If you were one of the few unfortunate individuals that did not get to attend "Industry & Innovation: The New Face of Manufacturing," we will be offering a recap on the Video Zone in the coming weeks.
Attendance was brisk and interest was strong. Every attendee and exhibitor we spoke with commented on how great the knowledge base was, how informative the sessions were, and how important the contacts will be in their growth.
The two-day event offered early-bird sessions that featured Jergens Inc./ToolingU and Sandvik Coromant. After the early bird sessions, Paul Clark, Regional President Northern Ohio, NCB-PNC, presented the Keynote address, followed by a lunch sponsored by AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology/IMTS 2010.
Afternoon jam-packed sessions featured an Overview of the Medical Device Manufacturing Market by Jean-Paul Burtin, President, JP Consulting, followed by Tim Nichols, Managing Director, Global Aerospace & Defense Industry Marketing Group, Siemens PLM, giving an aerospace overivew of the manufacturing trends and outlook. Capping off the afternoon sessions were Loch McCade, president of Shepherd Advisors presenting a Macro Overview of the Alternative Energy Manufacturing Sector and Ed Weston from the Great Lakes Wind Network offering a Micro Overview of Wind Power in North East Ohio.
A networking happy hour concluded the days event.
Wednesday's day was twice as packed with concurrent early bird sessions, repeating during the first two hours. Presenters were: Phil Morton and Steve Ortiz from ATI on the topic "Why Reorganize into 3 Key Industry Sectors." The other session was "Using Virtual Technology to Educate Manufacturing Employees" by Rod Jones, Chief Learning Officer, Mori Seiki University, Mori Seiki.
Following were: Session I: The Ins and Outs of Machining Titanium: Speaker: Mike Sess, Application Engineering and Vertical Platform Manager, MAG'; Session II: Transitioning From General to Medical Device Manufacturing: Speaker: Dan Reed, President, R&R Tool; and Session III: Positioning Your Firm for Alternative Energy Component Manufacturing Success: Speaker: Loch McCabe, President, Shepherd Advisors.
After a networking break with exhibitors, was another education session of: Session I: Leveraging The Automotive Industry Supply Chain To Meet Aerospace Demands: Speaker: Alex Craig, Managing Director, BBK, Ltd.; Session II: Disruptive Technology: An Opportunity For Market Entry: Speaker: Gregory Hyatt, VP Engineering, Chief Technical Officer, Machining Technology Laboratory, Mori Seiki; and Session III: Market Projections and Manufacturing Needs for the Wind & Solar Market: Speaker: Loch McCabe, President, Shepherd Advisors.
Following lunch, Chris Coburn, director, Cleveland Clinic Innovation Center presented the Keynote Adress focusing on: Meeting the Challenges of the Rapidly Changing Mediacl Manfuacturing Market which was met with great interest and enthusiasm.
To wrap up the two-day event, a panel discussion on financing and state incentives was held. Boyd K. Pethel, Corporate Banking - Senior VP/Managing Director NCB-PNC talked about Financing Your Future Banking Initiatives and Financing while Economic Opportunities and Incentives in the State of Ohio was presented by Jennifer Ruggles, regional directory, Ohio Department of Development and J.C. Wallace, executive director, Ohio Economic Development Association.
As one attendee explained: "The contacts and knowledge I learned over the past two days can enable my company to expand into markets that we see as growing, thriving, and not showing signs of slowing anywhere in the future."