Agenda - North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit

Stream One Chair

Daniel Myers

Former EVP Integrated Supply Chain at Mondelēz International, Senior Fellow at Haslam School of Business at University of Tennessee

Stream Two Co-Chair

Rene Buck

CEO

BCI Global

Stream Three Co-Chair

Executive to be Announced

Maintain X Inc

3:30pm - 4:15pm

Panel: Shopfloor Safety Advancements/Avoidances – A Strategic Report Reviewing Plant Level Operations

Peter Henderson

Vice President Nitrogen Manufacturing

Dyno Nobel

Terry Secrest

EVP Manufacturing

RoyOMartin

Ravi Mydur

Vice President of Manufacturing

SLB

Session Details

Safety in manufacturing touches nearly every aspect of the business. Despite its costs, it must remain a priority. Join our panel of leading manufacturers to hear their report from the shopfloor and how they are developing and advancing their safety procedures and policies.

Achieving a single source of truth and increased visibility into everyday operations in order to:
- Monitor real-time processes
- Document procedure and policies
- Use these aids in traceability and accountability
- Provide actionable reporting and analytics

4:20pm - 5:05pm

Panel: Auto Manufacturers Strategies Looking Forward – The Transformation and Transition to Electrification and Its Impact on Global Value Chains: Inter-Plant Competition, Employment and Supply Chains

David Johnson

Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Nissan

Session Details

How are you integrating and innovating your production processes with the latest advancements in technology (EV, AV, AI)? And how are you bringing people along the technology journey?
Automotive insights into approaches to sustainable production operations
What’s next? And how do we ready our workforce and facilities to accelerate electrification and technological innovation?
How can we utilize external partners and suppliers to increase efficiency

5:10pm - 6:00pm

Panel: Operational Leadership in Manufacturing: Winning Strategies for 2025

Myrna Macias

SVP Supply Chain Latam

PepsiCo

Darcy MacClaren

Chief Revenue Officer, Digital Supply Chain

SAP America

Rebecca Barta

Sr Director Material Operations, Infrastructure

Valmont Industries

Session Details

Empowering Employee Engagement: Effective engagement is more than just morale; it’s about creating an environment where employees take ownership of their roles. We’ll discuss strategies for fostering open communication, recognizing contributions, and aligning individual goals with organizational success. Key challenges like overcoming resistance to change and bridging generational workforce gaps will be addressed.
Securing Buy-In for Digital Tools: Implementing new technologies often meets resistance on the shop floor. This session will explore how to present digital tools as enablers, not threats, by involving employees early, addressing fears of job displacement, and emphasizing practical benefits like improved safety, efficiency, and productivity. Training programs and peer advocacy will also be covered to ensure seamless adoption.
Building Skills for Tomorrow: Upskilling is critical to prepare your workforce for industry 4.0 and beyond. We’ll identify the technical and soft skills most in demand for 2025, strategies for integrating ongoing learning into daily operations, and how to overcome the challenge of knowledge gaps in a fast-evolving landscape.
Driving Continuous Improvement: In an era of fluctuating customer demands and supply chain complexities, continuous improvement remains a cornerstone. The discussion will focus on integrating real-time data analytics, fostering a culture of problem-solving, and balancing agility with consistency to optimize performance across the production line.

6:30pm - 7:30pm

7:15am - 8:15am

8:15am - 8:30am

Opening Remarks, Important Announcements and Chair’s Welcome Adress

Daniel Myers

Former EVP Integrated Supply Chain at Mondelēz International, Senior Fellow at Haslam School of Business at University of Tennessee

8:30am - 9:05am

How to Succeed in an Ever-Changing Manufacturing Environment: Setting Expectations – Do Ordinary Things Extraordinarily Well

Manny Bansi

Vice President, Logistics

Toyota

Session Details

Keeping focus on functional excellence and the critical importance of back to basics
Building resiliency and agility across networks – how can we react faster and get stability and keep it that way quickly
Creating your playbook – set of known knowns and how to make them as fast as possible while being prepared for the known unknowns

9:05am - 9:40am

Embracing Digital Transformation and It’s Impact on the Shop Floor

Torsten Pilz

Chief Supply Chain Officer

Honeywell

Session Details

The continued push to digitize supply chains and investment in novel technologies to drive efficiency, resilience and innovations
Challenges and successes of transitioning and implementing a variety of strategies
Reskilling and upskilling your workforce with digital tools and capabilities

9:45am - 10:20am

Addressing the Top 4 COO Challenges for 2025

Shawn Smith

Director, Business Development - North America

Performance Solutions by Milliken

Session Details

How to deliver maximum end-to-end PERFORMANCE with minimal effort
How to enable problem solving at SCALE with cross-functional teams
How to RETAIN your people by enriching their work day and sense of purpose
How to leverage a zero loss mindset to build in excellence LONGEVITY

In this session Performance Solutions by Milliken (PSbyM) will show you how the best organizations are thriving in the current challenging landscape and how their teach-coach-mentor model of partnership helps these organizations engage their employees to excel with rapid ROI.

