Manufacturing industry transformed by AI, IoT and analytics

SAS hosts MFG Day flagship event on Oct. 5th featuring smart trucks, tractors and buildings

For manufacturers, creating quality products in optimized and efficient factories is a huge part of their mission. But as important are the many ways customers use these products. Examples include:

  • Advanced tractors that boost crop yields to better feed and clothe the world.
  • Cutting-edge systems that power smart buildings and cities.
  • Reliable trucks that deliver goods and materials to businesses everywhere.

SAS, the leader in analytics, will host the kickoff event for MFG Day. This annual celebration across the United States recognizes the importance of manufacturing to the global economy and spotlights career opportunities in modern manufacturing for students.

The event, titled “Manufacturing Workforce and Digital Transformation with Analytics,” will explore how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT) analytics help manufacturers stay resilient today and relevant in the future.

It will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, at SAS headquarters in Cary, N.C. from 9:00am-1:30pm EDT.

The first two hours of the event will also be streamed live at www.mfgday.com/kickoff. This includes brief remarks from SAS CEO Jim Goodnight, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) CEO Jay Timmons. It also features two panel discussions on technology at work in manufacturing and career opportunities in the industry.

Global manufactures share the latest advances

In the first panel, the MFG Day kickoff will feature manufacturing leaders discussing the latest advances in analytics-driven manufacturing. Panelists include:

  • Tami Hedgren, VP & Manufacturing Lead for Large Tractors and Combines at Deere & Company (NYSE: DE)
  • Brandon Wagner, Executive Director of Operations (Manufacturing) at Johnson Controls International (NYSE: JCI)
  • Govi Kannan, Senior VP of Global Product & Technology at Mack Trucks Inc., a subsidiary of AB Volvo (NASDAQ Stockholm: VOLV-B)
  • Jason Mann, VP of IoT at SAS

Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, NAM’s workforce development and education partner, will lead the second panel. It will include emerging leaders early in their careers discussing the importance of curiosity, creativity and innovation in this dynamic industry.

For in-person event participants, there will also be live exhibitions of AI and IoT analytics in action:

  • Deere & Company will present a Model 8R fully autonomous tractor, which uses computer vision and analytics to accurately detect its position; avoid obstacles; and till, plant and apply. Farmers can monitor self-driving tractors via mobile devices.
  • Mack Trucks will showcase one of its heavy-duty electric models on site, and discuss how the company uses sensor data and SAS AI and IoT analytics solutions to minimize unplanned downtime.
  • Johnson Controls International will discuss its OpenBlue suite of connected solutions for smart, sustainable and healthy buildings. OpenBlue features AI-powered service solutions such as remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance and compliance monitoring.
  • SAS will spotlight its suite of manufacturing industry analytics solutions, which focus on improving production quality, optimizing production processes and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and reducing warranty cost and risk.

Students who attend the event will have an opportunity to network with executives from these and other manufacturing companies while learning more about this invaluable industry and what it’s like to work in it.

“The manufacturing industry is dynamic, technology-driven, and vital to the health of the global economy,” said Jason Mann, VP of IoT at SAS. “MFG Day underscores amazing career opportunities in manufacturing, while spotlighting how today’s resilient manufacturers use AI, machine learning and IoT analytics to transform their operations and better serve customers.”

Register Today!

Registration is now open for those interested in attending in person to learn more about the benefits of analytics in manufacturing. To register for the free MFG Day event, visit www.mfgday.com/kickoff/#signup.

You can also engage with event participants via the social media hashtag #MFGDay22.

About MFG Day

MFG Day is manufacturing’s biggest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation to start careers in modern manufacturing through a series of focused events to promote manufacturing on the first Friday of October continuing throughout the rest of the month. MFG Day is an initiative of The Manufacturing Institute.

About SAS

SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.

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Smart, green buildings at SAS world headquarters are powered by AI and analytics, and by technology from manufacturers like Johnson Controls.