6th - 7th October 2026, Düsseldorf
Agenda
Day 1
08:00 - 08:50
REGISTRATION
08:55 – 09:00
CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
09:00 - 09:30
Enhancing Plant Performance through an Interactive Connected Worker Experience
- How cutting-edge solutions can transform operations
- Discovering practical applications of the platform in manufacturing settings
- Streamlining processes, enhancing productivity, and driving operational excellence
- Deploying digital solutions and fostering a culture of innovation
- Enhancing overall plant performance with connected worker platforms
- Implementing strategies for ongoing innovation and improvement
Metin Begecarslan, Chief Excellence Officer, Bodycote
09:30 - 10:00
Lighthouse by Design: What the Global Lighthouse Network Taught Us About Building from Scratch
- How the CRISP framework (Connected, Resilient, Intelligent, Sustainable, People-Centric) guides the design of Siemens’ next-generation Electronics Works Singapore factory
- Translating Global Lighthouse Network principles into a live greenfield project — from concept to commissioning
- Digital twins, modular assembly and AI-driven cross-factory knowledge federation as enablers of future-ready manufacturing
- Building resilience through location strategy, flexible shopfloor architecture and cloud-native IT/OT convergence
- Embedding sustainability from day one: LEED Platinum ambition, net-zero design and resource efficiency
- People at the centre: DEI-certified building design, microlearning on the shopfloor and empowering a digitally native workforce
Maximilian Foehse, Global Head of Manufacturing Operations Management, Siemens AG
10:00 - 10:30
Driving Digital Transformation with Low-Code Platforms: Enhancing Agility and Efficiency
- Leveraging low-code platforms to streamline manufacturing processes and improve operational agility
- Accelerating digital transformation through customized, scalable solutions without complex coding
- Enabling cross-functional teams to collaborate and build process automation workflows
- Integrating legacy systems with modern tools to enhance efficiency and reduce downtime
10:35 - 11:25
COFFEE BREAK
11:30 - 12:00
Enabling the Front-Line with Data and AI
- Why 47% of leading manufacturers are using AI to empower front-line workers
- How turnkey AI solutions help junior operators perform like seasoned veterans, driving operational excellence
- Gaining a competitive edge by lowering costs, improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and addressing productivity gaps caused by workforce turnover
- Showing how manufacturing benefits from AI and advanced analytics
- Understanding common pitfalls that cause AI projects to fail and strategies to ensure successful implementation
Alexandre Clemente, Chief Revenue Officer, Visual Components
12:00 - 12:30
The challenge is no longer collecting data. The challenge is turning visibility into action
- Why more data does not automatically lead to better performance
- The gap between digital visibility and operational execution
- Why recurring losses continue despite being highly visible
- The critical role of frontline capability, ownership and problem-solving
- What leading manufacturers do differently to turn visibility into business value
Darren O’Connor, Director – Business Development EMEA, Performance Solutions by Milliken
12:30 - 13:00
Optimizing Manufacturing Processes: Strategies to Improve Process Flow, Reduce Cycle Time, and Boost Efficiency
- Identifying bottlenecks, optimizing workflows, and streamlining the production process for enhanced efficiency
- Leveraging digital tools, IoT, and data analytics to monitor and optimize manufacturing operations in real-time, driving faster decision-making
- Improving Equipment Utilization: Strategies to enhance the utilization and uptime of critical manufacturing equipment, ensuring that production capacity is maximized
- Workforce Optimization: Aligning workforce skills and capacity with production demands, enhancing team collaboration, and reducing downtime through effective training and deployment
- Continuous Process Improvement: Establishing a culture of ongoing process evaluation and refinement to ensure long-term improvements in production efficiency
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Continuous Improvement / OPEX
- Industry 4.0
- Lean Methodologies
- Sustainability & ESG Software
- 3D Printing for Digital Manufacturing
- Project & Resource Management
- Additive Manufacturing / Factory-as-a-Service
- Connected Factory
- Industry 5.0 Concepts
- Net Zero
- Cybersecurity
- Robotic Automation
- Digital/Software Adoption
- MES / Shop-floor Digitization
- Machine Learning
- Digital Twin
- M2M Communication
- Remote Working
- Plant / Workforce Safety
- Wireless Connectivity
- Cloud, Edge & IoT Data Management
- Asset Performance Management (APM 4.0)
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Technologies
- Predictive Analytics / Condition Monitoring
- Green Manufacturing Practices & Initiatives
- Cloud Computing & Sensors
- Asset Management
- Data Analytics / Big Data / Data Management
13:00 - 13:55
LUNCH
14:00 - 14:30
Federated Agentic Manufacturing
- Multi-plant manufacturing suffers from data silos, uneven quality, and ownership constraints that block centralized data lakes and ML at scale.