9:45am - 10:20am

Use AI to Give Junior Operators The Performance of Experienced Staff

Executive to be Announced

Oden Technologies

Session Details

Help operators identify and implement improvement opportunities: Production lines have millions of variables that affect performance. Learn how AI can assist operators in identifying which process settings to change and how to optimize for a given outcome (i.e. lowest cost or highest throughput)
Give operators the confidence to make process changes: AI can give operators foresight into how changes or current settings will impact quality to ensure they stay in spec
Leverage knowledge at scale: Current data and processes contain invaluable, but siloed information for your operators. AI can be an accelerator for consolidating, sorting, and distributing knowledge throughout the front-line
Keep the experience simple: To drive adoption of these advanced technologies, they need to be packaged and presented in a way that’s intuitive and simple to use

9:45am - 10:20am

Modern Manufacturing – A New Standard for People and Processes

Executive to be Announced

SAP Americas

Session Details

Exploring how a modern manufacturing execution system (MES) runs processes for efficient operations – and so much more
Covering it’s flexibility to fit a wide range of physical equipment configurations, multiple processes and industry scenarios, and it empowers workforce decision-making
Learning how SAP integrates people and processes and ensures flexibility and consistency across a wide range of production scenarios
Discussing informed decisions, appropriate to a shift’s capabilities, create workforce and operational efficiency while aligning to overall business priorities, planning and logistics
Discussing how a modern MES combines the power of standard applications, the scalability of cloud, and a dynamic partner ecosystem, allowing manufacturers to set a new standard

10:25am - 12:05pm

Pre-Arranged One-to-One Meetings

10:30 am – 10:50 am: Meeting Slot 1/Networking
10:55 am – 11:15 am: Meeting Slot 2/Networking
11:20 am – 11:40 am: Meeting Slot 3/Networking
11:45 am – 12:05 pm: Meeting Slot 4/Networking

These mutually agreed-upon conversations are arranged and facilitated by Executive Platforms staff to ensure attendees have valuable discussions about their top-of-mind questions, challenges, and opportunities.

12:10pm - 12:45pm

Building Networks of Regional Manufacturing Partners to Simplify Supply Chains and Build Competitive Advantage

Garrett Dornbrook

Vice President, Manufacturing

Procter & Gamble

Session Details

Discussing how recent disruptions in global supply chains have prompted us to rethink where we source our goods and products
Debating the best way to satisfy customers in a world where their expectations are changing, and our existing model faces unexpected challenges
Making the business case that the improved supply chain performance and competitive advantage of Reshoring and Near-Shoring exceeds the start-up costs of building new supplier networks
Offering best practices to find the right regional manufacturers to partner with and help them scale their business to meet your needs in terms of quality, quantity, and speed
How long-term will this strategic pivot last? Will ‘Shop Local, Buy Local’ also include ‘Build Local’ in the New Normal we are all creating together?

12:10pm - 12:45am

Identifying Tools and Techniques to Eliminate Gray Work: CI in Manufacturing

Summer Multer

Vice President Manufacturing, Industrial Supply Chain

Ecolab

Session Details

Increase efficiency and optimize workflow: Best practices of continuous improvement initiatives including, employee engagement, improving workplace environment, leveraging digital technology and more
Creating a mindset and company culture about lean processes. Ensuring there is buy-in from the top-down
Building a continuous improvement culture: Regularly evaluate and assess upon these processes to continue to eliminate waste and improve
How do we measure the ROI of continuous improvement initiatives?
What are the common challenges when integrating new technologies into existing CI frameworks?
How does CI affect supplier and customer relationships?

12:10pm - 12:45pm

Process Intelligence (PQ): The Key to Building High Functioning Leaders

Shane Yount

CEO & President

Competitive Solutions, Inc.

Session Details

Most organizations conduct leadership training to attempt to develop and retain their leadership talent, however, the last three years have put an unprecedented strain on our leaders and organizations. Leadership fatigue is at an all-time high, the “Great Resignation” is real and relevant, and the leaders of the future must possess much more than just IQ and EQ. Learn the four “Non-negotiable Elements of PQ” that make High Functioning Leaders:

Is your organization currently suffering from “Leadership Fatigue?”
Does your current Leadership Development program only highlight IQ and EQ?
Are your emerging leaders staying or leaving the organization? Do they even know they are emerging leaders?
Do you want to create a sustainable leadership culture of Clarity, Connectivity, and Consistency?

