The ASSEMBLY Show to Offer Pre-Event Workshops Focused on Industry 4.0 and Operational Excellence

ROSEMONT, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 14, 2017) -  The fourth Industrial Revolution - Industry 4.0 and Embracing Operational Excellence will be the topics of two half day sessions that will be presented on Tuesday, October 24^th from 1:00 - 4:00 pm before the opening night Welcome Reception on The ASSEMBLY Show exhibit floor. The two sessions will bring together hundreds of engineering and manufacturing professionals to gain insight and knowledge from a panel of subject matter experts. The 5^th Annual ASSEMBLY Show will take place, October 24 - 26, 2017 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.

The INDUSTRY 4.0 workshop will focus on the fourth Industrial Revolution, which is now upon us. Presenters will discuss how the number of physical devices or "things" connected to the Internet now exceeds the total number of people on the planet. For manufacturers, the implications of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are huge. According to a recent McKinsey Global Institute report, the IIoT has the potential to unleash as much as $6.2 trillion in new global economic value annually by 2025. McKinsey also projects that 80 to 100 percent of all manufacturers will be using IIoT applications by then, leading to a potential economic impact of as much as $2.3 trillion for global manufacturing alone. In this workshop, attendees will learn how the IIoT can transform their assembly operation. Speakers will include:

• Sal Spada, Director of Research, ARC Advisory Group who will discuss how Industrial IoT Drives Innovations in Product Engineering. 
• Victor Caneff, Business Development Manager, Assembly & Robotics, Banner Engineering Corporation who will present Beyond the Edge of IIoT.
• Natan Linder, Founder and CEO, Tulip who will present Creating the Future of Manufacturing
• JP Provencher, VP Manufacturing Strategy & Solutions, PTC Inc. who will focus on How to Leverage Today's IIoT Technology to Drive Immediate Benefits

The ROAD TO OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE workshop will focus on how manufacturers are increasingly embracing operational excellence to gain and sustain performance improvements throughout the enterprise. Much of this management philosophy is based on earlier continuous improvement methodologies, such as lean thinking, Six Sigma, OKAPI and scientific management. The focus of operational excellence goes beyond the traditional event-based model of improvement toward a long-term change in organizational culture. In this workshop, attendees will learn how to achieve operational excellence in their assembly plant. Speakers will include:

• Brian McKibben, Partner, The Cumberland Group - Chicago Inc. who will discuss how to Escape the Improvement Trap: Five Ingredients Missing in Most Improvement Recipes
• Kevin Duggan, Founder, Institute for Operational Excellence who will address Operational Excellence: Lean's Next Frontier
• Darril Wilburn, Partner, Honsha Associates who will present Lean Implementation in High Mix, Low Volume and Other "Unique" Environments
• Patrick Lucansky, Executive Director, Value Innovation Partners Ltd. who will discuss The Smart Factory: Industry 3.5, Productions Vital Role in Manufacturing's Journey to Success

"Our editorial team has pulled together a terrific line up of presenters to address two extremely timely topics which we know our attendees will gain important insight from," said Thomas A. Esposito, Publisher, ASSEMBLY Magazine, producers of the event. "The two workshops on Tuesday afternoon are a great way to start the event with both leading right into our Taste of Rosemont Networking Reception on the Show Floor."

In addition to the workshops, The ASSEMBLY Show will offer three days of educational sessions, hundreds of exhibiting companies, thousands of industry professionals including buyers and users of assembly equipment, products or services in manufacturing plants, a dynamic keynote speaker and two exciting networking receptions. Registration for the 5^th annual event is now open, click here.

The ASSEMBLY Show is sponsored by ASSEMBLY (www.assemblymag.com), a monthly trade magazine read by 56,000 engineers and managers responsible for manufacturing and designing cars, computers, catheters, coffee makers, etc. ASSEMBLY covers the processes, technologies and strategies for joining discrete parts into finished products. The event is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving professionals across 50+ industries. For more information, visit www.theassemblyshow.com