Automotive manufacturers across North America are designing and redesigning factories to meet requirements for changing technology, EVs and software-defined cars, exploring every opportunity to simplify and automate processes and improve productivity, from gigacasting to artificial intelligence. OEMs and suppliers must carefully consider new tools, investments and partnerships across manufacturing functions – as well as new skills and ways of working. Experts at AMS Evolution North America will share insights not only on the layout, tooling and automation changes in factories, but in how they are training employees, forming new supplier relationships and changing cultures.
October 16-17, 2023 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
SUCCEEDING THROUGH LEANER, GREENER, MORE FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING
Join the conversation #AMSLIVE
October 16-17, 2023 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
SUCCEEDING THROUGH LEANER, GREENER, MORE FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING
Join the conversation #AMSLIVE
October 16-17, 2023 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
Succeeding through leaner, greener, more flexible manufacturing
Join the conversation #AMSLIVE
The first Automotive Evolution North America conference will help manufacturing leaders and experts at automotive OEMs and suppliers take advantage of increasing localisation, changing skills and production technology in the transition to electrification and sustainability across the region’s factories.
The North American automotive industry is not only bouncing back from recent crises, but also transforming production for an electrified, digital and sustainable future. Automotive OEMs and suppliers are making tremendous capital investment in existing and greenfield plants to build new technology and components, leading a charge to localise vehicle and battery manufacturing in the region.
Although the growth of electrification in the region is clear, manufacturers must manage a complex transition, and one that will have significant implications for manufacturing technology, investment, and jobs not only at automotive OEMs, but also for production at major tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers in the region.
This changing landscape will require the automotive manufacturing industry to be more flexible and leaner than ever before. That’s why Automotive Manufacturing Solutions is launching the first of its Automotive Evolution series of events in North America, bringing together top production leaders, plant directors, manufacturing engineers, equipment, digital and technology experts to explore how we
Evolutionary Strategies in Automotive Manufacturing
Transforming factories, assembly lines and cultures
Visualising and leveraging value of manufacturing data
As carmakers and suppliers introduce smart production systems and connect industrial internet of things (IIoT) equipment across all areas of manufacturing, they are building large data lakes, for example in tracking part locations in the plant, monitoring machine activity, scanning materials and inventory, to AI-driven algorithms powered by the cloud. But to gain the most value from this data, manufacturers are working on visualisation systems, including control rooms, digital Kanban and digital twins of entire facilities. AMS Evolution North America will delve into how manufacturers can make the most practical and valuable application of production data, making it accessible for teams with goals like preventing plant stoppages, ensuring accurate measurements, continuous improvement, as well as using machine learning and AI to avoid errors and help workers make better decisions.
The diverse labour and talent in urgent demand now, and in the years to come
As automotive manufacturing strives for greater efficiency and transitions to new technology, some roles and functions are set to be eliminated. However, OEMs and suppliers are nevertheless struggling to find talent and retain its existing manufacturing workforce in the face of changing working expectations and the desire for flexibility. AMS Evolution North America will explore how manufacturers can better develop a workforce to meet its changing needs, along with the measure it needs to take to attract, train and retain the diverse and flexible working culture it will need to succeed in the transition to electrification, digitalisation and carbon neutral manufacturing.
Making the most of vehicle and battery localisation
OEM and supplier factory investments are rising across North America, driven by customer demand, global supply chain disruption and government incentives such as the IRA in the US. The region is flourishing with EV and gigafactories in the US, battery suppliers in Canada and expanding output in Mexico. This localisation brings opportunity for OEMs and suppliers to shorten complex value chains in products like batteries packs, while requiring entirely new skills and technology at other locations. At AMS Evolution North America, production experts will share how to capitalise on and attract more local supply, and ensure it helps North American automotive and battery manufacturing to grow and stay competitive.
Making production more digital, automated and flexible
As they upgrade, expand and build new plants, automotive OEMs and suppliers in North America are introducing digital tools and automation that aims to increase help rather than hinder flexibility, from real-time tracking of parts, predictive maintenance tools for equipment, to the use of smart AGVs, grippers and cobots in assembly. In a time of changing model mix and so much uncertainty, manufacturers want to change speed, powertrains, products, bodies and platforms without significant reconfiguration or downtime. At AMS Evolution North America, plant directors and production experts will share innovations in manufacturing engineering, automation systems and process design that help automotive plants go with the flow.
Lean and green in urgent demand now, and in the years to come
Major automotive manufacturers have committed to carbon neutral production across North America, but achieving it requires close coordination with regulators, suppliers and energy providers to manage transitions to renewables and to try new technology, as well as between manufacturing, engineering and purchasing teams to reduce unnecessary complexity. At AMS Evolution North America, learn about the first plants that are achieving carbon neutrality, including ambitious clean energy programmes, and better understand what they require from cross-functional, partners and regulators to achieve their goals.