12:45pm - 1:45pm

Overflow Lunch Seating

12:45pm - 1:45pm

Explore this year’s themed lunch discussions led by industry leaders, where executives engage in focused conversations over a meal, discussing topics they’re passionate about alongside their peers.

Breaking Barriers: Embracing the Future Through Mindset and Cultural Evolution

Tina Phang

Plant Director

Crenlo Engineered Cab

Upskilling and Retraining – A Manufacturing Imperative

Pedro Espinoza

Vice President of Operations

Former CRL

Manufacturing Automation, Simplified

Yvonne Smith

Vice President Global Manufacturing

Henry Schein Inc.

Applying Continuous Improvement Thinking to New Technology Rollouts

Darrin Perrott

Continuous Improvement Manager

Jamieson Laboratories

Managing Through Shop Floor Redesigns

Angel Pagan

Director of Engineering & Maintenance

Monin

Content to be Announced

Executive to be Announced

Nanoprecise Sci Corp

Strategies in Reducing Lead Times

Rinaldo Galdamez

Director of Operations Excellence

Novanta

From Fear to Excitement: Getting Operators Onboard with AI

Executive to be Announced

Oden Technologies

Content to be Announced

Executive to be Announced

Redaptive Sustainability Services LLC

Demystifying Industrial Data Contextualization

Executive to be Announced

Sight Machine

New Ideas in Workforce and Leadership Development to Retain and Upskill Our Teams

David Thomason

Continuous Improvement Manager

Sundyne LLC

Aligning Manufacturing with Our S&OP and Supply Chain Processes

Ryan Britt

Director Manufacturing

The Hersheys Company

1:50pm - 2:25pm

The Operational Backbone of an Agile Enterprise

Karen Jordan

Chief Supply Chain Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America

PepsiCo

Session Details

Creating agile multifunctional teams can enable organizations to quickly learn & reapply while driving business results
The establishment of lean, multidisciplinary teams to jointly develop, prototype and validate new processes, materials, and methods, solving challenging innovations to drive fast growth
See how the creation of decentralized, decision-making frameworks can accelerate innovation while enabling a culture that fosters learning and continuous improvement mindset
Learn about the latest ideas on defining innovative systems and solutions by a highly engaged operational team, and ensuring the implemented changes are appropriately adopted and maintained

1:50pm - 2:25pm

Establishing a Demand-Driven and Responsive Made in the US (Made US) Supply Network

Kevin McCoy

Vice President, Manufacturing

New Balance

Session Details

What does reshoring sneaker manufacturing while digitizing a global supply chain look like?

1:50pm - 2:25pm

Manufacturing Intelligence: Priming Your Business to Keep Driving Competitive Advantages in Your Product Supply

David Murray

EVP, Manufacturing, IT & BOE system

Bombardier

Session Details

Focus on building your operational core to its peak efficiency and productivity and why digital transformation requires you to go back to the basics first
The foundation for successful digital transformation

2:30pm - 3:05pm

Now, Next and Beyond: Exploring the Future of Operational Excellence

Executive to be Announced

Session Details

Unprecedented convergence of disruptive forces requires a new way of thinking and fundamental shift in current approaches to Operational Excellence
Digital technologies offer the potential to transform Operational Excellence but results so far have been largely disappointing
Manufacturers need to pivot from a technology-first orientation and put people at the center of their digital transformation efforts
The future of Operational Excellence will be driven by the frontline manufacturing workforce, enabled, and empowered by digital augmentation technologies

2:30pm - 3:05pm

Unlock Factory Data for AI and Data-Driven Excellence

Executive to be Announced

Sight Machine

Session Details

Join Sight Machine to see how streaming, transforming and analyzing plant floor data – in real-time and at enterprise scale – optimizes plant productivity, operator workflows, resource use, supply chain, after-sales support, and enable generative AI copilots.

2:30pm - 3:05pm

Standard Work and Order Exceptions

Executive to be Announced

CloudPaths

Session Details

When everything goes right, manufacturers are good at standard work. But what about when you have to change an order, cut product, or when the customer has a problem with what they received? Hear how you can leverage technology to bring standard work to exception processes.

