Conferences at a Glance - Tuesday

Tech Leadership Summit:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 | 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. | West Building, Room 183 A & B

For all things digital, the Tech Leadership Summit is one of the places to be at IMTS 2022. Industry experts are convening on a variety of different topics including big data, digital twin, robotics, additive manufacturing and more. Technical, business and operations leaders from OEMs, suppliers and small- to medium-sized businesses that want to implement digital manufacturing technologies will find this summit useful.

Two driving forces behind the summit are the technology and leadership involved in digital transformations. Part of the summit focuses in on why digital transformations might fail and explores the critical factors in making transformations successful.

Attendees can find the opportunity to learn and connect throughout the program with panel discussions, roundtables on key topics, tours with technology expert guides and engagement with like-minded peers also in attendance.

OPC Foundation Conference:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. | West Building, Room W196-C

OPC is the interoperability standard for the exchange of data in a secure and reliable setting within the industrial realm. The OPC Foundation oversees the maintenance and development of the standard. First introduced in 1996, OPC undergoes transformations as technology evolves through the decades.

At IMTS 2022, the OPC Foundation Conference aims to spread information and educate on the importance of industrial interoperability in the manufacturing industry. It features a partial focus on industrial interoperability scaling, covering topics like sensor, IT, cloud and more. The harmonized solution OPC UA FX for process and factory automation is highlighted. In addition, there is a discussion on why MQTT-only connection is not enough to meet the needs of companies. Discover why six of the biggest IT companies choose OPC UA over MQTT.

IMTS Investor Forum:

Tuesday, Sept. 13 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | West Building, Room W471B

The manufacturing industry is a hot-ticket item for investors, but it can be rife with confusion for those not in the know. AMT’s Investor Forum and guided tours show what happens behind the curtain, giving investors the knowledge they need to make informed investments within the manufacturing industry.

It includes four total curated and guided tours of the show floor as well as an additional two metalworking and automation focus tours. There is also a reception today following the forum from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided, and a ticket to the Investor Forum includes full access to all IMTS has to offer.

IMTS Top Shops panel in 2018.

IMTS Job Shops (Tuesday):

Tuesday, Sept. 13 | 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Awards: IMTS+ Main Stage / Panel discussions: South Building, S100 Grand Ballroom A & B (after 2:30 p.m. only)

The 2022 Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Workshop takes place as part of day 2 of the IMTS Job Shops Workshop. IMTS attendees who have upgraded their tickets with access to this workshop are able to learn from this year’s Top Shops honorees, glean valuable insights from Top Shops data and learn more about the promise of AI for job shops at panels throughout the afternoon.

Each honoree was handpicked in its category — though all shops were well-rounded enough to qualify as Top Shops. This year, Rosenberger North America Pennsauken is the honoree for Machining Technology, Stecker Machine Company is the honoree for Shopfloor Practices & Performance, KLH Industries is the honoree for Business Strategy & Performance and A to Z Machine is the honoree for Human Resources.

The award ceremony takes place at 12:30 p.m. today on the IMTS+ Main Stage. All four shops partake in a panel discussion later in the day.

Workshop attendees will also hear key insights from 2,000 Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Surveys. The Workshop closes with “The Artificially Intelligent Machine Shop,” a presentation from Matt Kirchner, president of ATS/LAB Midwest.