Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak among keynotes at MHI event March 23-26.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will provide the final keynote on the future of technology at the 2015 ProMat Conference on March 23-26 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Sponsored by MHI, the four-day conference will bring together more than 800 exhibitors and feature more than 100 sessions focused on the growing field of material handling, logistics, inventory management and supply chain efficiency for manufacturing and other industries.
The MHI’s own Material Handling and Logistics Roadmap, released at the 2014 Modex Show in Atlanta, notes that growth in e-commerce, more personalized products and a larger urban population will change the way consumer goods are produced and distributed, putting new pressures on an already evolving supply chain. This in turn will have an impact on how manufacturing will need to better manage all parts of its internal supply chain.
“MHI has expanded the educational and networking offerings at ProMat 2015 to provide attendees with a better overall show experience and to connect them with the information and tools they need to tackle the challenges of today’s marketplace,” said George Prest, CEO of MHI, in a press release. “The goal is to bring the industry together to collaborate and develop into a community that shares knowledge and addresses current and future manufacturing and supply chain issues.”
Prest and Scott Sopher, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, will address the ProMat attendees on March 25 to discuss the MHI 2015 annual industry report. Wozniak, now the founder, chairman and CEO of Wheels of Zeus, will discuss technology changes during his keynote.
Other keynotes during the conference include Renee Niemi, director of the Android and Chrome Global Business division of Google for Work on transforming business for the digital age on March 23, and John Mackey, Co-Founder & CEO, Whole Foods Market, on the topic of “conscious capitalism” on March 24.
To make it easier for attendees to find the solutions they need, the ProMat 2015 show floor is divided into three solution-specific centers: Manufacturing and assembly solutions, fulfillment and delivery solutions, and information technology (IT) solutions
More than 700 exhibitors from industry, commerce and government will display their productivity solutions on the 300,000 net square foot show floor. Leading manufacturers from across North America will display exhibits representing the following technologies:
- Material handling equipment and systems
- Packaging, containers, and shipping equipment
- Inventory management and controlling technologies
- Dock and warehouse equipment and supplies
- Automatic identification equipment and systems
- Logistics and supply chain management
– Bob Vavra, content manager, Plant Engineering, [email protected]