Confirmed Speakers
Be Informed and Inspired by Leaders and Innovators
Brian Breuhan
Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Advanced Technology
General Motors
Brian Breuhan has over 20 years of experience working in mechanical design, project engineering and project management within the automotive engineering/manufacturing industry. Brian has held various professional leadership roles for nonprofits, including, Executive Board Member for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Metro Detroit, Industry 4.0 Advisory Council for Automation Alley and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for Wayne State University. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Wayne State University and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Central Michigan University.
Automotive Evolution 2022 Speakers
Peter Weber
Director, Plant Munich
BMW Group
Dr Peter Weber has led Plant Munich, BMW’s mother plant located next to it headquarters, since September 2021. Here he is helping to drive the next phase of the plant’s transformation, including the launch in October 2021 of the BMW i4 electric vehicle, the relocation of engine production from the plant, and preparing to implement a new EV platform, the ‘Neue Klasse’. Prior to this role, Dr Weber was chief executive officer of BMW UK Manufacturing, including Mini production at the Oxford plant and its pressing plant in Swindon. Dr Weber, who has a PhD in engineering, has been with BMW since 2005, holding leadership roles in the group’s research and innovation centre, including in technical planning for production systems, as well as at BMW’s plant in Leipzig, Germany.
Jesse Peagle
Automotive Steel Solution Director
ArcelorMittal
Coming soon
Arno Güllering
Senior Vice President Operations – Division Electrified Powertrain Technology
ZF
Arno Güllering is helping to lead ZF’s transformation to producing for electromobility and to being a full systems provider. He has overseen operations at the company’s fast-growing electrified powertrain technology division since October 2019. He has nearly 25 years’ experience in complex and advanced manufacturing operations at automotive suppliers, including at Stabilus and later at Schaeffler, where he was president of the company’s business unit for valve train engine systems.
Henning Steinborn
Head of Paintshop, Leipzig Plant
Porsche
Coming soon
Dr Seonhi Ro
Industry 4.0 Specialist
Ford Research and Advanced Manufacturing Europe
Dr Seonhi Ro is top specialist in manufacturing technologies, analytics and processes at Ford’s advanced R&D centre in Aachen, Germany, which is focused on cutting edge production tools and concepts. She is currently focused on high potential technologies for the factory of tomorrow, including generative design, 3D and 4D printing, AR/VR, AMRs, cobots and more. She has worked at Ford for more than 20 years, with experience in manufacturing analytics, in powertrain manufacturing and cycle planning. She also worked for eight years as research engineer and project manager at tier-1 supplier Vaillant. Dr Ro has a PhD in mechanical engineering from the Technical University Braunschweig.
Rüdiger Eck
Director Production Data Analytics & Governance
Audi
Rüdiger Eck is one of Audi’s leading experts in data analytics and artificial intelligence in manufacturing, with responsibility for production data analysis at the carmaker’s Ingolstadt plant, where Audi has already implemented artificial intelligence solutions. He is also leading strategic data governance and analytics across production and logistics. From December 2022, he is taking on leadership of the newly formed Production Data Factory department. Eck joined Audi in 2015, holding roles in assembly maintenance and digital assembly. He previously held multiple positions in factory and equipment planning at Mercedes-Benz starting in 2001, three years at MB HighPerformanceEngines in the UK, where he was responsible for developing motor testing for Formula 1, and later leading systems planning for the ‘marriage’ of chassis and powertrain across passenger vehicle plants. He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Should you attend?
Automotive Manufacturing Solutions North America is an opportunity to discuss the recent crises in the automotive industry and and how it is undergoing a major shift towards electrification, digitization, and sustainability. OEMs and suppliers are investing heavily in existing and new plants to build new technology and components, and are focusing on localizing vehicle and battery manufacturing in the region, we'll bring together production leaders, plant directors, engineers, and technology experts to discuss and explore this transformation.
- Manufacturing leadership: Senior manufacturing executives, plant directors and leaders in key functions aiming to optimise processes, technology, reduce emissions and develop staff to meet the needs of changing automotive production
- Plant management: Experts managing production and assembly lines, aiming to improve workflow, manufacturing visibility, automation, reduce costs and bottlenecks to ensure production targets are met
- Manufacturing engineers: For those leading on the design, development, and improvement of manufacturing processes and systems. Experts will explore new tools and technologies, integrating robotics and systems, and optimising brownfield and greenfield plants for electrification and sustainability
- Quality Control and maintenance specialists: Strategies for testing, measuring and inspecting production and tooling at various stages of manufacturing, and tools for analysing data and using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to identify defects or non-conformities, and carrying out preventative maintenance to minimise downtime
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