- Federated Agentic Manufacturing (FAM) pairs federated learning with LLM-powered edge agents, keeping raw process data local while sharing only model parameters and insights.
- Edge agents (SLMs/LoRA models) are trained from plant and enterprise models to give real-time, humancentric decision support on the shop floor.
- The core paradigm shift is moving models instead of moving data, cutting infrastructure load while preserving data privacy and ownership.
- Result: more resilient, collaborative, and intelligent manufacturing across lines, plants, and partners.
Mahdi Shavandi, Head of Digital Platform and IT Infrastructure, WEPA.digital GmbH
14:30 - 15:00
Optimizing Operations with ERP Solutions
- The role of industry-specific ERP solutions in optimizing production and reducing lead times
- How automation improves quality and streamlines workflows in manufacturing operations
- Achieving real-time visibility for enhanced decision-making and inventory management
- Integrating advanced technologies to modernize manufacturing processes
15:00 - 15:30
Big Data and Digital Twins for effective decision making
- Converging Big Data and Digital Twins: from static models to real-time intelligence
- Building scalable data pipelines to power high-fidelity digital twins
- Leveraging AI and analytics for predictive insights and autonomous decision-making
- From simulation to optimization: driving operational efficiency and business value
- Governance, interoperability, and trust: ensuring reliable and secure twin ecosystems
Ivan Branco, Head of Information Management, AI and Analytics, Volvo Group – TTI SO&T Digital Operations
15:35 - 16:25
COFFEE BREAK
16:30 - 17:00
Leveraging AI for Advanced Data Protection and Cybersecurity
- Implementing AI for growth in key industries like healthcare and finance
- Optimizing complex infrastructure to support scalable AI solutions
- Leading global AI teams to deliver impactful, secure AI and cloud solutions
- Strategic partnerships to expand AI adoption across the enterprise
- Balancing AI investment with ROI through effective AI governance
17:00 - 17:30
Manufacturing's Next Act: The Rise of AI Agents
- How to understand the mechanisms behind your operations to identify where digitalization and AI can create real impact.
- How to structure and analyze data effectively to support decision-making and drive measurable outcomes.
- How to implement a holistic approach that integrates processes, infrastructure, and digital tools for enterprise-wide operational excellence.
Felix Strenger, Industry Advisor / Thought Leader AI, Bosch Connected Industry
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Continuous Improvement / OPEX
- Industry 4.0
- Lean Methodologies
- Sustainability & ESG Software
- 3D Printing for Digital Manufacturing
- Project & Resource Management
- Additive Manufacturing / Factory-as-a-Service
- Connected Factory
- Industry 5.0 Concepts
- Net Zero
- Cybersecurity
- Robotic Automation
- Digital/Software Adoption
- MES / Shop-floor Digitization
- Machine Learning
- Digital Twin
- M2M Communication
- Remote Working
- Plant / Workforce Safety
- Wireless Connectivity
- Cloud, Edge & IoT Data Management
- Asset Performance Management (APM 4.0)
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Technologies
- Predictive Analytics / Condition Monitoring
- Green Manufacturing Practices & Initiatives
- Cloud Computing & Sensors
- Asset Management
- Data Analytics / Big Data / Data Management
17:30 - 18:00
The best of both worlds - traditional AND Gen AI for engineering & production
- What are the fundamental differences between Traditional and Generative AI?
- Is Traditional AI now obsolete?
- What use cases to approach with Traditional AI? Which ones to tackle with Generative AI?
- What initial foundation model based PoCs were done and did they show actual value?
Yves Gorat Stommel, Head of Electrical and Process Controls, Evonik Operations GmbH
18:00 - 19:00
DRINKS RECEPTION
Day 2
08:55 – 09:00
CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
09:00 - 09:30
Smart Manufacturing at Scale: How Roche is taking digital twin simulations from pilot to global reality
- How Roche uses AI as a key tool for simulating and planning new production facilities
- Which use cases deliver the greatest business value
- Which practical challenges need to be managed
- What Roche’s smart manufacturing strategy looks like
Jan Wokittel, Director Smart Manufacturing, Hoffmann-La Roche
09:30 - 10:00
From New Lean to Dark Factory: End to End Operations for High Variety Manufacturing. An applied research perspective
- Why classic Lean reaches its limits in high variant, volatile manufacturing environments
- Why and for whom are Dark Factories attractive?
