TUESDAY CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING
9:00 AM - 9:40 AM
Track 1Influencing the Design - Design for Automation
Labor shortages, high operating costs, supply chain challenges, and intense competition have made first-time-right design critical for reducing the cost and complexity of a value stream. However, product designers often overlook manufacturability and ease of assembly when balancing various factors in their designs. As a result, manufacturing engineers can get stuck with a difficult to assemble product. In this presentation attendees will learn about the importance of designing for automation and the role of manufacturing engineers in the design process. The speaker will discuss the benefits of embedding manufacturing engineers in design teams, providing real-life anecdotes, pitfalls, and examples. Attendees will gain insights on how a manufacturing-inclusive product design team can unlock value that was previously unexplored, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The presentation will provide practical guidance on influencing the design to design for automation, helping attendees to optimize their product designs for easier manufacturability and assembly.
Track 2Don't Automate Waste: Know How to Develop and Execute Your Automation Plan
How to develop an automation plan and identify waste and bottlenecks. This presentation will focus on when and how to automate and implement best practices throughout the process.
Track 3Lean Manufacturing — The Culture of Kaizen
The Kaizen as a mindset and culture differs greatly from the popular Kaizen event and other continuous improvement approaches. This workshop is an interactive and hands on way to understand the key concepts of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement. Through simulations, you will understand the principles of seven wastes, Just in Time and Kaizen that have been a consistent philosophy at Toyota since its early days. The topics that will be demonstrated with exercises include the Kaizen Teian methodology, its purpose, implementation techniques and standardization elements. There will also be a series of pictorial examples from Toyota Japan to show how they handle this foundational step to make it a culture.
This session runs from 9:00 AM - 11:55 AM.
9:45 AM - 10:25 AM
Track 1Presentation TBA
Track 2AI Copilots for Manufacturing Engineers
Collecting and analyzing visual data of assembly operations by hand is expensive, inaccurate and impractical. To scale manufacturing analysis to the scale required by today's facilities, new paradigms are required. There are new kinds of machine vision technologies that can inspect manual and machine activity with never before seen fidelity. We will examine the uses of these technologies to find and mitigate various kinds of waste and to increase the safety of the workplace while increasing quality.
Attendees will learn about the latest advances in visual intelligence and how leading manufacturers are using these solutions to increase team cohesion, increase capacity, reduce near-misses and increase yields. Attendees will also learn how this technology can reduce friction around handoffs between robots/automation and human operators.
Track 3Lean Manufacturing — The Culture of Kaizen (cont.)
This session runs from 9:00 AM - 11:55 AM. Full description is listed under 9:00 AM time slot.
10:25 AM - 10:40 AM
Conference Center Foyer
Morning Break
Morning Coffee Break is included for all 'TUESDAY CONFERENCE PACKAGE' registrants
10:40 AM - 11:20 AM
Track 1Four Key Elements to Get Enthusiastic Buy-In to Change in One Day or Less
Implementing change in a company is difficult, to say the least. According to Gallup research, more than 70% of change initiatives do not achieve their objectives. Among the major causes cited: Lack of employee engagement and employee resistance to change. This presentation presents techniques, proven in use by 4aBetterBusiness for over 25 years, that have helped companies develop immediate, enthusiastic buy-in to change, and leverage the participation and contribution to reliably accomplish large-scale, sustainable change. Using these techniques has helped companies achieve operational excellence, create an improvement-seeking culture, attract and retain employees and implement ongoing digital transformation. Takeaways include:
- 4 Key elements of achieving buy-in to change
- Techniques to implement in your own organization
- The value of implementation at speed
- Working with an already-busy organization and executives
Track 2Digitize and Automate Your First Steps Towards AI
This presentation will separate hype versus reality when it comes to real-world AI deployments. For many manufacturers investigating AI there is still a great deal of confusion around the capabilities of the technology based on “best case” scenarios. This often leads to cost concerns, delayed deployments, and disappointing results. Instead, a more scaled approach that starts with digitization and evolves towards wider AI-based automation often delivers better outcomes for manufacturers. As part of this discussion, we will look at how an electronics manufacturer and distillery are using machine vision and AI-based tools to first digitize error-prone human processes and gather data to help guide and simplify an AI automation strategy.
Track 3Lean Manufacturing — The Culture of Kaizen (cont.)
