THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING
Challenge? Accepted!
Automotive production is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation. Those changes are being driven by a number of technological, environmental and social factors that require a shift in thinking, planning and acting on various levels.
As a result, new products, new processes and new production solutions need to be found, integrated, scaled – and accepted by the people who are tasked with carrying them out.
Which is why the Automotive Circle – in cooperation with its partners at the College of Charleston and South Carolina OEM’s – is launching a new, manufacturing-focused conference and inviting its worldwide network of automotive experts to join us in Charleston, South Carolina this September, to discuss, among experts, technological solutions that have the potential to enable a successful “Future of Manufacturing” for the automotive industry.
We put a particular focus on the following questions:
In addition to the presentations and discussions on site, the conference includes:
There’s no doubt that these are challenging times for the automotive industry. But there are two ways you can look at a challenge: as an unwelcome problem, or as an opportunity for progress and, potentially, growth. In most cases, both are true at the same time – the situation is incredibly complex and there are no easy answers. But there are options and innovations and ideas for solutions, and we look forward to discussing all of those with you in South Carolina soon!
Don’t miss any updates by following the Automotive Circle on LinkedIn and hashtag #ACFutureManufacturing.
Conference Program
8:00 AM | Registration, Coffee & Breakfast Snack | |
9:00 AM | Welcome, Conference Introduction | Dr. Sibylle Freitag, Presidium Automotive Circle, DE |
FUTURE TRENDS IN AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING | ||
9:30 AM | The Future of the Automotive Supply Chain | Oliver Haase, Senior Vice President, Purchasing & Supplier Network Americas BMW Manufacturing Co., US |
10:00 AM | Coffee Break | |
10:45 AM | Trends in Automotive Production – Lessons Learned Through Competitive Analysis at Volkswagen Group | Dr. Kai Mi Yang, Audi AG, DE; Ramon Ebert, Planning Engineer Volkswagen AG, DE |
DIGITAL TWINS | ||
11:15 AM | Digital Twins and the Industrial Metaverse | Brian Breuhan, Global Manufacturing Optimization Strategist General Motors Company, US |
11:45 PM | Boosting Digital Factory Twins with Next-Gen Reality Capture | Nate McCall, Magnus Rönnäng, Senior Solution Consultants NavVis, US/SE |
12:15 PM | Lunch Break | |
AI AND AR INNOVATIONS | ||
1:30 PM | AI in Advanced Manufacturing | Rajesh Iyengar, CEO & Co-Founder Lincode, US |
2:00 PM | Transforming Tribal Knowledge in Manufacturing with Augmented Reality and AI | Javier Ortiz, CEO & Co-Founder NewForge, US; Austin Janocha, Quality Engineer, Bosch – B/S/H Home Appliances, US – in cooperation with SCRA |
SUCCESS FACTOR: PEOPLE | ||
2:30 PM | How Industry Can Shape the Education of Future Engineers | Dr. Andrew T. Hsu, President; Knudt Flor, Senior Vice President for Innovation and Industry Engagement College of Charleston, US |
3:00 PM | Coffee Break | |
3:30 PM | Panel Discussion: Closing the Skills Gap | Knudt Flor, College of Charleston, US; Chris Nielsen, Levatas, US |
INTRODUCTION TO THE VOLVO CAR CHARLESTON PLANT | ||
4:15 PM | Overview – Volvo Car U.S. Operations | David Stenström, Vice President Manufacturing Americas Volvo Car Operations U.S. |
5:00 PM | Get together: Meet the speakers & exhibitors | |
6:00 PM | Networking dinner |
GUIDED TOUR: VOLVO CAR CHARLESTON PLANT | ||
7:00 AM All meet at conference desk 7:10 AM Bus departure Group I 7:40 AM Welcome at Volvo Car Charleston Plant Security Equipment & Instructions 8:00 AM Start of Guided Tour (ca. 2 hours) | ||
11:00 AM | Coffee & Contacts back at the hotel | |
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS:INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS – Impulse Presentations | ||
11:15 AM | Automating Industrial Inspections with AI, Robots and Drones | Adrienne Zarn, VP of Customer Success |
11:30 AM | AI Platform for Industrial Autonomy – Providing Robots with Intellect | Kristi Martindale, Chief Commercial Officer |
11:45 AM | Exploring Motion Amplification and Its Advancements | Cory Burns, Southeast Sales Manager RDI Technolgies, US |
12:00 PM | The Importance of People, Process and Software around 3D Printing as Part of a Digital Transformation Strategy | Mike Cady, Director Global Named Account Program |
