Executive Summits · by the Future of Manufacturing Alliance
Building Controls & Smart Buildings Summit for Manufacturing Plants
Meet the plant leaders heating, cooling and lighting the plant when the line is down.
Each summit is capped at 20 sponsors. Talk to Joe before it fills.
Who’s coming so far
21 manufacturers have confirmed they will send people. The target is 100+ plant leaders in the room by each summit.
- Honda
- GE Aerospace
- General Motors
- Stellantis / Jeep
- Procter & Gamble
- Cleveland-Cliffs
- Whirlpool
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber
- Parker Hannifin
- Swagelok
- Crown Equipment
- Lincoln Electric
- Sherwin-Williams
- + 8 very large manufacturers, not named at their request
Two days with facilities, energy, plant engineering and maintenance leaders from Midwest manufacturers who run the building side of the plant: old pneumatic controls, no submeters, alarms nobody reads and equipment left running over the weekend. Pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings. No expo hall.
The people who sign the PO for building controls projects.
Invited from plants across Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Every delegate is screened by title and plant.
1,470plant leaders from 495 manufacturers have come to past FMA summits.1,033 of them pick the vendor, own the budget or sign off.
Who decides a plant purchase, and how many came
- Step 1287Find the problem, write the specEnergy Engineer, Facilities Engineer, Environmental Engineer
- Step 2560Pick the vendorFacilities Manager, Environmental Manager, Energy Manager
- Step 3337Own the budgetDirector of Engineering, Director of Operations, Director of Manufacturing
- Step 4136Sign offPlant Manager, General Manager, President
Who we invite to this summit
Each title, and what that person owns.
- Facilities ManagerOwns the BAS
- Energy ManagerSubmeters and kWh
- Plant Engineering DirectorWrites the spec
- Maintenance ManagerAlarms and work orders
- OT / Plant IT ManagerNetworks and security
Where past delegates worked
Plant leaders at past FMA summits, by industry.
Industries we are inviting to this summit: Automotive and parts (big halls, long weekends) · Pharma and medical devices (tight temperature and humidity) · Food and beverage (cold rooms, washdown) · Electronics (clean, stable air) · Chemicals and materials (many buildings on one site).
Counts are past FMA delegates, each counted once. They show who this audience is; they are not 2027 attendees.
Past speakers and delegates, by industry
Food and beverage
12 speakers · 161 delegates
Automotive
10 speakers · 192 delegates
Machinery, equipment and electronics
7 speakers · 209 delegates
Chemicals, plastics and rubber
6 speakers · 120 delegates
Steel and metals
2 speakers · 82 delegates
Aerospace, pharma, building and consumer products
29 speakers · 667 delegates
They came back.
Past FMA sponsors, and how many summits each one sponsored, from the printed programs.
- 6Schneider ElectricBuilding controls · 6 summits
- 5Cypress EnvirosystemsBuilding controls · 5 summits
- 3CopperTree AnalyticsBuilding controls · 3 summits
- 3ICONICSBuilding controls · 3 summits
- 2Optimum EnergyBuilding controls · 2 summits
- 2TraneBuilding controls · 2 summits
- 18US LED18 summits
- 17Kaeser Compressors17 summits
- 14Covanta14 summits
- 14Solution Dynamics14 summits
- 10Advanced Power Technologies10 summits
- 7LG Electronics7 summits
See the other 102 companies that sponsored two or more FMA summits
3M 2 · Acuity Brands 4 · Advanced Green Technologies 3 · Advantix Systems 8 · AERCO International 5 · AgriPower 6 · Air Balance 2 · AmbiRad 3 · Ameresco 2 · Armstrong Fluid Technology 5 · Badger Meter 2 · BASF 7 · Be Power Tech 2 · Bio-Reaction Industries 2 · BLUEFIN 4 · Bosch Thermotechnology 2 · Burns & McDonnell Engineering 3 · Camfil 2 · Capstone Turbine 2 · Chelsea Group 2 · Cleaver-Brooks 4 · ConDex Energy 2 · Constellation Energy 5 · Control Instruments 2 · Cushman & Wakefield 2 · Doosan Fuel Cell America 3 · DTE Energy Services 2 · Dyson 4 · Eaton 3 · EcoSafe Zero Waste 2 · EDF Renewable Energy 2 · Edison Energy 2 · Emerson Climate Technologies 2 · Energy Management Systems 4 · Energy Source 2 · EnerNOC 2 · Enertech Global 2 · EnterSolar 2 · Environmental Resources Management 2 · EQUIDEX Energy 7 · ERS International 3 · ETwater Systems 2 · Every Watt Matters 2 · Eye Lighting International 3 · Facility Solutions Group 2 · FacilityConneX 2 · Fellon-McCord & Associates 3 · GDF SUEZ Energy NA 2 · GE Distributed Power 2 · GE Solar 2 · Gexpro 3 · GI Energy 2 · Green Ballast 2 · Greenstar Recycling 6 · Greenworks Energy Solutions 3 · Harris Lighting 2 · Heritage Interactive Services 2 · Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. 