Jeremy Keating is an accomplished manufacturing, lean management and operations leader in the automotive industry. Since April 2022 he has led plant operations at one of the most important powertrain plants for Stellantis in North America, its transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, where he is responsible for many functions including production planning, quality and customer targets. Over more than 15 years with Stellantis and earlier FCA, he has held multiple plant and central manufacturing leadership roles, including at Stellantis’s transmission plant in Tipton, Indiana, and as deputy plant manager at the carmaker’s Sterling Heights vehicle assembly plant. Keating also held senior roles including head of powertrain manufacturing for Asia Pacific and head of global powertrain manufacturing engineering. He has been a lead auditor and expert at the carmaker in World Class (Lean) Manufacturing principles, in which he has been responsible for coaching plant managers around the world in continuous improvement. Jeremy Keating has a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Buffalo State University, a Master of Industrial Technology from Bowling Green State University, and an MBA in operations management from Lawrence Technological University.
October 30-31, 2024 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
Building a Competitive Edge | North America’s flexible, digital and lean production future
Join the conversation #AMSEVO
October 30-31, 2024 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
Building a Competitive Edge | North America’s flexible, digital and lean production future
Join the conversation #AMSEVO
October 30-31, 2024 | The Henry Hotel, Dearborn, MI
Building a Competitive Edge | North America’s flexible, digital and lean production future
Join the conversation #AMSEVO
The second AMS Evolution North America Conference returns to connect manufacturing leaders and experts on the top of their game as they steer automotive production towards greater innovation, flexibility and sustainability than ever before. The North American market and manufacturing sector continue to expand, as automotive OEMs and suppliers upgrade plants and processes, build new facilities, including for EV and battery manufacturing, and adapt lines and process for more connected, software-defined cars. However, with customer demand and regulation ever uncertain, the industry needs to be highly adaptable, which means manufacturing plants must reach new levels of agility and efficiency.
AMS Evolution North America will showcase strategies, technologies and partnerships that will support this lean and flexible transformation. Through keynotes, workshops and detailed insight from automotive OEMs and suppliers including General Motors, Ford, BorgWarner and many more, the conference will delve into smart and digital manufacturing, collaborative culture, sustainability goals and talent development.
The conference will offer insight and networking with manufacturing engineers, plant leaders, production system and technology leaders. They will share case studies and best practice on reducing cost and time in key operations, upgrading factories and layouts, integrating digital tools for efficiency, implementing lightweight and innovative materials and architectures, automation opportunities and data-driven insights.
Those who attend AMS Evolution will leave with a greater insight into the expertise and the experts who are shaping North American manufacturing towards a lean, sustainable and flexible future.
Confirmed Speakers
Be Informed and Inspired by Leaders and Innovators
Jeremy Keating
Vice-President of Operations – Kokomo Transmission
Stellantis
Brian Breuhan
Global Manufacturing Optimization Strategist
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. Since 2024, he is playing a key role in global manufacturing optimisation at GM, including strategy development for global automation standards, leading on automation cooperation, benchmarking standards and cross-functional collaboration in manufacturing, including with manufacturing engineering and operations. 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.
Paul Stephens
Manufacturing Transformation Lead
Ford Motor Company
Paul Stephens in an innovation leader across Ford’s manufacturing, playing a critical role in transforming the carmaker’s vehicle production, especially for electric vehicles and greenfield plants. Since February 2023, he is responsible for next-generation manufacturing innovation initiative to improve production efficiency and lower costs. His main focus is on new electric vehicles and platforms, and production at Ford’s upcoming EV factories in Tennessee and Kentucky. Stephens has been with Ford for more than eight years in a variety of manufacturing engineering roles across various model launches and tooling, and across vehicle operations for forward vehicle launches. He a degree in mechanical engineering from Kettering University.
