North America's Leading Digital Transformation Event
October 13 - 15, 2025
| Chicago, Illinois
Main Conference Day 2 - Wednesday October 9
7:30 am - 8:00 am
Check In & Networking Breakfast
8:00 am - 8:05 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Paul Boris -
Advisory Board Member Machine Learning & AI,
NGen Canada
9:35 am - 10:05 am
International Keynote: The Digital Journey of Heineken: Agile Product Development, the Role of Lighthouse, and Key Happiness Indicators for Change Management
Joris Stolk -
TPM and Digital Innovation Manager,
CCU (Heineken JV)
- The Connected Brewery Project – retrofitting breweries with digital capabilities
- Employee engagement and change management during the transformation process
- Connecting agile product development with TPM continuous improvement methods
- Accelerating adoption by introducing advanced analytics and machine learning
8:35 am - 9:05 am
Sabert’s Digital Manufacturing Journey Toward Greater Productivity & Process Visibility
Glenn Simmonds -
CMRP - Senior Manager, Machine Reliability,
Sabert Corporation
Sri Karthik - EVP of Solutions & Co-Founder, Innovapptive
9:05 am - 9:35 am
Panel: How Smaller Manufacturers can Upgrade their Tech to Improve the Efficiency & Productivity of their Operations
Ali Shakouri -
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, College of Engineering,
Purdue University
Susan Carlock - EVP & Co-Owner, Mursix Corporation
The post-pandemic push to make supply chains more regional and resilient is creating growth opportunities for many of the domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) rely on. This is opening opportunities for SMEs to adopt new software and manufacturing innovations, and rethink how to improve the efficiency and productivity of their operations. Join this panel to explore:
● Overcoming the reluctance to change existing processes
● Keeping up with technologies that are altering the competitive landscape
● Leveraging AI and new organizational cultures for workforce development
● Learning how to implement simple automation
Ali Shakouri
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, College of EngineeringPurdue University
9:35 am - 10:05 am
Connected Worker at the Intersection of AI: Accelerating Productivity, Quality, Innovation and Satisfaction
Mark R. Beckmann -
Senior Director Manufacturing Industry Solutions,
Microsoft Worldwide Manufacturing
As manufacturers explore and experiment with Generative AI, many are realizing its value and accelerating its adoption across their value chains. This session will provide an overview of the key drivers for the current and future connected workforce, highlighting use cases that deliver business value in manufacturing production and operations.
- Drivers and opportunities for connected workers
- The application of AI in production to enhance productivity, maintenance, quality, safety and innovation
- Success strategies, including considerations for operating models and key pillars for success
Mark R. Beckmann
Senior Director Manufacturing Industry SolutionsMicrosoft Worldwide Manufacturing
10:05 am - 10:35 am
Morning Networking Break
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG L: User Adoption & User Experience
Jeremy Elias -
Manufacturing Digitalization Senior Manager Global Engineering,
Beam Suntory
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG T: Connected Inventory Management
Tony Papke -
Director of Business Development,
MxD
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG M: Leadership & Change Management
Amir Zohar -
Digital Transformation Senior Manager,
LG Vertech Inc
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG S: Digitizing Maintenance
Grant Ecker -
Founder & Chairman,
Chief Architect Network
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG O: Architecture for Industry 4.0
Kartik Ravel -
Senior Director, Digital Transformation,
Fujitsu
10:35 am - 11:10 am
IDG Q: Scaling Connected Worker Across Multiple Sites
Jan Shumate -
Director Worldwide Engineering & Construction Solutions and Corporate Manufacturing Automation Transformation,
Eastman Chemical Company
Jan Shumate
Director Worldwide Engineering & Construction Solutions and Corporate Manufacturing Automation TransformationEastman Chemical Company
Track D – User Adoption & Project Delivery
11:10 am - 11:40 am Presentation: Providing the Vision, Direction and Motivation for Complex Connected Worker Transformation Projects Travis Prior - Manager – Adoption Lead, Enterprise Ops, Smart Factory, Collins Aerospace- Creating a narrative for change and inspiring the workforce to embrace digital transformation
- Anticipating potential roadblocks that can impede progress
- Building adaptability into your digital transformation plans in an ever-changing digital ecosystem
- Building consensus across key stakeholders for cohesive and collaborative decision making
Track D – User Adoption & Project Delivery
11:40 am - 12:10 pm Solve Digital Transformation Project Delivery Challenges by Focusing on Your People Nate Stong - Partner, EY- Defining an implementation plan that is aligned with your business objectives
- Considering the user experience, compatibility with existing systems and customization levels
- Developing a comprehensive change management plan that includes communication and training plans
Track D – User Adoption & Project Delivery
12:10 pm - 12:40 pm Panel: Measuring Digital Transformation Progress to Ensure Sustainable Change Garith Duncan - Digital Transformation Manager, SNF Holding CompanyAngela Reamer - Vice President of Manufacturing, MONIN Americas
Cristi Fernandez - Senior Network Training Manager, Campbell Soup Company
The true measure of digital transformation initiatives is in the details of how the project impacts the company and requires tracking cross-organizational metrics at various levels. Join this panel to discuss:
- How you develop a transformation team that effectively manages digital transformation projects
- Going back to basics with your user adoption and change management efforts
- What metrics you should use to effectively track the effectiveness of your connected worker transformation project
- Empowering your leaders with the tools and training to be successful
Track D – User Adoption & Project Delivery
12:40 pm - 1:20 pm Panel: Change Management for Industry 4.0 Smart Factory Projects Anis Isahak - Global Operational Excellence Leader, MolexBen Tanner - Senior Director of Operational Excellence, Winland Foods
Jeff Thiele - Group Technology Product Manager – Manufacturing Operations, John Deere
Chiranjivi Botre - Engineering Researcher II, Digital Transformation and Innovation,, Kaneka Americas Holdings
- Discussing the impact of digital transformation on your shop floor teams
- Overcoming fear of associated job losses with increased automation
- Engaging your workforces to identify opportunities for process improvement and optimization
- Placing your impacted workforce at the core of the change process
Chiranjivi Botre
Engineering Researcher II, Digital Transformation and Innovation,Kaneka Americas Holdings
Track E – Digital Transformation
11:10 am - 11:40 am Panel:Cyber Security for Smart Factories: Strategies for Managing OT Cyber Threats in Complex Environments Piotr Topor - Director of Information Security & Governance, LSC CommunicationsMatt Luallen - Lead Research Scientist, University of Illinois
Sam Moyer - CISSP, Lead Cybersecurity Engineer, MxD
Track E – Digital Transformation
11:40 am - 12:10 pm Panel: Industry 4.0 and the Future of Smart Warehousing: The Smart Technologies that can make your Supply Chain More Nimble, Responsive and Cost Effective Ernesto Colombres - Regional Supply Chain Director LATAM, KerryGladis Araujo - Former Supply Chain Strategy VP, Mattel Inc
Smart warehouses are becoming increasingly popular as companies explore ways to cut costs and boost productivity. Join this panel to discuss the warehouse optimization technologies that can automate labor intensive tasks, improve accuracy and visibility and drive supply chain optimization.
- Optimizing warehouse operations with barcode scanners, smartphones, tablets and smart glasses integrated with existing infrastructure
- Overcoming siloed data and a lack of interoperability across multiple enterprise systems
- Managing the large volume of data that is generated by multiple IoT devices whilst also managing cost
- Using digital twin, IoT and advanced analytics to achieve agile, cost-efficiency and highly scalable warehouse operations
- How to better use data to be more predictive around how you service your customers
Track E – Digital Transformation
12:10 pm - 12:40 pm Decarbonizing through Digitalization: Making Manufacturing Greener and Smarter with Connected Worker Technology Anne Emberson - Area Vice President – Digital, Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company- Automating the process of capturing and organizing information
- Addressing privacy concerns and data management
- Exploring potential in the connected worker learning and development space
Track E – Digital Transformation
12:40 pm - 1:20 pm Panel: Harnessing AI & Gen AI for Manufacturing Excellence Cynthia Hutchison - Chief Executive Officer, US Center for Advanced ManufacturingKiara Thomas - Innovation Specialist, Nobel Corp
Lisa Zasada - Head of Digital Manufacturing, General Mills
Yasir Drabu - Founder & CEO, Taazaa
Shashant Shah - Senior Technology Strategy Associate, MxD
Manufacturers are realizing major advancements in productivity, quality and effectiveness with AI and Gen AI solutions. Join this panel to discuss:
- Driving optimization through the identification of waste and inefficiencies in manufacturing and supply chains
- Optimizing processes, evaluate production and operational efficiencies and highlight areas for improvement
- Predicting potential failures and unplanned downtime through condition-based maintenance
- Examining use cases for Gen AI in manufacturing for increased productivity and competitive advantage
1:20 pm - 2:05 pm
Networking Lunch
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm
Presentation: Autonomous Operations: The link between Advanced Technologies and Highly Efficient Manufacturing
Samuel Parra -
NA Manufacturing Lead,
BASF
- Target Picture: What does it look like and why businesses need it
- Degrees of autonomy: The path for a real digital transformation
- Seamless integration: Bringing down data silos and streamlining data-driven decision making.
- ROI on new technologies: Understanding the difference between trendy and value-added technologies
2:55 pm - 3:25 pm
Panel: Balancing Scalability with Affordability: How do you Develop a Multi-Site Deployment Strategy that Anticipates the Project Risks you will Encounter?
Shawn D. Phillips -
Smart Connected Factory Manager – Tractors and Combines,
John Deere
Jan Shumate - Director Worldwide Engineering & Construction Solutions and Corporate Manufacturing Automation Transformation, Eastman Chemical Company
Companies that are looking to deploy connected worker solutions across multiple sites can face several challenges as each plant invariably comes with its own nuanced architecture, siloed data sets and different technical maturity levels. Join this panel to discuss:
- Developing a multi-site strategy with scalable growth in mind from the start
- Overcoming a lack of standardization and siloed data sets across your plants
- Understanding the implementation challenges you will encounter with diverse workforce demographics across multiple sites
- The importance of leadership alignment and the creation of communities of best practice
Jan Shumate
Director Worldwide Engineering & Construction Solutions and Corporate Manufacturing Automation TransformationEastman Chemical Company