2 · IBM 4 · ICETEC Energy Services 2 · Invensys Operations Management 2 · JLL 4 · Jorgensen Facilities Services 5 · K+S Services 2 · KDC Solar 2 · KERAMIDA 2 · Knauf Insulation 2 · KVAR Energy Savings 3 · LEDtronics 2 · Lutron Electronics Co. 3 · MaxLite 2 · MCEnergy 2 · MEP Associates 2 · MPC Energy 5 · Munters 2 · Newton Distributing Company 2 · Nortec 3 · North America Power Partners 2 · North American Roofing 2 · OAKLEAF 4 · Orion Energy Systems 2 · OSRAM SYLVANIA 5 · Pfister Energy 2 · PowerSecure 5 · Rinnai America 2 · Rockwell Automation 2 · ROXUL 2 · Rubicon Global 2 · SAP America 2 · Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure 5 · Sloan 2 · Smardt Chiller Group 8 · Solar UV Solutions 3 · Solatube International 3 · Steril-Aire 2 · Synergy Investment 6 · The Dow Chemical Company 2 · Thermal Energy International 3 · Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance 2 · Viridity Energy 2 · Wahaso - Water Harvesting Solutions 2 · Zurn Industries 2
In writing, from past sponsors and delegates.
Their words, not ours.
“FMA put us at the table with City Colleges of Chicago, and we won the work.”
Past sponsorKeith La RoseDirector of Business Development, CopperTree AnalyticsRead the whole quote
“We sponsored three FMA summits. FMA put us at the table with City Colleges of Chicago, and we won the work. That one introduction was worth more than every summit we paid for.”
“We met people at the right level in knowledge and decision making.”
Read the whole quote
“We met people at the right level in knowledge and decision making. FMA did a great job scheduling the meetings. We had a lot of good quality interaction between us and potential customers.”
Past sponsorHarry SimCEO, Cypress Envirosystems“This is our third time with FMA – we’ll be back”
Read the whole quote
“I like the focus: good quality leads … We have found the show has added value for our organization. This is our third time with FMA – we’ll be back…”
Past sponsorKevin BinnieDirector, Project Management, CopperTree Analytics“Every year we are able to find new partners to develop breakthrough projects”
Read the whole quote
“FMA Summit has been a very friendly business event for General Motors. Every year we are able to find new partners to develop breakthrough projects”
Past delegateBreitner MarczewskiDirector of Energy Engineering, General MotorsSee 8 moreShow fewer
“…The expertise represented at this Summit (solar, lighting, etc.) was impressive and very informative. We will be partnering with a couple of the presenters at the Summit…”
Past delegateScott CullenAmericas Environmental Compliance Manager, Bostik“I found the experience well organized and full of opportunities to network with vendors I was interested in.”
Past delegateWarren VoughtCorporate Facilities Manager, Archer Daniels Midland“…FMA is an extremely flexible, and very accommodating group. It’s been outstanding after I gave my presentation, the enthusiasm of the people, the questions continue even now, people wanting to know more details. It’s that sharing between people and myself. I’ve learned a lot myself so that’s been a great aspect of being here. The people that have come and I had interaction with have been the right kind of people I want to talk to.”
Past delegateKevin ButtGeneral Manager and Chief Environmental Officer, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.“The presenters were very knowledgeable and did a great job of communicating during the one on one time during breaks. I look forward to the site visits so we can learn more about what each company has to offer.”