3:05pm - 4:20pm

Pre-Arranged One-to-One Meetings

3:05 pm – 3:25 pm: Meeting Slot 5/Networking
3:30 pm – 3:50 pm: Meeting Slot 6/Networking
3:55 pm – 4:15 pm: Meeting Slot 7/Networking

4:25pm - 5:00pm

Changing Global Demands and Supply Chain Politics: National Security Meets Economic Growth

Sean Trainor

Senior Vice President, Global Head of Personal Systems Operations

HP Inc.

Session Details

How the outcomes of the 2024 global elections have and will continue to impact the manufacturing sector
Shifts in regulatory environments, access to markets and supply chain dynamics explained
Trade, tax and weaponization: velocity and impact of weaponizing today’s tools of global integration in an age of unprecedented interdependence

5:05pm - 6:10pm

Live Interactive Musical Keynote: Quest to be the Best! Followed by Chair’s Closing Remarks

Daniel Myers

Former EVP Integrated Supply Chain at Mondelēz International, Senior Fellow at Haslam School of Business at University of Tennessee

Session Details

Creating an inspired Supply Chain Organization that is driven to be the best is a legacy we all want to create. In this multi-media presentation, Daniel Myers and four world class musicians will share what it takes to create A Band, A team that is committed to being the best. You will not want to miss this amazing keynote that takes you on a musical journey required to WOW the audience.

Everyone wants to be the Best, but all musicians are not willing to put for the effort to be the best. Individual Mastery takes a 10,000-hour journey
Learn how great musicians in your Band must be totally focused on delivering the perfect show
Learn from the very best within your genre but also across all genres and then add your Band’s creativity to go beyond!
You as conductor may not be the best musician but you must be the best coach.
There is a time for harmony, for unison but also for solos and then for the unified power packed chorus
“ You are only as good as your last standing ovation”- Kenny Rodgers

6:10pm

6:30pm

7:30am - 8:25am

7:45am - 8:20am

Overcome Uncertain Times: Digitally Enabled Transformation to Drive Business and Workforce Success

Executive to be Announced

Augury

Session Details

Manufacturing customers have been piloting programs for years, with little scaled success to show, which has driven hesitancy and resistance to drive real change
Using purpose built AI solutions combined with industry expertise and dedicated customer success and support teams, manufacturers are finding high ROI and value, rapidly, and which can actually be scaled to any size organization
Assets aren’t all equal to your business, so your Machine Health program should be able to match the importance of your assets to your bottom line to help you do more than just eliminate unplanned downtime, but transform how you work and manage assets, processes and ultimately, production

7:45am - 8:20am

Enabling Smart Operations for Manufacturing

Executive to be Announced

Anaplan

Session Details

Forces shaping manufacturing will drive unprecedented change in manufacturing facilities across the world over the next five years
There are 3 keys to building and supporting the factory of the future: connecting real-time operational data together with business data bridging the IT/OT divide, using AI and advanced analytics to deliver insights and recommendations, and enabling automation to turn insights into action across supply chain and manufacturing execution
How do we combine data from connected equipment, the workforce, and the supply chain digital thread to drive real-time visibility to operations with business context, empowering workstation operators and factory leaders

8:25am - 8:35am

Chair’s Opening Remarks

Daniel Myers

Former EVP Integrated Supply Chain at Mondelēz International, Senior Fellow at Haslam School of Business at University of Tennessee

8:35am - 9:10am

Laying the Foundation for the Industrial Metaverse: Navigating the Path Ahead – An Opportunity for Continued Industry Growth Amid Persistent Challenges

Peter Gibbons

Group President Enterprise Operations

3M Company

Session Details

Building a model-based enterprise and leveraging the industrial metaverse
Unlock efficiencies – synchronizing communication between functions, enhance supply chain collaboration and visibility

9:10am - 9:45am

Open for Innovation: Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology – Bringing a Concept to the Production Floor Quickly

Tom Carrubba

Vice President of Production Operations

Lockheed Martin

Session Details

Creating a collaborative, connected and flexible environment designed to enable rapid development and deployment of manufacturing solutions and training for teams
Staying ahead of ready – how to quickly implement changes on the factoring floor by fostering collaboration amount production and advanced manufacturing teams
Transforming the enterprise – developing and deploying the Future “Smart” Factory elements across the enterprise
Preparing the future workforce – training and upskilling

9:50am - 10:25am

Effective CI Modeling – The Prestige Performance System

Mike Bassani

General Manager, Partner

Microsoft

Session Details

Implementing CI in Manufacturing – crucial strategies for enhancing efficiency, quality and overall business performance
Rethinking manufacturing processes from the ground up – The shop floors role in organizational transformation
Developing a transformation office
Farming vs Hunting – How to create a hunters on the shop floor and create standardized, easy wins globally

