thomas Friedman

• Caterpillar Chairman & CEO, Jim Owens, on: “Manufacturing Leadeship in the Global Marketplace”

• China Business Sources’ President, Colin Wu, on:  “What’s Behind Chinese Competitiveness?”

• Deloitte and Touche USA LLP’s Doug Engel, Vice Chairman and U.S. Manufacturing Industry Leader, and Chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Tommy Thompson, the former Health and Human Services Secretary and four-term Governor of Wisconsin, team up on:  “Managing Structural Costs and Maintaining Competitive Edge: Improving Your Position in the Global Marketplace”
  
• Hewlett Packard’s EVP of Global Operations, Gilles Bouchard, on: “It’s About Customer Choice: Managing Multiple Routes-to-Market in the Global Marketplace”
  
• National Instruments Automation Fellow, Mike Santori, on: “Automation: How to Compete in a Global Economy”

• Schneider Electric’s Senior Vice President, Operations, North American Operating Division, Mary Frances Cox, on: “Achieving Significant Reductions in Manufacturing Cost Base”

The show is sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and supported by 15 associations and analyst sponsors. The exhibition floor will open on Tuesday, March 21, devoting more time on Monday for conference educational offerings to go into greater depth and detail.

National Manufacturing Week is the only event for engineering teams and executives responsible for design to manufacturing process to finished goods. Tens of thousands from the U.S. manufacturing community, especially small to mid-size manufacturers, come together for in-depth education and exhibits spanning the broad spectrum of enabling technologies, systems, products and solutions necessary to grow and compete in the global economy. As part of the four-day event, four interrelated shows will be held. These include:

• The 56^th National Design Engineering Show, which attracts OEM, product and systems design engineers and senior managers from across the country responsible for rapid, innovative, reliable product design development through the latest precision technology electronics and electrical components, fluid power, motion control systems, engineered materials and micro manufacturing technologies.  

• The National Industrial Automation Show and Conference, which attracts automation and control engineers, manufacturing managers and systems integrators from across the country responsible for increased production uptime, improved accuracy, optimized plant operations and lower costs through the latest automation technology, systems and solutions.

• The National Enterprise IT Show and Conference, which attracts the enterprise team of IT, manufacturing and business decision-makers from across the country responsible for changing how work gets done in manufacturing and the supply chain, while better handling changing customer demands through products and services designed to enhance operations at a lower cost.

• The 58^th National Plant Engineering and Maintenance Show and Conference, which attracts MRO engineering professionals, operations teams and executives from across the country responsible for the planning, specification, installation, maintenance, efficient operation and compliance of industrial and institutional facilities and systems through new ideas and products for HVAC, material handling, software and computers, safety and security, tools, paints/coatings, lighting, flooring, cleaning technologies, environmental technologies, maintenance and reliability.