Past delegateJohn ShewmakerFacility Maintenance Manager, Hitachi Automotive Systems“Very well organized! Great topics and great speakers. Spoke to vendors regarding current initiatives and met vendors regarding their initiatives and how they can provide guidance and services to UniFirst…”
Past delegateCarrie BertolinoEnergy Analyst, UniFirst Corporation“I am always skeptical with conferences whether they will be worth my time. This Summit was a very good blend and balance of solutions and testimonials. I will recommend this seminar to others in my company…”
Past delegateLarry GlaserAVP, Director of Operations Support, OSI Industries“…Enjoyed the Summit and met some good contacts.”
Past delegateRuss DelozierDirector of Sustainability, J+J Flooring Group“…We enjoyed attending your event and definitely appreciated presenting our LEED gold plant and our sustainability programs. … We definitely learned some things as well.”
Past delegateGregory ClarkDirector of Construction & Facilities Management, White Castle Management Co.Set up Wednesday. Two full days of meetings. Home Friday afternoon.
Same schedule in Columbus and Detroit.
- Wednesday afternoonSponsors set up their exhibits. Everyone checks in.
- ThursdayThe full day: plant case studies, booked 1-on-1s, the reception and dinner.
- FridayMorning case studies, more 1-on-1s, closing lunch. On the road by mid-afternoon.
The hour-by-hour plan and the venues
| Time | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 AM | Breakfast at your company table | Breakfast at your company table | |
| 8:00–10:00 AM | Plant case studies | Plant case studies | |
| 10:00 AM | Coffee and shop talk in the exhibit room | Pre-booked 20-minute 1-on-1s at your table | |
| 11:00 AM | Plant case studies | Plant case studies | |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch with your booked 1-on-1 meetings | Closing lunch with your booked 1-on-1 meetings | |
| 1:00 PM | Plant case studies | Plant case studies, then head home | |
| 2:00 PM | Sponsor setup and check-in | Pre-booked 20-minute 1-on-1s at your table | |
| 3:00 PM | Sponsor setup and check-in | Coffee and shop talk in the exhibit room | |
| 3:30 PM | Sponsor setup and check-in | Plant case studies | |
| 5:00–7:00 PM | Sponsor setup and check-in | Reception and dinner, with more 1-on-1s |
The full package's 15 pre-booked 20-minute 1-on-1s run Thursday and Friday: in the meeting blocks above, at lunch, and at the reception. Each is with a plant leader who asked to meet you, at your company table. You get your meeting schedule before you arrive, and the delegate list, with names, titles and companies, 30 days before the summit.
Venue photos via Wikimedia Commons: Hilton Columbus Downtown by Ɱ (CC BY-SA 4.0); Renaissance Center by Crisco 1492 (public domain).
The program: plant leaders come to hear how other plants fixed it.
The program is built from projects plants actually finished, presented by the plant and the company that did the work. Every building controls category has room for more. If you've solved a problem like these, your story belongs on this program.
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Building automation and controls retrofitsInvited
Emerson's South Milwaukee foundry cuts heating gas with a new building management system
A new building management system cut natural gas use 20% (nearly 13,000 MMBtu) and saved $127,000 year over year in gas costs on a $118,000 net project cost, a payback under one year; it won a DOE 2025 Better Project Award (as reported by Emerson)
The problem: Comfort heating at the foundry ran too hot for long periods, including outside operating hours.
Published result: A new building management system cut natural gas use 20% (nearly 13,000 MMBtu) and saved $127,000 year over year in gas costs on a $118,000 net project cost, a payback under one year; it won a DOE 2025 Better Project Award (as reported by Emerson)
Invited: Focus on Energy, with Emerson · Read the published case
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Demand response and load controlInvited
Metal Technologies' Indiana and Michigan foundries power down for the grid
The plants agree to power down at times of high demand through CPower; no megawatts or payments given (as reported by Inside Climate News)
The problem: Large casting plants are big power users when the grid is short on supply.
Published result: The plants agree to power down at times of high demand through CPower; no megawatts or payments given (as reported by Inside Climate News)
Invited: CPower, with Metal Technologies · Read the published case
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Energy management, metering and smart-building platformsInvited
Johnson Controls' Norman, Oklahoma rooftop-unit plant runs on its own OpenBlue platform
Central plant, compressed air, plug-load controls, water measures, transformers, 1.56 MW of solar and OpenBlue monitoring: expected $960,000 in annual savings, an expected 43% emissions cut and a projected 3.5 million gallons of purchased water saved a year (as reported by Johnson Controls)
The problem: A 900,000 sq ft research, manufacturing and testing site needed lower energy, water and emissions without upfront capital.
