Key plant strategies and solutions the focus at 2009 Manufacturing Summit

Manufacturing's economic recession brings more challenges every day, and plant managers need to be armed with the best information and the best strategies to meet those challenges. The 2009 Plant Engineering Manufacturing Summit is designed to provide the latest knowledge on key areas in manufacturing.

By Plant Engineering Staff January 1, 2009

Manufacturing’s economic recession brings more challenges every day, and plant managers need to be armed with the best information and the best strategies to meet those challenges. The 2009 Plant Engineering Manufacturing Summit is designed to provide the latest knowledge on key areas in manufacturing while introducing plant managers and manufacturing leaders to the best in new products and plant execution.

The 2009 Manufacturing Summit will be held March 29-31 at the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, SC. IBM is the Platinum sponsor of the 2009 Summit, and Life Cycle Engineering and Schneider Electric are Gold sponsors.

“ Plant Engineering is thrilled to be heading to South Carolina for this year’s Manufacturing Summit,” said editor Bob Vavra. “South Carolina is among the most progressive states in the U.S. for manufacturing, and it has been home to three of our last six Top Plant winners. We think the combination of great information, great new products and great weather will lead to a great Summit in 2009.”

The Summit opens on Sunday, March 29 with an afternoon of golf and historic tours of Charleston . A cocktail reception will greet Summit attendees on Sunday evening at the historic Charleston Place hotel, selected by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the Top 50 hotels in the United States.

On Monday, March 30, the work of the Summit begins with a morning session from Autodesk on digital plants and digital manufacturing, and presentations on energy and sustainability issues. After lunch, the issue of workforce development will grab center stage, with speakers from Life Cycle Engineering, the University of Tennessee and IBM speaking about ways to meet the challenge of an aging workforce and how to develop new skilled workers.

At 6 p.m., a cocktail reception kicks off the 2008 Product of the Year award dinner. This event will honor the top 50 new products, as selected by Plant Engineering readers, and will culminate with the presentation of the Grand Award. U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) is the invited keynote speaker.

On Tuesday, March 31, a 9 .m. breakfast meeting will present the 2008 Top Plant winners, with presentations from Schneider Electric of Columbia, SC and Quality Float Works of Schaumburg, IL. Following those awards, the final knowledge session will feature a discussion of enterprise asset management and its critical role in sustaining plant infrastructure.

The Manufacturing Summit will conclude with a tour of Alcoa’s Mt. Holly, SC plant , with a look at how one plant maintains a competitive edge in one of the world’s most competitive industries.

The $395 registration fee for the Summit covers all meals and events except the Sunday recreation events and hotel fees. Registration at the hotel is expected to go quickly, and reservations can be obtained by going to the Manufacturing Summit Website at www.plantengineering.com/Summit , or by contact Susan Beck at (630) 288-8494 or at SBeck@reedbusiness.com .