This session runs from 9:00 AM - 11:55 AM. Full description is listed under 9:00 AM time slot.
11:25 AM - 11:55 AM
Track 1Attracting and Retaining a Great Workforce Via Pay Per Performance
Individual and team performance and recognition are becoming just as important as productivity and efficiency, although these are not often fully understood and seldom measured. In our post-COVID world, retention/turnover has had a significant negative impact on the bottom line. In this presentation, with a goal to attract and retain quality employees, we’ll discuss the basics and the nuances of implementing a framework that links pay to performance for individuals and departments, while demonstrating the benefits that accrue from proper recognition. Although some technology is necessary to implement such a framework, the design and implementation is quite straightforward. Anything that affects pay will of course need corporate/HR approval, however the advantages of having such a program in place and supported by the organization make self-management for the betterment of the organization a reality. Along with a more stable and satisfied workforce, productivity and profits will increase.
Track 2Automated Assembly in the Age of Industry 4.0
As US manufacturers continue to experience a workforce skills gap and labor shortage, companies have begun to ask more from the OEM, including remote support, monitoring, and maintenance programs. What was once a system enhancement and offering for the customer’s internal use, an Industry 4.0 implementation is a means to leverage the technology for OEMs to provide the service and support requested by their customers.
Track 3Lean Manufacturing — The Culture of Kaizen (cont.)
This session runs from 9:00 AM - 11:55 AM. Full description is listed under 9:00 AM time slot.
11:55 AM - 1:05 PM
Conference Center Foyer
Lunch
Luncheon is included for all 'TUESDAY CONFERENCE PACKAGE' registrants
1:05 PM - 1:45 PM
Track 1 Building an Effective Talent Strategy
The war for talent rages on. Some organizations are ill-prepared to handle the challenges of an increasingly complex labor market, shackled by the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. Others are thriving, armed with analytical insights and surrounded by allies, allowing them to snap up and retain highly performing impact players and supercharge their growth. What kind of an organization are you? More importantly, what kind do you want to be in the future? This presentation will deliver key insights designed to help business leaders and decision makers elevate their talent-focused activities:
- Provide a current and insightful assessment of labor market conditions
- Identify the key elements that make an organization attractive to top talent
- Share best-in-class hiring strategies including metrics and practices
- Convey the top factors that drive talent retention
- Deliver practical and actionable advice on what businesses can do to become better at attracting, hiring, and retaining workers
Track 2Pitfalls and Approaches for Project Integrations that Include Multiple Technology Classes
Manufacturers today are tasked with carrying out broad, strategic mandates for implementing the 'Factory of the Future'. In practice, what does mean for the manufacturing engineer on the factory floor? A factory of the future may entail a mix of technologies that are integrated both 'across the factory floor' and 'up and down the industrial tech stack'. Given these challenges, we offer five recommendations to best position projects and organizations for success and will highlight two case studies from industry. Key takeaways include approaches (collaborative workshopping and guided floor walks), frameworks for uncovering project pitfalls (taking the "horizontal view" to trace dependencies among projects), and case studies / lessons learned from how projects unfold, in practice. Content will briefly discuss the breadth and depth of automation solutions as it relates to assembly plants, but will primarily focus on tactical ways to ensure project success (from a System's integrator perspective).
Track 3Does Your Robot Need a Tool Changer?
One of the main selling points for robots is their flexibility. Unlike conventional automation systems, robots can be programmed to perform any number of tasks—either in sequence as part of a single production cycle, or when assembling families of similar products.
However, robots can be limited by their end effectors. Once a robot has been equipped with a gripper designed for a specific part, it becomes restricted in what it can do. The robot can’t pick up a part with a different size or shape, nor can it perform some other task, such as deburring. It was with this hurdle in mind that automated tool changers were invented.
In this presentation, you’ll learn what tool changers are, how they work, when to use them, when not to use them, options, features to look for, tips for implementing them, and example use cases.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Track 1Designing for the Frontline Worker: Strategies for Creating Effective Manufacturing Operations Platforms
Traditionally, user experience has been an afterthought when designing industrial operations software, with the frontline operator the last persona considered. But operator engagement is critical when it comes to adopting the new, often expensive software and technology solutions designed to solve problems and increase productivity on the factory floor. Kimberly's approach to product design puts the frontline operator as top priority.
