Innovate or fail isn’t hyperbole. For a manufacturer to grow, it requires insightful product development and innovation. That often requires a manufacturer’s product management team to be dialed in on customer success and also have a complete understanding of their manufacturing’s strengths and weaknesses. We’ll talk about examples and common opportunities from our own experiences.
Overview
Innovation is crucial for manufacturing growth. Today’s market is highly competitive, with organizations maintaining global production capabilities and facing increasingly informed consumers. Manufacturers need to take a broad perspective concerning their innovation efforts, which includes implementing new technologies, increasing productivity and monitoring the effectiveness of new product programs.
Common opportunities for manufacturers include exploring transformative technologies like robots or artificial intelligence. Adopting these can help manufacturers overcome bottlenecks or make more effective use of data. Collecting data at strategical production checkpoints or from network-integrated machinery can help steer decision making for higher productivity. Feedback can also come from human sources as well. Organizational honesty and open dialogue between customers and suppliers are essential to align equipment, workforce and culture to surpass customer expectations.
This alignment ensures that the manufacturer is responsive to the market and can adapt quickly to changes in customer needs.
Key Takeaways
- Explore how continuous improvement strategies can help your organization increase productivity
- Discover techniques to improve quality control throughout the manufacturing value chain
- Learn how ambitious and forward-thinking manufacturers cultivate organizational values that drive innovation
- Identify ways digital platforms, such as simulation or resource management, can stimulate growth
Speakers
Over the past 34 years, Dean Phillips has been a leader in the technology sectors and the world of smart manufacturing. His is a continuous advisor to the smart manufacturing advisory committees with Society of Manufacturing Engineers and PMA Precision Metalforming Association. Phillips has been a speaker on IoT, AI, robotics, VR and AR. He is the creator of reality safe, a VR / AR safety training solution for manufacturing, working with Purdue. Phillips has spent the majority of his time advancing IoT, maintenance and safety to be more predictive and develop outcome based solutions. He has been on the board of directors for SME and an advisor for TTU, MTSU and TCAT. He has been a contributing lecturer on big data and it’s value and need for artificial intelligence to filter the information into actionable items. Phillips provides safety and development to cobot users and assists universities to outline expectations from manufacturers.
Will is a Director at Kalypso and leader within the firm's consulting capability. He focuses on advising clients on strategies and tactics aimed at scaling the value of digital transformation initiatives, with a focus on innovation and product development. Prior to joining Kalypso, Will was a design engineer for an Oil & Gas Technology Center that focused on developing breakthrough tools and techniques in the energy industry. Will graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and received an MBA from Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business, where he concentrated in Entrepreneurship.
Cynthia Kay founded Cynthia Kay and Company media production which produces high-quality communications for organizations from Fortune Global 100 to small business. A graduate of Michigan State University, Kay holds a master’s in communications from Western Michigan University. Cynthia Kay is a passionate spokesperson for small business. For more than 35 years, she has spent significant time speaking to, teaching, and coaching small-business owners while running her own award-winning company. She is the Past Board Chair of the National Small Business Association (NSBA). Cynthia and the company have been honored with many awards including many Tellys and Woman Owned Small Business Supplier of the Year from Siemens in 2018. She has been named One of West Michigan’s 50 Most Influential Women five times and is the recipient of over 30 broadcast awards from UPI, AP and other news organizations. CK & CO Cynthia has authored several books. Her newest book Small Business. Big Success: How to Beat the Odds and Grow a Great Business (Career Press 2024) is available for pre-order and will be out May 6, 2024. She writes for Entrpreneur.com, has been featured in Time Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ask the Expert and on NPR.
To find out more visit: www.thinkck.com and www.cynthiakaybiz.com
Paul Korzenecki, P.E. is a mechanical engineer with a broad background in design of new products, industrial machinery and automated assembly systems and is a principal of MachineDesignPro.com - a provider of Engineering Consulting Service. Paul is an innovative conceptual designer and have a proven ability to develop cost-effective, high-impact solutions and build successful teams. I am an outside-the-box thinker with experience in the concept, quote, design, and manufacture of machine products for diverse industries. He has worked remotely and on-site with clients, customers and vendors throughout the US, Europe, and Asia and holds multiple patents. Paul's education includes Mechanical Engineering and MBA degrees from the University of Notre Dame, and MS Manufacturing from Western Michigan University.
Tom has a BS in mechanical engineering and MS in advanced engineering design from Plymouth University, U.K. He is a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and during his career, has served as an R&D laboratory manager and design engineer in domestic industry reshoring projects. He currently is owner and managing director if D. Design Engineering, a consultation and development services organization, that helps manufacturers design innovation products or move forward towards full-scale manufacturing operations.