12:15 AM | Lunch & Contacts | |
1:15 PM | Autonomous Forklifts for the Loading Dock | Peter Anderson-Sprecher, CTO & Co-Founder Fox Robotics, US |
1:30 PM | Autonomous Yard Truck Solutions | Debbie Yu, President & Co-Founder; Brent Hudspeth, VP Business Development |
1:45 PM | The Effects of Back-Support Exoskeletons for Manual Material Handling and Industry Application | Dr. Divya Srinivasan, Professor of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, US; Jill Streamer, Human Factors and Systems Engineer, Boeing Research and Technology, US |
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS:MEET THE SPEAKERS – Discussions & Demonstrations | ||
2:00 PM | Levatas – Adrienne Zarn: Automated Industrial Inspection Palladyne AI – Kristi Martindale: AI Platform for Industrial Autonomy RDI Technology – Cory Burns: Motion Amplification Markforged – Mike Cady: 3D Printing as part of a Digital Transformation Strategy Fox Robotics – Peter Anderson-Sprecher: Autonomous Forklifts ISEE – Debbie Yu, Brent Hudspeth: Autonomous Yard Trucks Clemson University – Dr. Divya Srinivasan; Boeing Research and Technology – Jill Streamer: Exoskeleton for Manual Material Handling and Industry Application | |
3:20 PM | Coffee & Contacts / Walk&Talk in the Demonstration Area | |
3:40 PM | Summary, Outlook, Farewell | Sibylle Freitag, Presidium Automotive Circle, DE |
4:00 PM | End of conference |
Guided Tour
Introducing: Volvo Car USA
In 2015, Swedish car maker Volvo Cars announced its first U.S. manufacturing facility just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. The plant became operational in June 2018.
The decision to choose Berkeley County, South Carolina as the home for the new factory was taken as a result of its easy access to international ports and infrastructure, a well-trained labor force, an attractive investment environment and experience in the high-tech manufacturing sector.
Today, Volvo produces the EX90, a fully electric SUV, and the Polestar 3, another fully electric SUV built on the same platform, at their South Carolina facility.
In 2022, Volvo Car Charleston (VCCH) expanded operations to include a battery assembly plant. The new battery assembly plant is the base to be able to produce BEVs. With this investment, Volvo Cars took a critical step towards preparing for the EX90 start of production.
Volvo is looking forward to welcoming the participants of this conference in South Carolina, and to taking you on an exclusive guided tour through the VCCH manufacturing facility!
During the 2-hour tour, you are going to meet experts from Volvo in the Body Shop and in Final Assembly, where they will take you on fascinating technical deep dives. There will also be lots of time for you to ask them questions.
Stations on the guided tour:
- Mechanical Joining: This station will offer some deep dives into Mechanical Joining and the importance of the specific steel mixture used in Volvo’s car bodies.
- Welding Process: This station will highlight Volvo’s unique Welding + Hemming Process.
- Noise, Vibration, Harshness Foam: At this station, Volvo will provide insights into their NVH Foam Process.
- Battery Assembly: Volvo’s new battery assembly plant is the base to be able to produce BEVs.
- LIDAR: This station will focus on the integration of Lidar technology into the vehicles.
- Launch Readiness: Volvo prepares for projects by doing physical pre-series builds in Sweden and at the plant in Charleston. We’ll take a look at the launch room to talk about how Volvo prepare to launch a new vehicle.
Program Committee
Dr. Sibylle Freitag
Presidium
Automotive Circle, DE
Knudt Flor
Senior Vice President for Innovation and Industry Engagement
College of Charleston, US
Angus Cruickshank
Bodyshop Quality Manager
BMW Manufacturing, US
Participants
Exhibition & Sponsoring
Exhibitors & Sponsors on-site
Become a sponsor or exhibitor
Take advantage of the high coverage of the Automotive Circle and profit from the sponsoring options before and during the events. Show your competence and services, matching the conference subjects, to the numerous car body engineers of international OEM. Thus, you are strengthening your brand awareness in the automotive industry!
Come on board as an exhibitor or sponsor and benefit from this excellent platform to strongly promote your company’s capabilities as a reliable supplier!
If you have any question or want to request additional information, please contact Ms. Frauke Haentsch .
Check out the various exhibition and sponsoring options!