GAMS event at HANNOVER MESSE USA, focus is cybersecurity, robotics

By Bob Vavra
Content manager, CFE Media

Cybersecurity, maintenance, and robotics are among the most discussed topics in manufacturing, and those topics will be the focus at the 2018 Global Automation and Manufacturing Summit (GAMS). The event, presented by CFE Media and Hannover Fairs USA, will take place Wednesday, Sept. 12 beginning at 11:30 as part of HANNOVER MESSE USA co-located with IMTS in Chicago. The 2018 GAMS event is sponsored by Beckhoff.

“We’ve heard from our readers about the need to learn more about emerging technologies on the plant floor,” said Jim Langhenry, CFE Media publisher. “Our GAMS event is designed to put the best experts on stage at North America’s largest manufacturing show to deliver cutting-edge information that plant personnel can take back to their facilities and use right away.”

This will be the fourth time CFE Media, which publishes Control Engineering, Plant Engineering and Oil & Gas Engineering, will be staging the GAMS event in conjunction with Hannover Fairs USA. The 2018 GAMS event will begin with a networking luncheon and a keynote address. Four sessions are planned for the 2018 GAMS event:

• Cybersecurity: How far do we need to go? 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

The session will focus on the common-sense ways manufacturers can secure their data and their operational integrity. The presentation will be led by Dr. Richard Soley, chairman of the Industrial Internet Consortium, chairman and chief executive officer of Object Management Group (OMG) and executive director of the Cloud Standards Customer Council.

• Embrace your robot: A guide to the future: 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Our experts will discuss the practical ways robots can enhance manufacturing—and all the ways humans are still vital to your operation. The Robotics Institute of America (RIA), a CFE Media Partner, will lead the panel discussion.

• IIoT in discrete manufacturing: Managing the process: 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

We’ll talk with industry experts to look at how to get the most out of IIoT, and how to use data to improve operations, supply chain, and safety. The presentation will be led by Sal Spada, research director for discrete manufacturing for ARC Advisory Group.

• Maintenance and IIoT: Follow the numbers: 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

More sophisticated analytics are helping maintenance teams focus on the right data at the right time, and we’ll talk with them on how this strategy can lead to more uptime and better safety. The discussion will be led by Aurelio Banda, CEO of Beckhoff USA, a sponsor of the 2018 GAMS conference.

The event will conclude with a cocktail networking event beginning at 5 p.m.

“The GAMS event has been an important part of our relationship with IMTS for the past four show cycles, and we are looking forward to another great event,” said Larry Turner, president and CEO of Hannover Fairs USA. “It’s an important year for our event, as we have rebranded our industrial automation event as HANNOVER MESSE USA, and we have added a number of new pavilions and focus areas for attendees.”

For more information, go to hannovermesseusa.com/education/gams, plantengineering.com/GAMS or controleng.com/GAMS.