Hear real-world examples of the decision-making process at work.
About the presentation Most of the focus in the Industry 4.0 journey has been on visible sensors and new software to analyze data, but underneath those outward technologies, a labyrinth of network options, synchronization tools, and data storage options exists. In this session, we’ll review deployments and use cases to analyze the pros and cons of the decision-making process that generate intended outcomes. Topics include global industry IoT, manufacturing execution systems (MES), supply chain planning, network edge, mesh networking, SD-WAN, security, data synchronization, and data storage.
Meet your presenter Scott Comroe is part of the technical sales and engineering team with a specific focus in data center/cloud and network connectivity solutions for the AT&T manufacturing vertical in the US and Asia. Comroe is based in Dallas, Texas. He’s been with AT&T since 1987 and has been recognized by the company numerous times throughout his career, winning multiple Leaders/Diamond Council awards, 11 Circle of Excellence awards, and several other awards. Comroe holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from San Diego State University, is a GSEC Global Security Certified Associate, and is Akamai CDN and Security certified among other internal AT&T technology and business certifications.
About the company AT&T Inc. (AT&T) is a provider of telecommunications, media, and technology services. The company offers wireless communications, data/broadband and internet services, local and long-distance telephone services, telecommunications equipment, managed networking, and wholesale services. AT&T also develops, produces, and distributes feature films, television, gaming, and content in physical and digital formats. It provides advertisement and entertainment services to household customers. The company serves individual customers and business enterprises, and markets services under various brands, including AT&T, Cricket, SKY, AT&T TV, AT&T PREPAID, AT&T Fiber, and Unefon.
Learn about single pair ethernet and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
About the presentation In the factory of the future, machines and systems are networked with each other through a digital infrastructure. So-called cyber-physical systems are emerging, which communicate in real time as independent actors in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control production processes themselves. The basic prerequisite for this is the forward-looking combination of two disciplines: automation and digitization. Single pair ethernet can be the backbone infrastructure of both disciplines.
Meet your presenter Simon Seereiner has been managing the portfolio for passive industrial networking at Weidmueller Interface since 2005 as Portfolio Manager. He’s responsible for the global expansion of the industrial infrastructure portfolio and has been actively involved in various national and international committees for connector standardization. After studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld (Dipl.-Ing.) and the Université de Metz in France with a focus on mechanics and structural analysis, Seereiner began his career in 1998 at Harting in the field of PCB connector development. Within the Harting Technology Group, Seereiner was responsible for various specialist areas. Since 2005, he’s been in charge of product management for the area of passive ethernet and sensor and actuator interfaces as well as customized cabling at Weidmueller Interface GmbH & Co. KG. The focus of his activities is the worldwide development and expansion of the portfolio for passive industrial networking. Seereiner has been actively involved in various national and international committees and user organizations for industrial networking for many years. In addition to his work at Weidmüller, was the first chairman of the registered association Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance since 2019. This is a global association of leading technology companies that set themselves the goal of jointly and holistically implementing and further developing the pioneering single pair ethernet technology.
About the company Weidmueller supports customers and partners around the world with products, solutions, and services in the industrial environment of power, signal, and data. We develop innovative, sustainable, and useful solutions that set standards in industrial connectivity today and continually work toward providing solutions for the technology challenges of tomorrow. The Weidmueller Group owns manufacturing plants, sales companies, and representatives in more than 80 countries.
With successful human use and new distribution partnership, Minnetronix’s first internally conceived and commercialized product takes med device partnerships to the next level.
Minnetronix Medical’s first product, conceptualized, developed, FDA-cleared, and manufactured internally, is fully commercialized and available to the neurosurgery market. The only expandable brain access port on the market, the MindsEye expandable port is the result of Minnetronix using 25 years of experience as a med device partner to identify unmet needs in the neuro market and create market-ready products for sale and distribution. Mizuho America has signed on to distribute the MindsEye expandable port in the U.S.
“Minnetronix is taking partnerships in the med device industry to a whole new level, which sets us apart from contract developers and manufacturers,” said Matt Adams, vice president and general manager at Minnetronix Medical. “Our first from-scratch product showcases our end-to-end capabilities to support our customers’ needs across device conceptualization and design, clinical research and partnerships, regulatory navigation, and manufacturing. We offer a whole new way for med device companies, startups, and investors to reduce the cost, risk, and time of building products themselves.”
The MindsEye expandable port, the first minimally invasive, expandable port providing deep brain access and visualization during surgical treatment of stroke, cancer, and other conditions, is being used at Tulane University by Dr. Art Wang and Dr. Johnny Delashaw. “Its benefits to neurosurgeons, such as expandability, easier insertion and removal, and transparency that minimizes glare and allows surgeons to see surrounding tissue, are truly unique,” said Dr. Delashaw, Tulane neurosurgeon and neurology professor. “The MindsEye expandable port has raised the bar for standard of care in neurosurgery and will improve patient outcomes.”
