Smart Factories Summit 2026
Smart Manufacturing Reimagined: Tackling Legacy, Labour and Leadership in the Age of Intelligent Automation
Amid global disruption and shifting industrial dynamics, manufacturers are navigating a landscape defined by economic volatility, geopolitical tensions, and evolving workforce realities.
As AI moves from experimentation to enterprise-scale deployment, organizations must move toward scalable, governed integration that delivers real productivity gains. At the same time, leaders must confront aging infrastructure, labour shortages, vendor overwhelm, and legacy systems, all while adapting team structures and responsibilities to meet new demands.
As supply chains diversify and risks intensify, the need for open automation, strategic upskilling, and greater operational visibility has never been more urgent.
Join smart manufacturing leaders in Chicago to build a future-ready Industry 4.0 strategy that drives resilience, visibility, and ROI, in an era of transformation.
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Speakers
Pete Kneski
Solution Consultant Practice Leader, Belden Inc
Pablo Lluch
IIoT Business Expert, Orange Business
Jonathan Wu
Chief Technology Officer of Smart Manufacturing, Lenovo
Aravind Rajendra Kumar
Manager of Data and Automation Architecture, Belden
Suraj Sriram
Sr. Manager - Digital Manufacturing MES, Kimberly-Clark
Daniel Ting
Chief Technology Officer, Bespin Global
Josh Ross
Co-Founder & CEO, IronLoop
Noorddin Taj
Digital Strategy, Innovation and Architecture, BP
Aaron Brown
CEO, Rapta, Inc
Billy Ingram
Director of Lean Product and Process Development, Interface
Buckley Brinkman
Executive Director / CEO, Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing and Productivity
Jason Hamp
AI Technologist, North America Manufacturing Vertical, Lenovo
Josh Dotson
Industry 4.0 Leader, Koch
Opeyemi Odusami
Associate Director, Global Supply Chain Product Lead - Rare Disease Franchise, Sanofi
Scott Tankersley
Manufacturing Digital Transformation – Smart Factory Project Leader, American Honda Motor Company Inc
Samuel Parra
NA Manufacturing Integration Leader, BASF
Bill Nazario
OT Cyber Security Expert, Orange Busines
Blake Gilson
Industrial Cyber Security Manager, ExxonMobil
Leo Rajapakse
Global Head of Platform Infrastructure, Digital & Advanced Technologies, Bimbo Bakeries USA
Sanjeev Kapoor
Senior Data & AI Program & Product Leader, Ford Motor Company
Andy Mears
Production Operations Sr. Manager, Intelligent Factory Integration, Lockheed Martin
Deepak Sachdeva
Chief Information Officer, United States Air Force
Sponsors
Media Partners
Location
See Also
