SME/AMTDA Summit to define future of U.S. manufacturing.
Press Release Summary:
During imX Summit, taking place Sept 12-14, 2011 in Las Vegas, manufacturing industry will come together as collaborators with common goal and focus of long-term industry viability. Participants will meet to discuss and foster understanding of challenges and opportunities facing their customers and their competition. Learning labs will allow attendees to increase knowledge of new manufacturing technologies and processes through practical, hands-on demonstrations.
Original Press Release:
Manufacturers Large and Small Answer Nationwide Call to Define Future of U.S. Manufacturing at imX
Kennametal is latest to join American summit on manufacturing
LAS VEGAS, - From some of the United States' largest industrial technology innovators to the heads of small machine shops and providers of workholding, drilling and grinding tools, manufacturers from across the country will gather this fall at an unprecedented industry summit to chart a new course for the domestic manufacturing industry. Kennametal Inc., a global market leader in delivering productivity in demanding environments through innovative custom and standard wear-resistant solutions, has become the newest eXperience Partner to sign on for the event, the Interactive Manufacturing Experience (imX).
Taking place Sept. 12-14, 2011, in Las Vegas, imX will bring together industry leaders from companies large and small who recognize that only through education and collaboration can the nation's manufacturers thrive in today's global marketplace. Exhibitor, participant and other information is available at imxevent.com.
Carlos Cardoso, Chairman, President and CEO, Kennametal Inc., will join top executives from seven additional industry giants, the event's eXperience Partners, which include:
Tom Dillon, president, DMG/Mori Seiki U.S.A.
Tomo Ishibe, president, FANUC
Dan Janka, president, MAG IAS, LLC
Don Lane, president and CEO, Makino
Bryon Deysher, president and CEO, Methods Machine Tools
Larry Schwartz, president and COO, Okuma America
John Israelsson, president, Sandvik Coromant.
"Although we're still seven months out from the event, early response from manufacturers coast to coast is an indicator of imX's vital importance to this industry," said Steve Prahalis, experience manager, imX.
Dozens of eXhibit Partners already have committed to joining the conversation and to demonstrating their own manufacturing innovations at imX, among them: Big Kaiser, Blum LMT, Briney Tooling Systems, Carl Zeiss IMT, Caron Engineering, Castrol Industrial, CGTech, Chiron America Inc, Cimcool Industrial Products, dataZen Engineering, Delcam, Esprit/DP Technology, Exsys Tool, GTR mbH, Heimatec GmbH, Hermle Machine Co., Hurco Companies, Index Corp, Jauch Schmider GmbH, Iscar Metals Inc, Koma Precision, Kuka Robotics, Losma, Marubeni Citizen-Cincom, MasterCAM, MD Tooling, Midaco Corp, Mitsui Seiki, Pat Mooney Inc, REGO-FIX, RobbJack Corp/Crystallume, Royal Products, Schunk, Seco Tools, SNK America, StarragHeckert, Stratasys, Unisig, United Grinding Tech, Von Ruden Mfg, WTO Inc, Zoller.
The event is jointly presented by leading industry associations - the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Collaboration, Education
At imX, the manufacturing industry will, for the first time, come together not as competitors but as collaborators with a common goal and focus of long-term industry viability. Participants will meet to discuss and foster an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing their customers, their competition and the latest manufacturing technologies.
Learning labs - located right on the event floor - will allow attendees to increase knowledge of new manufacturing technologies and processes through practical, hands-on demonstrations. From a collaborative standpoint, competing suppliers with similar product lines will be located near each other, so attendees can easily compare all the options available to meet their needs.
"Traditional trade shows, where booth locations are chosen by the exhibiting company, require the buyer to focus on one product or one manufacturer at a time in a piecemeal format. The attendee has to wander from one end of the show to the other to determine which products would work into a solution for his needs," says Larry Schwartz, president and COO, Okuma America. "imX, which will group OEMs and their partners, will allow decision makers to see their options in one area, make price and value comparisons and, ultimately, make better decisions."
"I expect imX to be an industry-changing event," said Don Lane, CEO, Makino. "It is a fresh, new approach offering concentrated exposure to breakthrough technology development, helping buyers find the business services they need and assisting them in setting up and conducting high-level private meetings. imX will deliver real value and measurable ROI."
A Forum for Change
"In addition to providing an interactive environment that our customers can truly learn from, imX will provide Kennametal with the opportunity for our customers to educate us," Cardoso said. "We rely on interaction with our customers and feedback from them to help drive our product innovation."
"This is not a trade show. Trading knowledge, not products, is how U.S. manufacturing is going to continue competing globally," Prahalis said.
The invitation-only event is expected to draw 9,000 manufacturing leaders, top suppliers and high-level, qualified U.S. buyers to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.
More information about imX can be found at imxevent.com. For the latest event details, follow imX on Twitter at http://twitter.com/imxevent.
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About SME:
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) is the premier source for manufacturing knowledge, education and networking. Through its many programs, events, magazine, publications and online training division, Tooling U, SME connects manufacturing practitioners to each other, to the latest technologies and to the most up-to-date manufacturing processes. SME has members around the world and is supported by a network of chapters and technical communities. A 501(c)3 organization, SME is a leader in manufacturing workforce development issues, working with industry, academic and government partners to support the current and future skilled workforce.
About AMTDA:
Founded in 1925, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association is a trade association dedicated to advancing the marketing of machine tools in the United States through distribution. The 250 machine tool distributor members represent the latest in manufacturing technology and machine tools in the international marketplace. These companies encompass over 80 percent of all distribution sales in the United States and serve as a vital link between builders and end-users of machine tools and related products.