The MindsEye expandable port garnered four industry awards for its technology and design, even before it was available to the market.
“Mizuho’s mission is to deliver the best devices to neurosurgeons,” said William Delaney, vice president of sales at Mizuho America, a company with 30 years of experience developing the medical devices for neurosurgeons across the globe. “We now consider Minnetronix a partner for new device ideas and finished products. Since they handled all the steps in creating the MindsEye expandable port, we can concentrate on bringing it to market by leveraging the strength of our distribution channel to accelerate adoption and enhance patient outcomes.”
Learn about the capabilities of 5G.
About the presentation 5G goes beyond the expansion of broadband capabilities of mobile networks and provides advanced wireless connectivity, private networks, reliable networks with ultra-low latency, built-in privacy, security, ultra-high bandwidth, and 3GPP to provide the highest-level of support for massive Internet of Things (IoT) communications and larger devices such as automated mobile robots (AMR) and guided vehicles (AGV) with positioning accuracy and energy efficiency. Our investigation along with the 5G-ACIA initiative proves that 5G will be the steppingstone for Industrial 4.0 digital modernization of the manufacturing and industrial networks. It’ll enable enterprises to launch new technologies rapidly. 5G also unifies a range of low to high capability devices (i.e., sensors) to heavy machinery which today run on multiple different radio and wired technologies. Verizon shares its experiences and insights how 5G will soon enable state-of-the-art industrial applications with AR/VR, local processing, automated object detection, and motion control through 5G private networks, edge computing, efficient radio and spectrum planning for the right set of industrial applications, and management of the 5G networks.
Babatunde (Tunde) Akindele leads strategy development for Global Network and Technology at Verizon. He's responsible for developing technology strategies to ensure Verizon maintains its network and technology leadership. Akindele has held responsibilities for deal negotiation, growth strategy, strategic planning, corporate venturing, and M&A evaluation within Verizon during the past decade.
Prior to Verizon, Akindele worked with IXL Center, where he helped Fortune 100 corporations develop strategies and commercialize innovative business concepts. He previously held regional leadership role in a multinational telecommunication provider in Nigeria, successfully designing sales expansion strategies and leading significant business turnaround initiatives.
He sits on the advisory board of the Global Innovation Management Institute, and he's the North America Co-Chair of the GSMA 5G IoT for Manufacturing Forum. Akindele is passionate about leadership, is a leadership trainer / coach, and a frequent speaker at innovation management and VC events. In addition, he spends time mentoring startups and small businesses.
About the company Verizon Communications Inc. is a holding company that engages in the provision of communications, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies. It operates through the Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business) segments. The consumer segment provides consumer-focused wireless and wireline communications services and products. The business segment offers wireless and wireline communications services and products; video and data services; corporate networking solutions; security and managed network services; local and long distance voice services; and network access to deliver various Internet of Things (IoT) services and products.
Learn about the evolving world of industrial automation.
About the presentation We’ve never talked about industrial automation as much as we have in 2022. Yet most manufacturing plants in North America have little to no automation. There’s a simple reason why many manufacturers can’t profitably automate their production: automation technology was developed (and priced) for high-throughput manufacturing. Most North American manufacturers with high-mix production and volumes less than a few thousand units simply don’t have the scale to earn back the steep investment traditional automation technologies command. Today’s industrial automation technology is complex to evaluate and integrate. Most manufactured products are unique to the manufacturer and often require unique production equipment. In other words, most industrial automation is a non-productized market requiring custom solutions. If access to automation technology is limited to those who can afford premium engineering services or customized integrations, incumbent component manufacturers aren’t under any pressure to democratize technology. The result? A status quo benefits current industry participants but leaves most manufacturers (the ones who would benefit from technology democratization) behind. All industries go through phases from complex, to democratized, and back again. One example is computers. We went from complex mainframes in the 1960s and 70s, to much simpler PCs in the early 2000s. We’re now slowly moving toward another complexification phase with quantum computers. At each phase, new giants emerged, and some were left behind. As cloud technology, robotics, and machine vision converge, industrial automation is initiating its own phase of democratization and ushering in new players. That’s good news for the automation industry and high-mix manufacturers
Meet your presenter Etienne Lacroix is a business leader and entrepreneur with deep experience building and turning around engineering-intensive businesses. He’s the founder and CEO of Vention. Before Vention, he spent five years at McKinsey & Co. as an associate partner with the operations and product development practices. In this role, he led enterprise-wide strategic, operational, and turnaround programs at global industrial and high-tech companies. Before joining McKinsey, he held various positions in product management, product development, and supply-chain operations at General Electric as part of the technical leadership program. Lacroix holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the École de Technologie Supérieure.
About the company Vention helps innovative manufacturing companies automate their production floor in just a few days. Vention’s online-first, manufacturing automation platform (MAP) enables its clients to design, automate, order, and deploy manufacturing equipment directly from their web browser.