Executive Summits · by the Future of Manufacturing Alliance
Process Control & Instrumentation Summit for Manufacturing Plants
Meet the plant leaders running today's line on yesterday's control system.
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 plant managers, controls, instrumentation and process engineers from Midwest manufacturers upgrading PLCs, SCADA, instruments and valves. Pre-scheduled 1-on-1 meetings. No expo hall.
The people who sign the PO for controls and instrumentation 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.
- Controls Engineering ManagerPLC, DCS, SCADA
- Instrumentation & Electrical LeadCalibration and spares
- Process EngineerOwns the recipe and yield
- Plant ManagerSigns the migration
- Maintenance ManagerValves, transmitters, uptime
Where past delegates worked
Plant leaders at past FMA summits, by industry.
Industries we are inviting to this summit: Food and beverage (batching, CIP, pasteurizing) · Chemicals and plastics (reactors, dosing, extrusion) · Paper and packaging (steam, stock, drives) · Pharma (validated batches) · Metals (furnaces, quench, gases).
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.
- 3ICONICSProcess control and instrumentation · 3 summits
- 2Badger MeterProcess control and instrumentation · 2 summits
- 2Control InstrumentsProcess control and instrumentation · 2 summits
- 2Invensys Operations ManagementProcess control and instrumentation · 2 summits
- 2Rockwell AutomationProcess control and instrumentation · 2 summits
- 18US LED18 summits
- 17Kaeser Compressors17 summits
- 14Covanta14 summits
- 14Solution Dynamics14 summits
- 10Advanced Power Technologies10 summits
- 8Smardt Chiller Group8 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 · 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 · CopperTree Analytics 3 · Cushman & Wakefield 2 · Cypress Envirosystems 5 · 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 · 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 · Optimum Energy 2 · Orion Energy Systems 2 · OSRAM SYLVANIA 5 · Pfister Energy 2 · PowerSecure 5 · Rinnai America 2 · ROXUL 2 · Rubicon Global 2 · SAP America 2 · Schneider Electric 6 · Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure 5 · Sloan 2 · Solar UV Solutions 3 · Solatube International 3 · Steril-Aire 2 · Synergy Investment 6 · The Dow Chemical Company 2 · Thermal Energy International 3 · Trane 2 · 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.
“We met people at the right level in knowledge and decision making.”
Past sponsorHarry SimCEO, Cypress EnvirosystemsRead 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.”
“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 Motors“We will be partnering with a couple of the presenters at the Summit”
Read the whole quote
“…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“…full of opportunities to network with vendors I was interested in”
Read the whole quote
“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 MidlandSee 8 moreShow fewer
“Excellent set of presenters on a wide range of subjects, lots of new and forward thinking. Great networking with small groups- startup dinners and circulation times.”
Past delegateJohn DeVinneySenior Project Manager, Perdue Farms“I’ve been to a lot of conferences and I found the FMA sessions to be excellent, engaging and interesting. I think it had some of the best speakers I’ve ever seen in a conference I’ve been to. I certainly liked the format, the 20 minutes sessions, so you can get the top level ideas or thoughts without having to hear in infinite detail. The format is well structured, the speakers were really, really good and I would highly recommend this conference to anybody in this field.”
Past delegateBrendan SullivanExecutive Director, Facilities, Estée Lauder“The Summit was truly ‘eye-opening’. I got an excellent sense of momentum building for companies and institutions making significant changes for the future. Woe betide those organizations who turn a blind eye to the need and benefits of changing how they manage and operate their facilities.”
Past delegateChris WendtFacilities Manager, Standard Motor Products, Inc.“As a global leader, it’s extremely important for me to stay current on technological advances. The FMA Summit brought current advances and best practices to me in an efficient 1.5 day event”
Past delegateMaria WatsonSr. Manager Global Energy, Pall Corporation“The FMA Energy and Sustainability Summit provides valuable insight into where leaders in various industries are finding success in systems and processes that drive overall efficiencies and organizational sustainment.”
Past delegateBrian SkrobarcekCorporate Director of Environmental Affairs, StandardAero“First time here, was impressed by many of the presenters and the issues they brought up and their solutions.”
Past delegateSteven JonesElectrical Engineer, ITW Hi-Cone“First time Summit attendee. Great introduction to a number of topics important to Facility Managers of the Future.”
Past delegateAlec BartolaiSustainability Program Manager, Sargento Foods, Inc.“I feel that a Summit like this adds to the tools needed to elevate my abilities and my company, to enable a better building/company.”
Past delegateReed GibsonFacilities Manager, Pall CorporationWhat sponsors closed, and what buyers said.
Past sponsors on the business that came from an FMA introduction, and past buyers on the vendors they met there.
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 process control and instrumentation category has room for more. If you've solved a problem like these, your story belongs on this program.
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PLC, DCS & SCADA integrationInvited
How Mancini's Bakery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania replaced paper batch records with RFID traceability
MDI built an Ignition traceability system with 15 Turck RFID readers, rolled out in three phases from February to July/August 2026 at a bakery making over 10,000 loaves a day: supplier quality investigations that took hours now take seconds, and the bakery is on a clear path to BRCGS certification (not yet achieved); no other figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation, 2026 Discover Gallery).
The problem: Production ran by hand, with paper batch records and ingredient lots tracked from memory and manual logs; with no traceability system, BRCGS certification was out of reach, which blocked major retail and foodservice accounts.
Published result: MDI built an Ignition traceability system with 15 Turck RFID readers, rolled out in three phases from February to July/August 2026 at a bakery making over 10,000 loaves a day: supplier quality investigations that took hours now take seconds, and the bakery is on a clear path to BRCGS certification (not yet achieved); no other figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation, 2026 Discover Gallery).