Published result: Central plant, compressed air, plug-load controls, water measures, transformers, 1.56 MW of solar and OpenBlue monitoring: expected $960,000 in annual savings, an expected 43% emissions cut and a projected 3.5 million gallons of purchased water saved a year (as reported by Johnson Controls)
Invited: Johnson Controls (its own plant) · Read the published case
See all 7 stories, in 4 categories, and how a session runs
- 1The problemWhat was happening at the plant.
- 2The costEnergy, maintenance, downtime or lost output.
- 3The decisionThe options they weighed, and why this one.
- 4The workWhat changed, how long it took, what went wrong.
- 5The resultsMeasured before and after. Achieved, estimated or identified, said plainly.
- 6The lessonsWhat another plant should check first.
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Building automation and controls retrofits
3 stories invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
Emerson's South Milwaukee foundry cuts heating gas with a new building management system
A new building management system cut natural gas use 20% (nearly 13,000 MMBtu) and saved $127,000 year over year in gas costs on a $118,000 net project cost, a payback under one year; it won a DOE 2025 Better Project Award (as reported by Emerson)
The problem: Comfort heating at the foundry ran too hot for long periods, including outside operating hours.
Published result: A new building management system cut natural gas use 20% (nearly 13,000 MMBtu) and saved $127,000 year over year in gas costs on a $118,000 net project cost, a payback under one year; it won a DOE 2025 Better Project Award (as reported by Emerson)
Invited: Focus on Energy, with Emerson · Read the published case
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Invited
TI Automotive's Caro, Michigan fuel pump plant retunes its building controls
AHU schedules and economizer, space temperature and boiler pump setpoints were adjusted at no cost to TI: verified annual electric savings of 372,370 kWh, an estimated $42,450 a year in energy costs, total benefit $61,069 and immediate payback; the plant manager says overall energy use fell 20.6% (as reported by DTE Energy's Retro-Commissioning Program)
The problem: Air handlers, economizers, space temperatures and boiler pumps at the 60,000 sq ft Caro plant ran on settings that wasted energy.
Published result: AHU schedules and economizer, space temperature and boiler pump setpoints were adjusted at no cost to TI: verified annual electric savings of 372,370 kWh, an estimated $42,450 a year in energy costs, total benefit $61,069 and immediate payback; the plant manager says overall energy use fell 20.6% (as reported by DTE Energy's Retro-Commissioning Program)
Invited: DTE Energy Retro-Commissioning Program, with TI Fluid Systems · Read the published case
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Invited
Large East Coast automotive plant hands building automation and HVAC to Johnson Controls
Metasys was tied to sensors on critical equipment under a $1 million a year O&M contract signed in 2020, with a guaranteed 10% year-over-year reduction in costs and up to 50% energy savings (period not stated) (as reported by Johnson Controls)
The problem: A 2.48 million sq ft automotive plant needed to watch thousands of HVAC assets without daily visual inspections.
Published result: Metasys was tied to sensors on critical equipment under a $1 million a year O&M contract signed in 2020, with a guaranteed 10% year-over-year reduction in costs and up to 50% energy savings (period not stated) (as reported by Johnson Controls)
Invited: Johnson Controls · Read the published case
- Open slot
Your customer's story goes here.
Solved a plant problem in this category? Propose it for the program.
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Energy management, metering and smart-building platforms
1 story invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
Johnson Controls' Norman, Oklahoma rooftop-unit plant runs on its own OpenBlue platform
Central plant, compressed air, plug-load controls, water measures, transformers, 1.56 MW of solar and OpenBlue monitoring: expected $960,000 in annual savings, an expected 43% emissions cut and a projected 3.5 million gallons of purchased water saved a year (as reported by Johnson Controls)
The problem: A 900,000 sq ft research, manufacturing and testing site needed lower energy, water and emissions without upfront capital.
Published result: Central plant, compressed air, plug-load controls, water measures, transformers, 1.56 MW of solar and OpenBlue monitoring: expected $960,000 in annual savings, an expected 43% emissions cut and a projected 3.5 million gallons of purchased water saved a year (as reported by Johnson Controls)
Invited: Johnson Controls (its own plant) · Read the published case
- Open slot
Your customer's story goes here.
Solved a plant problem in this category? Propose it for the program.
