Manufacturing convergence on display at 2016 GAMS

CFE Media Conference at IMTS 2016 to focus on IIoT, robotics.

By Bob Vavra, Content Manager, CFE Media August 15, 2016

In the time of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), one word that gets used over and over is "convergence." We talk about how data and technology are converging to deliver new knowledge to plant floor personnel. We’ve heard about the "IT-OT convergence," where the long-estranged information technology and operation technology staffs now must work together to help the IIoT strategy reach its full potential.

With the biannual International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) converging on Chicago Sept. 12-17, it brings with it more than 100,000 manufacturing professionals from around the world to North America’s largest manufacturing show. IMTS is itself a convergence; six years ago, show officials partnered with Hannover Fairs USA to produce the first Industrial Automation North America (IANA) pavilion at IMTS. CFE Media produced the first Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit (GAMS) at that IANA event, and we’re back for our third edition.

It’s no surprise that this year’s focus for GAMS will be IIoT. This has been the pervasive topic in manufacturing for the past two years, as industry leaders have discussed the potential of IIoT to be a transformative force in manufacturing. At the 2016 GAMS conference, that potential now will converge with information about actual ways manufacturers can implement and benefit from IIoT technologies. Some of the top experts and leading analysts in manufacturing will go past the theory and move into implementation.

The half-day seminar is designed to round out the other knowledge to be gained on the show floors at McCormick Place during the week-long IMTS show. We see the IMTS event as an investment. It allows plant floor leaders like yourself to come away from the week with new tools, new technologies and new strategies to improve your manufacturing operations.

2016 GAMS overview

The 2016 Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit (GAMS), presented by CFE Media, will bring together experts from all areas of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to look at not just the current state of IIoT but also at the potential benefits of deployment for the manufacturing industry.

The third GAMS conference takes place Wednesday, Sept. 14, beginning at noon. It is held in conjunction with the Industrial Automation North America (IANA) pavilion at the 2016 International Manufacturing Technology Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event is co-presented by Hannover Fairs USA.

Agenda:

  • 12 p.m. Lunch and networking sponsored by ATS
  • 12:30 p.m. Keynote address from Jack Nehlig, CEO of Phoenix Contact USA and winner of the 2015 Plant Engineering Top Plant Award.
  • 1:30 p.m. Session 1: Cloud-Based Manufacturing: Who Will Rule the Clouds?
  • 2:30 p.m. Session 2: Robotics: Rise of the Machines
  • 3:30 p.m. BREAK
  • 3:45 p.m. Session 3: How Maintenance and Big Data Can Coexist
  • 5 p.m. Networking and cocktail reception, sponsored by Forcam.

To register for the 2016 GAMS, go to https://industrialtechnology.events/gams.

ONLINE extra

See additional coverage on IMTS 2016 and GAMS linked below.