Executives of manufacturing companies throughout Wisconsin are invited to attend the 2013 BizTimes Manufacturing Summit, which will take place Wednesday, Oct. 9, during the Manufacturing & Technology Show at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Exposition Center.
The theme for this year’s Manufacturing Summit will be “Design Thinking For Manufacturers.”
The conference will examine how the concept of Design Thinking can help manufacturing companies innovate and grow. The event will feature a panel discussion of enlightened speakers, including:
* John Caruso, associate professor of industrial design at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Caruso is a nationally renowned expert and speaker on the concept of Design Thinking. Caruso also is a contributing engineer for the Design Consortium in Milwaukee and is a consultant for Eastman Chemical Plastics in Tennessee. Caruso will explain how to implement the concept of Design Thinking throughout an organization.
* Steve Dyer, president and chief executive officer of Trostel Ltd., a Lake Geneva-based manufacturer of custom seals, precision molded rubber products and custom rubber compounds. Dyer recently bolstered his company’s investments in design and innovation. He is the former CEO of Dickten Masch Plastics in Nashotah and was a founder and chair of the Waukesha County Business Alliance Manufacturing Steering Committee. He also served on the Milwaukee 7 Regional Economic Development Advisory Council. Dyer will provide the CEO’s perspective of how Design Thinking can help a company grow.
* Michael Warsaw, vice president of global innovation and design at Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. He oversees Design, the Innovation process, Innovation Learning & Development and the Innovation portfolio of new business ventures for JCI. He recently opened a new global center for JCI Innovation in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Warsaw will share insights about how his company has created a corporate culture of innovation.
* Bob Schwartz, general manager of global design & user experience, at Waukesha-based GE Healthcare. With six studios in five countries, Schwartz is responsible for overseeing the Global Design function encompassing human factors, industrial design, ergonomics and user interface and design research. Schwartz will explain how design is a strategic driver of business growth at GE Healthcare and how his team focuses on the look, feel, usability and end-to-end experience of the company’s products and services.
* Jeffrey Zeiler, vice president of global product innovation for research and development at Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. Zeiler will explain Briggs implements continuous innovation in its product lines.
The concept of Design Thinking was recently explored in a BizTimes cover story.
The panel discussion will be followed by breakout discussions led by manufacturers and professional advisors. Topics to be discussed will include logistics, inventory control, financing growth and lean manufacturing.
The conference is sponsored by Schenk, Bank Mutual Corp. and Consolidated Construction. To register to attend the BizTimes Manufacturing Summit, visit www.biztimes.com/mfg.