9:50am - 10:25am

Maintaining Competitiveness in a Globalized Economy

Heather Bishop

Global Director Manufacturing & Operations

John Deere

Session Details

Optimizing efficiency and reducing costs: John Deere’s strategic shift in manufacturing operations

9:50am - 10:25am

Forecasting to Better Prepare and Build a Skilled, Future-Ready Workforce

Honorable Ventris Gibson

Director

United States Mint

Session Details

Navigating the latest manufacturing trends and how to forecast to fulfill your mission and values
Strategies: The work, the workforce, the work place and fostering an environment of fairness, integrity and trust

10:30am - 11:15am

Pre-Arranged One-to-One Meetings

10:30 am – 10:50am: Meeting Slot 8/Networking
10:55am – 11:15am: Meeting Slot 9/Networking

10:45pm - 11:15pm

Executive focus groups are informal moderated discussions among peers, held during networking breaks outside the summit agenda. No sign-up is required; delegates and speakers can join any group of interest.

Navigating the Technical Challenges with M&A

Chris A Barone

Senior Director, Engineering

Edgewell Personal Care

11:20am - 11:55am

Conceptualizing Data-Driven Solutions and Action Plans for Shop Floor Management

Neha Shah

Senior Director Manufacturing

Land O'Lakes

Session Details

Driving innovation through custom solutions for a dynamic workforce
Real-world impact: Transparency, agility and efficiency
Strategies to streamline shop floor operations in a modern world
Motivating and empowering cross-functional teams to consistently outperform target benchmarks and fostering a culture of continuous improvement

11:20am - 11:55am

Mastering Precision: Optimizing Manufacturing Operations for Traceability, Quality and Cost-Effective Process Control

Session Details

The science of measurement – as the cornerstone for achieving traceability, quality standards and cost-effective process control
Understanding your role in fostering innovation and adaptability, enabling you to meet market demands with agility
Lean Production and Computer Integration Manufacturing to Maximize Quality – understanding how to manage tools from different suppliers, ensure data integrity and oversee process control

11:20am - 11:55am

Unleash the Power of AI to Transform the Production of Tomorrow: Maximize your Manufacturing Potential with AI

Session Details

Accelerating cost reduction across administrative, commercial and production operations
Increasing revenue opportunities by optimizing sales, marketing, and customer experience
Supporting compliance and sustainability with accurate data and automated reporting

12:00pm - 12:35pm

How to Simplify and Unify your Manufacturing Plant Data

Executive to be Announced

GE Digital LLC

Session Details

The importance of monetizing your plant information and how to get started
Ways better data can help your team identify and address quality issues
Best practices for amplifying your data strategy
The promise of data-driven smart manufacturing

12:00pm - 12:35pm

Transforming Manufacturing Reliability for Optimal Efficiency and Streamlined Operations

Executive to be Announced

Redaptive Sustainability Services LLC

Session Details

How generative AI simplifies and significantly optimize the resources needed to apply RCM
How to analyze failure modes of various assets or equipment alongside their root cause and its effect on system functionality
How to make data-driven maintenance decisions with focus on critical assets and improve asset
How to quickly operationalize AI-driven reliability to extend the equipment lifespan and unlock the full potential of the assets accelerating your journey towards predictive maintenance

12:00pm - 12:35pm

Expert Tips for Unlocking Manufacturing Efficiency

Executive to be Announced

Effex Management Solutions

Session Details

The latest in digital technologies: Get strategies for unlocking efficiency in your facility
The importance of leveraging digital technologies both within and beyond the factory walls

12:35pm - 1:35pm

Networking Lunch

1:40pm - 2:15pm

Taking a Lesson From Barbie, Mattel Builds a Nimbler Supply Chain

Roberto Isaias

Executive Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer

Mattel

Session Details

Growing profitability, expanding margin and generating significant free cash flow
Insights and strategies used to execute a turnaround with Barbie and what Mattel did in the supply chain
Specific examples of supply chain efficiencies that led to a margin increase of 10 points and cost reduction in the P&L statement

2:15pm - 2:50pm

Fireside Chat: Manufacturing Intelligence: Readying Your Business to Embrace Smart Manufacturing

Executive to be Announced

Philip Morris International

Session Details

Highlighting a new operations management model emerging, focusing on optimizing response to threats and opportunities as well as sustainability efforts by dispersing decision-making throughout the organization
Taking a deep dive into the key enablers for this shift include trust, talent development, transparency, and exploring the integration of IoT, AI, and machine learning to optimize production processes
Empowering operators with data and skills while maintaining clear decision-making boundaries to further reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing operations