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Fault detection, analytics and digital twins
1 story invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
Colorado satellite manufacturing plant uses analytics to rank its chillers
Kaizen analytics benchmarked chillers 2 and 3: chiller efficiency gains estimated at over $9,700 a year, approximately 97,000 kWh a year and approximately 82,000 lbs of CO2 (estimated) (as reported by CopperTree Analytics)
The problem: A 700,000 sq ft satellite plant in Deer Creek Canyon had no hard data on what chiller maintenance was worth.
Published result: Kaizen analytics benchmarked chillers 2 and 3: chiller efficiency gains estimated at over $9,700 a year, approximately 97,000 kWh a year and approximately 82,000 lbs of CO2 (estimated) (as reported by CopperTree Analytics)
Invited: CopperTree Analytics · Read the published case
- Open slot
Your customer's story goes here.
Solved a plant problem in this category? Propose it for the program.
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Demand response and load control
2 stories invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
Metal Technologies' Indiana and Michigan foundries power down for the grid
The plants agree to power down at times of high demand through CPower; no megawatts or payments given (as reported by Inside Climate News)
The problem: Large casting plants are big power users when the grid is short on supply.
Published result: The plants agree to power down at times of high demand through CPower; no megawatts or payments given (as reported by Inside Climate News)
Invited: CPower, with Metal Technologies · Read the published case
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Invited
RTX wins CPower's Grid Champion Award for demand response
Grid Champion Award for consistent, long-term performance during demand response events across multiple seasons; no sites or figures given (as reported by CPower)
The problem: An aerospace and defense manufacturer wanted to earn from cutting load during grid events.
Published result: Grid Champion Award for consistent, long-term performance during demand response events across multiple seasons; no sites or figures given (as reported by CPower)
Invited: CPower, with RTX · Read the published case
- Open slot
Your customer's story goes here.
Solved a plant problem in this category? Propose it for the program.
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"Invited" means invited: none of these companies has confirmed. Results are as published by the supplier; we ask every presenter for dates, baseline costs and verified results before the program is final.
Real FMA Summit rooms. No stock photography.
Get in front of the decision makers, not the crowd.
Full package
- 15 guaranteed pre-scheduled meetings
- A 20-minute case-study session
- A fully furnished exhibit
- Your corporate dining table
- Three people at full access
Add meetings up to 40 at $1,500 each.
- Any booked meeting that doesn’t happen is added to your next summit, written into your sponsor agreement.
- Each summit is capped at 20 sponsors, each solving a different problem for the people in the room.
Want the category to yourself? Each summit is capped at 20 sponsors. To talk about your category, .
- Plant leaders ask to meet you. We seat the ones who asked at your table.
- Your booked meeting schedule arrives before the summit.
- Any booked meeting that doesn't happen is added to your next summit: miss 3, and you get 15 plus 3. It's written into your sponsor agreement.
- You get the delegate list 30 days before the summit: names, titles and companies.
- Three people are included with full access. Extra passes are $2,900 each.
Or pick only what you wantMeetings from $15,000, talk $15,000, exhibit $15,000, dining table $10,000
One category, one summit. Prices in USD. Whatever you pick includes three people with full access. Meetings are booked on an opt-in basis before the summit; any booked meeting that doesn't happen is added to your next summit.
No vendor walks the show. Solution providers attend only as sponsors. A vendor that has not sponsored cannot register, attend or work the room, so the plant leaders you meet are not being chased by your competitors in the hallway.
The ten questions every sponsor asks.
Past sponsors answer all ten in one 5-minute film. Pick a question and the film jumps to its answer.
Now ask your own questions.
Answered on camera by past FMA sponsors. Recorded at past FMA summits.
Who's behind it.
Started FMA in Montreal in 2007 and has run every summit himself: 35 of them, 17,000+ meetings. Capped at 20 sponsors per summit, meetings booked before anyone arrives, and no vendor walks the show.
Read the full story
Building controls sponsors were in 15 of the 35 summits. Every sponsor and speaker, as printed.
Open any programCypress Envirosystems sponsored 5 times. The summit is capped at 20 sponsors.
Twenty minutes with Joe Piazza: who is coming to your summit, where your company fits among its 20 sponsors, and what the agreement says. The sponsor brief has the delegate profile, the full agenda and the itemized pricing.
35 summits since 2007. Joe Piazza, who founded FMA, runs every summit himself. The videos on this page are from past summits.