Dr. Sardar Asif Khan
Continuous Improvement Lead, Parts and Services
Stellantis
Dr. Sardar Asif Khan is a distinguished leader in continuous improvement, currently responsible for Parts and Services for Supply Chain North America at Stellantis. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Khan has led transformative and inspirational initiatives in engineering, particularly in automotive lean manufacturing. His expertise has been instrumental in cultivating a competitive edge and fostering relevance within the Continuous Improvement System for production and supply chain organizations.
Dr. Khan's leadership has been pivotal in spearheading product launches and implementing World Class Manufacturing principles at Stellantis, elevating an engine plant to become one of the corporation's most exceptional facilities. Renowned as a visionary leader and catalyst for change, Dr. Khan consistently achieves remarkable outcomes through strategic planning and innovative techniques.
Dr. Khan holds several academic and industry positions, including Adjunct Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Windsor, Chair of the Automotive Product Design Program Advisory Committee at St. Clair College, Member of the Windsor-Essex Health Board, Vice Chair of the Professional Engineers Ontario Government Liaison Committee, and Warden of Camp 14 for the Corporation of the Seven Wardens.
Dr. Khan's exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Leader of Leaders award by FCA and induction into the PEO Order of Honour for outstanding service to the profession. He received the UETAC Engineer of the Year Award and the Windsor Essex County Engineer of the Year Award for his academic excellence and significant contributions to engineering.
Rajeev Kalamdani
Manager, IIoT Analytics Global Data Insights & Analytics
Ford Motor Company
Rajeev Kalamdani is a Data Science/Analytics Director at Ford with experience in deploying AI/ML products in a global enterprise. He has expertise in all aspects of manufacturing (engineering, launch, production, maintenance & quality), specific expertise in 6Sigma & Lean Manufacturing and Big Data/IIoT Analytics within the Manufacturing domain. Rajeev directs a global team (Dearborn and Chennai) of Data Scientists, Data Engineers and Software Engineers to deliver analytics solutions supporting Manufacturing Operations and Engineering.
Suraj Visvesh
Digitalization and IIOT Co-Op
Volvo Group
Suraj Visvesh is a seasoned Digitalization and IIOT expert with a stellar background at Volvo Group and Rockwell Automation, spearheading smart manufacturing initiatives in the automotive sector. Suraj is also a Master’s student pursuing Information Systems and his expertise lies in driving technological innovation for Automotive companies and enable them to adopt Industry 4.0
Evolutionary Strategies in Automotive Manufacturing
Factory and automation transformation
- Redesigning factories for evolving technology and vehicle requirements
- Implementing layout, tooling, and cultural changes in automotive factories
- Exploring more advanced robotics and automation opportunities from body shop to final assembly
- Leveraging machine learning and AI to prevent stoppages and maintain accuracy
- The rise of AGVs, cobots, and flexible automation
Digital and flexible
- Implementing visualisation systems, control rooms, and digital twins
- Predictive maintenance for production equipment to avoid downtime
- Extracting insights from smart production systems and Industrial IoT
- Applications for AI and generative AI in manufacturing engineering and operations
- Using connected vehicle and battery technology to steer manufacturing
Lean, competitive and resilient
- Shortening complex value chains and process flows for enhanced efficiency
- Innovation in end-to-end processes across press, body, paint and assembly
- Human-centric technology and equipment to help teams
- Developing a culture of continuous improvement and sharing
- Advancing skills and know-how for smart manufacturing
EV and battery integration
- Redesigning factories for evolving technology, including EVs, and software-defined cars
- Adapting equipment, testing and processes for battery pack and module production
- Localising battery cell manufacturing and sourcing in North America
- Adapting production lines for maximum flexibility across powertrain and vehicle type
- Forming new supplier relationships to support transformation
Sustainable manufacturing
- Energy reduction and use of renewable energy in manufacturing
- Implementing circular economy and recycling loops in manufacturing processes
- Material and mixed material usage in manufacturing
- Using data analytics tools to reduce emissions and waste in manufacturing
PARTNERS
PARTNER
EXHIBITOR
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
