Minneapolis, MN
United States
Join CESMII for two Smart Manufacturing workshops, as part of MD&M Midwest 2026:
Diving Deeper into Lean and Smart Manufacturing | Tuesday, October 27 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM Central Time (US & Canada)
Speakers: Conrad Leiva, VP of Ecosystem and Workforce Development at CESMII, Tim Stuart, President at Visual Decisions, Inc
Lean manufacturing principles have played a significant role in driving efficiency across organizations through their emphasis on cost reduction, waste elimination, and THE customer. These principles have driven continuous improvement initiatives for many manufacturers. Today we see a wave of Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing technologies being implemented by leading manufacturers. Does that mean that Lean principles are no longer needed? The opposite is true.
The intersection of Lean and Digital has been coined “Digital Lean” and we will discuss examples of how this powerful combination of timeless lean principles and the latest digital technologies is reducing waste and variability in manufacturing processes. Digital lean isn’t a separate set of lean principles but a powerful enhancement of existing methodologies. Leveraging Smart Manufacturing technologies, Digital Lean techniques deliver precise, timely, and detailed operational insights, elevating the application of lean principles.
Smart Manufacturing – Why it Matters and How to Achieve it | Tuesday, October 27 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM Central Time (US & Canada)
Speakers: Conrad Leiva, VP of Ecosystem and Workforce Development at CESMII, Tim Stuart, President at Visual Decisions, Inc
This is a half day educational workshop on Smart Manufacturing and why it is critically important to implement now to secure the future success of your manufacturing operations. In this workshop, you will learn:
1. The Competitive Need for Smart Manufacturing
– What is Smart Manufacturing and why it matters to manufacturers
– Closing the gap between technology enablement and business strategy
– New capabilities bring together people, process, and technology
– Tactics for workforce concerns
2. The Smart Manufacturing building blocks
– SM Principles
– Going beyond process control and dashboards ( I3.o vs I4.0)
– The OT-IT partnership, SM Platform, SM applications
– Lean principles and Smart Manufacturing synergy
3. Taking the First Step
– Smart Manufacturing critical success areas
– Understanding your current state
– Establishing a strategic vision and roadmap
– Prioritizing quick wins and longer-term plans