IANA brings the world of automation to Chicago

The 2012 IANA show on Sept. 10-15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, which will feature a two-day Industrial Automation Summit presented by CFE Media and Hannover Messe and sponsored by Beckhoff and Molex on Sept. 12-13.

By Plant Engineering April 26, 2012

As a new addition to the biannual IMTS Show in Chicago, the 2012 Industrial Automation North America Show creates a new partnership between Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade show organization, and the Association for Manufacturing Technology, which has expanded the scope of IMTS to a broad-based North American manufacturing show.

The 2012 IANA show on Sept. 10-15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, which will feature a two-day Industrial Automation Summit presented by CFE Media and Hannover Messe and sponsored by Beckhoff and Molex on Sept. 12-13.

Tessa Marheineke, director of global fairs for Deutsche Messe, and Henry Lin, sales director at Brainchild Electronic Co., Ltd. talked about the 2012 IANA event, the North American automation market and the value of the partnership between IMTS and Hannover Messe:


CFE: Hannover Messe has a global reputation for outstanding trade show events. Why is this a good time to bring this Industrial Automation show to the U.S.?

Marheineke: Industrial Automation North America is a continuation of our international expansion strategy. We are constantly looking for markets with needs that match our areas of expertise. While the U.S. is still the largest manufacturing economy in the world, its global share of manufactured goods exports has declined during the past decade, and it faces a big challenge in maintaining the well-educated, highly-skilled manufacturing workforce that is needed to compete on a global scale.

IANA will help address these issues because it showcases the sophisticated automation solutions that companies can use to continuously streamline and improve their processes while also offering an in-depth conference and educational program.

At the same time, the U.S. remains the largest destination for foreign direct investment, which means companies are actively seeking to invest in the U.S. We can bring these companies to IANA through our international network and introduce them to the automation opportunities that exist in America.

CFE: Talk about the partnership between Hannover Messe and IMTS Show. Why is this show a good fit for both organizations?

Marheineke: This is a great fit because we can both play to our strengths: IMTS in North America’s metalworking and precision manufacturing market and IANA in the international manufacturing automation market. Together IMTS and IANA represent the continent’s leading destination for manufacturing.

Collectively we will feature more exhibitors and a broader range of products and solutions, which in turn will attract a more diverse international audience.

CFE: Automation has become pervasive on the plant floor, yet many manufacturers are still learning to utilize it effectively. What are the opportunities for improving manufacturing effectiveness through automation?

Lin: We produce Human Machine Interfaces, such as touch panel for industry. We also have the factory which has a full automatic SMT production line. Therefore, we assemble the serial production and test them with professional QA system which is also part of automation. In that case, we are able to focus on design as well.

Marheineke: Our exhibitors see a huge opportunity to maximize manufacturing with automation, but North America has not had an industry-specific automation event. IANA now provides the venue where automation technology suppliers can present their latest products and services and demonstrate how they improve manufacturing processes.

CFE: One of Hannover Messe’s central themes in recent years is energy management, and that will be part of our Industrial Automation Summit at IANA. Assess the United States’ use of automation as an energy management tool, and how it compares Asia.

Lin: For Asian countries like us, in high percentage of our products, materials and producing process are now so called “green” under the certification by ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances).

Marheineke: Green technologies and energy efficiency will continue to influence automation technology.  Energy management is a crucial part of automation product development – for everyone, regardless of country or continent. Today, energy management is from a resource perspective more pressing in Asia and Europe simply because these regions have fewer natural resources. But the business case for energy management applies throughout the world.    

CFE: What should attendees expect at the 2012 IANA Show? Why will this be an important show to attend?

Lin: We have faith in all the shows which are organized by Deutsche Messe, and we have exhibited in IAS Shanghai, IA India in Mumbai and WIN in Turkey for many years. We expect to have more exhibitors as well as visitors under the partnership with IMTS in IANA 2012.

Marheineke: IANA is important because it will give attendees a complete global automation experience: they will be able to explore a complete range of the latest technologies and solutions from around the world while learning about the latest issues and trends at our conference program.

The Industrial Automation Summit, which we are co-organizing with CFE Media on September 12 and 13, will cover a diverse range of topics – including automation for profitability, energy management, enterprise management, process optimization, and sustainability. IANA will also host the Motion, Drive & Automation Conference, which looks at automation applications in motion control and hydraulics and pneumatics, as well as the ISA training sessions.


Top industry leaders to keynote industrial automation summit

A plant manager with a remarkable turnaround record, an industry-leading analyst and the head of the Association for Manufacturing Technology will deliver keynote addresses at the 2012 Industrial Automation Summit, Sept. 12-13 as part of the 2012 IMTS Show in Chicago. The 2012 IANA Show is sponsored by Beckhoff and Molex.

Billy Taylor, the plant manager of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Fayetteville, N.C., will open the two day Summit that will be part of the Industrial Automation North America Show presented by CFE Media and Hannover Messe. Taylor’s speech at 8 a.m. on Sept. 12 will focus on how his plant reduced costs, improved production and increased employee engagement in the highly-competitive global tire manufacturing industry.

Karen Kurek, managing director of McGladrey’s national manufacturing and distribution consultancy, will deliver the luncheon keynote on Sept. 12 at 12:30 p.m. Kurek is a partner with McGladrey and is considered the “voice of manufacturing" for McGladrey and its manufacturing professionals across the nation.

Douglas Woods, president and CEO of the Association for Manufacturing Technology, and the host of the 2012 IMTS Show, will deliver the morning keynote at 8 a.m. on Sept. 13.

The six knowledge tracks at the Industrial Automation Summit will include experts from Beckhoff, Molex, Schneider Electric, Siemens, B&R Automation, Lenze, AMT and others to discuss a wide range of automation and manufacturing issues.

The schedule for the two day Industrial Automation Summit is:

  • Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012
    08:00 a.m.: Keynote address: Billy Taylor, Goodyear
    09:30 a.m.: Treating energy as a raw material
    11:00 a.m.: Integrating operator knowledge
    12:30 p.m.: Lunch and keynote presentation: Karen Kurek, McGladrey
    02:00 p.m.: Stay ahead of the technology curve
    03:30 p.m.: Gaining, training retaining the next generation of workers
  • Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012
    08:00 a.m.: Keynote address: Douglas Woods, AMT
    09:30 a.m.: Empowering the mobile worker
    11:00 a.m.: Securing your data

To register for the 2012 IANA event and the 2012 IMTS Show, go to www.imts.com/education/ianaSummit.html