• How to align business strategy, operating models, and AI initiatives to drive measurable outcomes
• The organizational capabilities and governance structures needed to support successful transformation
• Common obstacles that hinder digital transformation and strategies to overcome them
• Practical approaches to scaling innovation and accelerating adoption across the enterprise
• Insights from manufacturing peers on delivering sustainable business impact through AI

• Improve forecast accuracy using macroeconomic signals, AI and better data
• Turn forecasts into scenarios with clear triggers and actionable playbooks
• Prioritize resilience investment across critical products, inventory and suppliers
• Combine AI with human judgment to make better decisions under uncertainty

The question is no longer whether to invest—it’s how to turn those investments into real, measurable returns.

In this panel, manufacturing leaders share how they’ve successfully implemented technology—and how they’ve translated those investments into tangible business value.

You’ll hear practical, real-world insights on:

• Securing buy-in: How to champion your technology roadmap and align executives, operators, and cross-functional teams
• Defining and measuring ROI: What to track, how to establish a clear baseline, and how to determine breakeven
• Scaling vs. stopping: When to double down on a solution—and when to shut down a PoC that isn’t delivering
• Making AI/ML actionable: When to trust outputs, what guardrails to put in place, and how to manage risk

Experience cutting-edge solutions up close. The interactive demo tour introduces three different exhibitors’ solutions — a fast-paced, hands-on session that brings technology to life! 

As manufacturers accelerate investments in artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics, a critical question emerges: How do we ensure technology empowers people rather than replaces them?

This session explores how leading organizations are using AI to augment human capabilities, improve decision-making, enhance quality, and address skilled labor shortages. Through real-world examples and emerging industry trends, attendees will learn how AI-powered tools, connected worker technologies, and intelligent automation are transforming frontline operations while creating new opportunities for workforce development and innovation.

The future of manufacturing will not be defined by humans versus machines, but by how effectively humans and intelligent systems
collaborate to achieve better outcomes.…

Manufacturers are investing heavily in AI, analytics, MES, and digital transformation initiatives, but many struggle to achieve lasting results. The problem often isn’t the technology; it’s the foundation beneath it. This session explores the OT infrastructure, cybersecurity, data, and governance capabilities required to successfully scale digital initiatives. Attendees will learn a practical framework for assessing readiness, avoiding common pitfalls, and building a resilient IT/OT foundation that enables future innovation.

• Evolving the digital thread to connect engineering, manufacturing and product delivery through enterprise AI initiatives
• Using AI agents to interpret customer specifications, automate engineer-to-order workflows, and accelerate decision-making
• Capturing institutional knowledge and transforming expert-driven processes into scalable rules, governance frameworks, and
  repeatable AI-enabled workflows
• Delivering measurable business value through AI-driven product configuration, data governance, and manufacturing execution at scale

Manufacturers know how to produce great products. They use specifications, process engineering, and fit-for-purpose design. Yet the data flowing through the same operations rarely receives the same discipline.  

This session introduces the concept of the industrial data product and a practical framework for applying that same manufacturing rigor to the data your operations produce and consume. 

Attendee will learn: 

• Why industrial data requires a product mindset 

• An introduction to data products: what they are, who consumes them, and how to design them with the end user in mind 

• How a layered data architecture provides the structural foundation for building governed, reusable data products across OT/IT environments 

• How AI agents are changing the way data is consumed and why data products are the prerequisite for AI that works in manufacturing 

• How Industrial DataOps as a methodology provides the discipline to build, govern, and scale data products across sites and systems 

As manufacturers accelerate digital transformation initiatives, the challenge is no longer identifying technology opportunities — it is successfully integrating systems across the enterprise and the factory floor.

From MES and ERP integration to managing manufacturing bills of materials and enabling real-time data consumption, organizations continue to face significant gaps between vendor promises and deployment reality.

Join manufacturers leading different functions to learn how to break down the technical, operational, and organizational barriers associated with IT/OT convergence.

Discussion topics include:
• Integrating bespoke legacy infrastructure with commercial off-the-shelf platforms
• Navigating network segmentation and cybersecurity concerns between factory control environments and enterprise IT systems
• Enabling scalable industrial data architectures that deliver measurable business value

Leave with critical insights into how leading organizations are modernizing industrial systems architecture while avoiding common pitfalls that can delay implementation, limit adoption, or restrict the value of connected manufacturing initiatives

The strategy hasn’t changed—produce more, with less. Industrial AI is changing how you get there.

Key Takeaways:

• Firsthand accounts of leading change across industries, scales, and stakeholders—both successful and “learning experiences.”
• Thought-provoking questions for considering your organization’s “change bandwidth” across teams and functions early on.
• Practical frameworks to visualize, evaluate, and communicate impact on specific people (personas) to guide decisions & engagement.

Smart Manufacturing is no longer a future aspiration—it is a competitive necessity. As global manufacturers face increasing pressure to improve productivity, energy efficiency, sustainability, and supply chain resilience, the ability to leverage real-time operational data has become a defining differentiator. Yet many organizations struggle to move beyond isolated pilots, stalled by misalignment between business strategy, technology investments, and workforce readiness.

In this interactive workshop, CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute will explore why Smart Manufacturing matters now more than ever—and how to implement it successfully. Participants will examine the critical shift from tactical technology deployments to a strategic, enterprise-wide approach that integrates people, process, and technology. Through a combination of instruction, discussion, and hands-on exercises, attendees will assess their current state, identify opportunities for improvement, and begin developing the foundation of a Smart Manufacturing roadmap for their organization. The workshop highlights Smart Manufacturing building blocks, the importance of an interoperable information platform, the synergy between Lean principles and digital capabilities, and the key failure points organizations must avoid.

• Industry trends, business drivers, and common transformation pitfalls

• Aligning strategy, people, process, and technology
• Overview of the Assess → Focus → Roadmap methodology

• Analyzing survey results
• Evaluating organizational readiness, capabilities, and opportunities

Future State Vision & Roadmap Development 

• Defining priorities, desired outcomes, and key initiatives

Next Steps & Action Planning 

• How to get started, identifying quick wins, and sustaining progress