Track 2 Advantage of the Smart Factory: How Location Technology Can Improve Efficiency and Sustainability
The future of operations is autonmous and sustainable. Factories are involved in moving billions of moving things: from assets, to people over processes. In an Industrial context, efficient operations are key. They are also mission-critical for the global value-creation. Our presentation focuses on how real time location technologies improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability, all while achieving a fast ROI.
Track 3The Future of Automated Assembly
Despite the numerous benefits of automation, many assembly tasks are still performed manually. One reason is the upfront cost of automation. Automating a production line can be expensive, as it requires the purchase of customized equipment and the training of employees to operate and maintain it. Another reason is a lack of flexibility. Yet one more reason is a lack of available technology. For example, tasks that require a high level of dexterity or precision, such as wiring, are often not suitable for automation.
Now, advances in robotics and artificial intelligence are promising to overcome these limitations. What does this mean for manufacturing and how does it change the paradigm for reshoring, localized and distributed manufacturing, and product life cycles? Get answers to these questions and more in this presentation.
2:20 PM - 2:35 PM
Conference Center Foyer
Afternoon Break
Afternoon Refreshments are included for all 'TUESDAY CONFERENCE PACKAGE' registrants
2:35 PM - 3:00 PM
Track 1How Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives Enable Advanced EV Battery Designs
Various design trends and engineering challenges are driving interest in new and effective bonding solutions for EV battery pack materials. These solutions include high-performance tapes featuring pressure-sensitive adhesives. Such tapes provide not only effective bonding, but help address issues related to flame retardancy, boosting dielectric, and optimizing design and assembly. In this session, Max VanRaaphorst, Avery Dennison Performance Tapes business development manager for eMobility and Automotive, will showcase the benefits of pressure-sensitive adhesive technology. He’ll discuss why it’s a sound solution for a wide range of pack applications and provide an overview of Avery Dennison’s capabilities related to EV batteries.
Track 2Augmented Reality: A Game-Changer for Manufacturing and Assembly Workflows
Even though automation continues to advance, it's predicted up to 80% of all products will require human involvement at some stage of the manufacturing value chain. Investing in technologies like augmented reality (AR) that empower your frontline workforce can make a dramatic impact. In this session, LightGuide Founder & CEO Paul Ryznar will share practical tips for leveraging AR to optimize manufacturing and assembly workflows for breakthroughs in quality, workforce productivity and operational agility. Come explore the advantages and applications of AR and discover proven ways to:
- Streamline complex manual workflows for greater efficiency
- Enhance quality control to improve yield and eliminate rework
- Capture manual process data and improve traceability for a more complete view of manufacturing operations
- Reduce the time and cost of recruiting and workforce development through enhanced training
Track 3Conference Session TBA
3:05 PM - 3:30 PM
Track 1Li-ion Battery Recycling: Challenges and New Processes
Lithium-ion batteries need to be recycled to prevent environmental harm and recover valuable materials for reuse. However, the current design of some battery packs makes it difficult to efficiently recycle them. Commercialized battery recycling technologies recover the metallic elements in the battery for reuse. However, many materials and much of the value of the battery cannot be recovered in these processes. In this session, Albert Lipson will discuss these challenges and future technologies that are being developed to recycle more of the battery and keep some of the materials in forms so that they can be directly reused in batteries.
Track 2Practical Examples of AI on the Shop Floor
This session cuts through the hype around artificial intelligence and provides practical examples of how the technology is being applied on the shop floor right now. AI-powered vision systems are being used for quality control, defect detection and real-time monitoring of production processes. AI is being used to analyze historical data from the shop floor to predict equipment failures, maintenance needs, and optimize production schedules. And, AI-driven machines are making real-time decisions and adjustments to optimize production processes based on data inputs. If you’re thinking about applying AI to your operation, don’t miss this session.
Track 3Dieless Forming of Sheet Metal With Robots
One of manufacturing’s dirty little secrets is that virtually all production lines are purpose-built to produce just one component or product, which means that any design change renders that production line obsolete. While those lines are operational, uptime pressure is such that manufacturers are loath to apply patches to known security vulnerabilities because they require downtime that leads to lost revenue and unhappy customers. AI and robotics applications are emerging to tackle custom and costly tooling challenges. Forming technology innovations can unlock development and performance advantages in manufacturing applications by rapidly shaping metal sheets into large, complex, high-value skins and structures. Edward Mehr, CEO and Co-Founder of Machina Labs, can discuss how material- and geometry-agnostic technology can outperform traditional sheet metal methods and explain how dieless robotic sheet forming processes can reduce time to produce the first part from months to minutes, while saving up to $1M per design.
