Virtual Summit brings the world of manufacturing together

Sept. 8, 2011, live event to focus on energy, safety, automation, and maintenance.

By Bob Vavra, Content Manager August 26, 2011

Manufacturing professionals need more knowledge today than ever before, and trade events are a great way to gather knowledge, meet suppliers and learn about new ways to save money in their facility. For many manufacturers, though, it is not always possible or practical to get out of the plant and off to a trade event.

On Sept. 8, 2011, CFE Media will bridge the gap and deliver the 2011 Manufacturing/Automation Virtual Summit. The editors of Plant Engineering and Control Engineering will lead the annual live Virtual Summit, a free, day-long exploration of many of the same topics covered at the 2011 Manufacturing/Automation Summit in Chicago. The 2011 Virtual Summit is sponsored by IBM.

The Virtual Summit begins on Sept. 8, 2011, at 9 a.m. CDT with the first of two keynote speeches, as U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-16ht, IL) will discuss how manufacturers can and should demand more from their elected officials. Doug Woods, president and CEO of the Association for Manufacturing Technology, Like the in-person event, the Virtual Summit will focus on key issues facing manufacturing today, including:

  • Energy and sustainability
  • Arc flash and electrical safety
  • Maintenance as a profit center
  • Automation integration
  • Global strategies for manufacturers.

“Our first Virtual Summit confirmed our belief that plant and manufacturing professionals all over the world were looking for new ideas and new strategies,” said CFE publisher Jim Langhenry. “By bringing our outstanding Summit content together with our print and online readers all over the world, we were able to extend the knowledge that our experts offered at the in-person event to 69 countries—literally everywhere from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.”

The 2011 Manufacturing/Automation Virtual Summit highlights content delivered by manufacturing’s top experts from companies such as General Motors and DuPont. This exciting event is hosted by the editorial teams of both Control Engineering and Plant Engineering and offers a unique learning opportunity for manufacturing professionals by providing unprecedented access to some of the industry’s most forward thinking executives.

“The Summit takes on some of manufacturing’s biggest challenges and delivers must-have how-to information on the key issues they face daily,” Langhenry said. “Manufacturing needs a new way to approach its issues, and CFE Media is committed to helping them do that. We’re also committed to the idea of delivering content through as many channels as possible, and the Virtual Summit platform makes the event not just live, but totally interactive. Attendees can ask questions, visit virtual show booths, review vendor information and request a visit from a company representative – everything you’d expect to be able to do at a live trade show. And since it’s free to the attendees, it’s both informative and cost-effective.”

Register for the 2011 Virtual Summit!