The Assembly Show will return October 25-27 to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., for its fourth consecutive annual show focused on anything and everything assembly. Trade visitors will be able to seek resources in experienced manufacturing suppliers; get hands-on with technology and equipment at exhibits; discover the latest trends, technologies, and solutions; and connect with current and potential business partners.

Exhibition and Networking

The exhibit hall will host over 250 booths, where companies will display their latest in products, services, solutions and equipment. The hall will be open all three days of the event: Tuesday 4-7 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Exhibit Hall exclusive time slots allow guests to visit the hall and attend all workshops and presentations.

The Assembly Show will also host two networking events, the Taste of Rosemont Welcome Reception from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday and the Pub Night Networking Reception from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday. Tuesday’s Welcome Reception will take place on the showroom floor and include student demonstrations from FIRST Robotics, a competitive robotics challenge for high school students. Pub Night will be hosted in the ballroom adjoining the show and include beer, burgers, and pub games.

Conference Overview

The conference will take place in two theaters at one end of the exhibition hall. On Tuesday, there will be two workshop tracks: Managing Mixed-Model Assembly Lines and Collaborative Robotics. Workshop 1 will focus on the challenges that come with modern mixed-model assembly plants, such as line layout, equipment, and information technology.

Workshop 2 will focus on the hot trend of collaborative robotics. The aim of the workshop is to dispel myths and misconceptions, show what robots can do in assembly, and how manufactures are taking advantage of this technology now. On Wednesday, experts in the field will take both stages with co-current tracks, covering a range of topics such as air leaks, dispensing, panel optimization, automation and more. Thursday will host two lectures and a panel discussion before the raffle drawing and the exhibition close.

Keynote Speaker

This year’s keynote speaker is Raymond Muscat, industry director for the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan. His talk, titled “The Herman Miller Performance System Journey: Overcoming the Challenges of Implementing a People Focused Production System,” will discuss the process and challenges of developing the lean manufacturing program for Herman Miller.

Beginning in 1978 at Ford Motor Co., Muscat has held a variety of positions at many companies, working his way up from the assembly line to head of engineering and operations at Herman Miller, where he led the team that implemented the Herman Miller Performance System, a modification of the Toyota Production System/Lean Manufacturing. In addition to being the industry director of the Tauber Institute, he is the principal of Muscat Consulting LLC, a lean manufacturing, engineering and operations consulting firm.  ASI

For more information, visit www.theassemblyshow.com.