3:35 PM - 4:00 PM
Track 1Robotic Digital Twin for Electrical Vehicle Battery Recycling
EV battery recycling is expected to be a multi-billion-dollar industry by the year 2030. Currently, battery recycling is mainly focused on the cell level, but more effort can be expended on disassembly of the battery packs. Battery packs are heavy, come in a large variety, and often involve high voltage. It is expected that robotic automation can replace current manual approaches to make the process safer, more efficient, affordable, and adaptable. In this session, Young Park will discuss the potential use of telerobotics and robotic digital twin technology to overcome obstacles.
Track 2Assembly Automation for Plastics Processors
Plastic Processors have recognized automation as the number one pain point; seeking advice and expertise for the right solutions can be a challenge. With over 20 years of plastic joining and automation experience, Guy will provide real world examples of successful automation projects deployed by plastic processors. Reducing labor, decreasing cycle times, and increasing part quality are just a few of the benefits automated assembly and test equipment can solve. Guy will provide case studies from AMS that will include process overview, challenges, and value-added solutions implemented with return on investment (ROI) data.
Track 3How to Use Autonomous Mobile Robots to Transform Material Flow
Connecting an automated flow of raw materials and finished goods using Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is an excellent way to reduce cost, increase safety, optimize or reduce downtime, and reduce forklift traffic in the production area. This talk will cover transforming your material flow to your production cells with AMRs. We will cover the available AMR technologies and industry approaches. Dive into autonomous mobile robot navigation technologies LIDAR SLAM, Video SLAM, and location precision enhancement methods like using RFIDs, QR Codes, and guide tape and their implications and limitations for your facility. This presentation will also cover how to choose suitable first projects that provide proof of value while ensuring the first projects are a successful springboard for expansion and integration. Lastly, this presentation will overview approaches to achieving managerial and workforce buy-in and dealing with IT constraints and concerns.

Welcome Reception & Taste of Rosemont
7:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Closes
9:00 AM - 9:05 AM
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
9:05 AM - 9:10 AM
ASSEMBLY Plant of the Year Award Presentation
9:10 AM – 10:00 AM
Keynote Presentation
Leveraging Machine Data and Business Intelligence to Position Your People for Future Success
10:00 AM
Exhibit Hall Opens
Learning Theater Presentations
The ASSEMBLY Show's Learning Theater Presentations, presented by exhibiting companies right on the exhibit hall floor, will cover various topics and demonstrate expertise on some of the latest technological advances in assembly.
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #1
Reliable Robotic Leak Detection Enabling Smart Manufacturing of Refrigeration and Airconditioning Systems
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Theater #2
Learning Theater Presentation #2
What is Your Connected Environment Strategy? A Framework for Implementation.
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #3
Introduction to Parts Feeding – Parts Singulation for Robot Automation
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Community Hub - Booth #1113
Guided Tour #1Lean Manufacturing and Manual Assembly
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM
Theater #2
Learning Theater Presentation #4
Building a Competitive Edge: The Importance of Digital Transformation for Small to Medium-Sized Factories
12:45 PM – 1:15 PM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #5
Tracer Gas Leak Testing vs Air Leak Testing – Improving Speed and Reliability
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM
Theater #2
Learning Theater Presentation #6
Get Your Plant Future-Ready
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Community Hub - Booth #1113
Guided Tour #2 Robotics
1:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #7
Predictive Quality is the Key to EV Production Scaling
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Theater #2
Learning Theater Presentation #8
How Friction Impacts Torque and the Fastening Process
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #9
How to Transform Your Workforce into a Competitive Advantage with AR
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Theater #2
Learning Theater Presentation #10
Maximize Workforce Agility: Attracting and Retaining the Right Talent at the Right Time
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Community Hub - Booth #1113
Guided Tour #3 Conveyors and Material Handling
3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
Theater #1
Learning Theater Presentation #11
Demystifying the Impact of Recent Changes to Section 174 and the Procedures for Claiming R&D Tax Credits: Bringing Clarity and Good News
5:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Closes
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Pub Night Networking Reception