- What the New Lean study reveals about doubling productivity – and what it does not
- End to End Operations as the basis for “dark moments” in production
- Typical pitfalls of digital and AI initiatives in variant manufacturing – and how to avoid them
Daniel Ranke, Head of Business Segment End-to-End Operations, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA)
10:00 - 10:30
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Enterprise Asset Management for Enhanced Productivity
- Exploring the integration of AI-driven mobile apps to automate and enrich data for plant maintenance and frontline work
- Discovering how AI solutions can significantly boost EAM productivity and information accuracy
- Examining the impact of excessive work order times on productivity and how AI-driven mobile solutions can drastically reduce time spent on capturing work order information
- Understanding the importance of mobile asset management in turning frontline workers into knowledge workers
10:35 - 11:25
COFFEE BREAK
11:30 – 12:00
From Insight to Action: Agentic AI for the Connected Shop Floor
- AI-powered manufacturing software built for the shop floor accelerates decisions, autonomy, action, implementation — and ultimately productivity.
- Connected Workforce platforms are uniquely positioned to operationalize agentic AI where it matters most: at the line, in the hands of the people doing the work.
- Redzone is live in 2,000 sites globally, with 550,000 frontline workers using it every day to take action, communicate problems, visualize line performance, run tiered meetings, complete quality/safety checks and TPM, train on the job, and surface root causes.
- Measurable results in 90 days from go-live — and fully implemented in just 8–10 weeks.
John Parsonage, Solutions Director, EMEA, QAD Redzone
12:00 – 12:30
Accelerating Digital Transformation: Rapid Adoption in Dynamic Environments
- Identifying key factors for achieving rapid transformation across global operations
- Overcoming barriers to quick adoption of new digital technologies
- Modernizing legacy systems without disrupting business processes
- Leveraging real-time data and analytics for smarter, faster decision-making
- Implementing agile frameworks to support digital transformation at scale
12:30 – 13:00
Machine identity in OT: From manual complexity to automated trust Sub Title: PKI as the trust fabric of modern OT.
- Describes the evolution of OT security from physical fences and air-gapped networks to identity-centric, certificate-based trust.
- Explains why the operative question in OT has shifted from “where are you” to “who are you,” and what that means for automation engineers and plant operators.
- Shows why a single expired certificate can halt production, and why PKI is now critical plant-floor infrastructure, not just an IT concern.
- Demonstrates automated certificate lifecycle management (IDIAL) at scale: increased availability, reduced operating cost, and compliance with IEC 62443, NIS2, and CRA.
- Includes a live example of certificate renewal on an active PLC with zero downtime.
Létitia Combes, Co-founder and Managing Director, BxC Security
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Continuous Improvement / OPEX
- Industry 4.0
- Lean Methodologies
- Sustainability & ESG Software
- 3D Printing for Digital Manufacturing
- Project & Resource Management
- Additive Manufacturing / Factory-as-a-Service
- Connected Factory
- Industry 5.0 Concepts
- Net Zero
- Cybersecurity
- Robotic Automation
- Digital/Software Adoption
- MES / Shop-floor Digitization
- Machine Learning
- Digital Twin
- M2M Communication
- Remote Working
- Plant / Workforce Safety
- Wireless Connectivity
- Cloud, Edge & IoT Data Management
- Asset Performance Management (APM 4.0)
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Technologies
- Predictive Analytics / Condition Monitoring
- Green Manufacturing Practices & Initiatives
- Cloud Computing & Sensors
- Asset Management
- Data Analytics / Big Data / Data Management
13:05 - 13:55
LUNCH
14:00 – 14:30
Maximizing Plant Performance: Driving Efficiency, Innovation, and Sustainability
- Implementing advanced workflows to optimize plant performance and streamline operations
- Scaling automation to boost efficiency while maintaining operational flexibility
- Using real-time data to monitor and drive continuous facility performance improvements
- Leveraging digital tools for predictive maintenance and reducing downtime
Jasper Rutten, Advanced Analytics Manager, Huntsman
14:30 - 15:00
Group Discussion: Digital Manufacturing -Strategies and Solutions
- Current Digital Challenges and Opportunities: Group to share their current digital challenges and the opportunities they see in the digital space, such as impact of digital transformation on their respective areas, any obstacles they are encountering and the potential for digital technologies to drive innovation/improvements within the organisation
- Best Practices and Lessons Learnt: Group to discuss best practices and lessons learnt from their already delivered digital initiatives. Sharing success stories as well as what didn’t work and the valuable lessons gained from those experiences
- Future Trends and Innovation: Forward looking discussion about current trends and technologies in digital technologies, such as impact of AI, Machine Learning, Blockchain, or other cutting-edge technologies on their respective areas, how they envision these technologies are shaping the future of industry