Invited: MDI (Multi-Dimensional Integration), with Mancini's Bakery · Read the published case
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Flow, level, pressure & temperature instrumentsInvited
How AbbVie's Illinois campuses replaced the annual steam trap audit with wireless monitoring
Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitters on steam traps at Abbott Park and North Chicago, after a pilot in Lake County: $214,000 in cost avoidance over the past two years and 445 hours of maintenance rounds reduced by ending the plant-wide audit (reported; period for the hours not stated); 14 steam trap failures identified in North Chicago in 2024 (as reported by AbbVie's reliability engineer at Emerson Exchange 2025, Control Global).
The problem: Outdated software and infrastructure limits made preventive maintenance on thousands of steam traps inefficient and inaccurate; annual audits were resource-intensive and repairs came long after a trap failed.
Published result: Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitters on steam traps at Abbott Park and North Chicago, after a pilot in Lake County: $214,000 in cost avoidance over the past two years and 445 hours of maintenance rounds reduced by ending the plant-wide audit (reported; period for the hours not stated); 14 steam trap failures identified in North Chicago in 2024 (as reported by AbbVie's reliability engineer at Emerson Exchange 2025, Control Global).
Invited: Emerson, with AbbVie · Read the published case
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Control valves & actuatorsInvited
How a Quebec petrochemical plant swapped a leaking steam valve in two days without a shutdown
Laurentide Controls replaced it with an 8-inch Fisher V150 Vee-Ball valve with a noise-reducing disc, installed in two days, avoiding an unplanned shutdown; Laurentide puts the avoided loss at $1,825,000, the unrecoverable productivity loss of a one-week stoppage (estimated) (as reported by Laurentide Controls).
The problem: A 12-inch valve feeding superheated steam to a dryer developed a leak in a busy corridor; superheated steam is invisible, so the leak was a serious burn risk.
Published result: Laurentide Controls replaced it with an 8-inch Fisher V150 Vee-Ball valve with a noise-reducing disc, installed in two days, avoiding an unplanned shutdown; Laurentide puts the avoided loss at $1,825,000, the unrecoverable productivity loss of a one-week stoppage (estimated) (as reported by Laurentide Controls).
Invited: Laurentide Controls (Emerson Impact Partner); customer not named · Read the published case
See all 6 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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PLC, DCS & SCADA integration
3 stories invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
How Mancini's Bakery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania replaced paper batch records with RFID traceability
MDI built an Ignition traceability system with 15 Turck RFID readers, rolled out in three phases from February to July/August 2026 at a bakery making over 10,000 loaves a day: supplier quality investigations that took hours now take seconds, and the bakery is on a clear path to BRCGS certification (not yet achieved); no other figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation, 2026 Discover Gallery).
The problem: Production ran by hand, with paper batch records and ingredient lots tracked from memory and manual logs; with no traceability system, BRCGS certification was out of reach, which blocked major retail and foodservice accounts.
Published result: MDI built an Ignition traceability system with 15 Turck RFID readers, rolled out in three phases from February to July/August 2026 at a bakery making over 10,000 loaves a day: supplier quality investigations that took hours now take seconds, and the bakery is on a clear path to BRCGS certification (not yet achieved); no other figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation, 2026 Discover Gallery).
Invited: MDI (Multi-Dimensional Integration), with Mancini's Bakery · Read the published case
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Invited
How HMI Glass in Louisville, Kentucky raised on-time delivery from 21% to 69%
4IR Solutions' FactoryStack platform, built on Ignition and delivered with Riveron, deployed June 2023: on-time delivery improved from 21% to 69% in six months (measured); revenue improved by 37.5% and cost of poor quality was reduced by 9% (period not stated) (as reported by Inductive Automation).
The problem: The glass and shower-enclosure plant had no consolidated way to track machine utilization, scrap, cycle time or downtime; staff pulled data through scattered queries and reports, and EBITDA had declined since 2018.
Published result: 4IR Solutions' FactoryStack platform, built on Ignition and delivered with Riveron, deployed June 2023: on-time delivery improved from 21% to 69% in six months (measured); revenue improved by 37.5% and cost of poor quality was reduced by 9% (period not stated) (as reported by Inductive Automation).
Invited: 4IR Solutions and Riveron, with HMI Glass · Read the published case
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Invited
How Murakami's plant in Campbellsville, Kentucky stopped logging defects as tick marks on paper
Musson Industrial replaced the manual steps with an Ignition system: logging of ~2 million injection-molded parts per month is now fully automatic, with production and scrap data sent to the ERP hourly; no savings figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation).
The problem: In the injection department, operators recorded defects as tick marks on paper, printed pallet labels by hand over an SSH connection, and leads kept defect and part data in an Access database.
Published result: Musson Industrial replaced the manual steps with an Ignition system: logging of ~2 million injection-molded parts per month is now fully automatic, with production and scrap data sent to the ERP hourly; no savings figures published (as reported by Inductive Automation).
Invited: Musson Industrial, with Murakami Manufacturing USA · 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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-
Flow, level, pressure & temperature instruments
1 story invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
How AbbVie's Illinois campuses replaced the annual steam trap audit with wireless monitoring
Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitters on steam traps at Abbott Park and North Chicago, after a pilot in Lake County: $214,000 in cost avoidance over the past two years and 445 hours of maintenance rounds reduced by ending the plant-wide audit (reported; period for the hours not stated); 14 steam trap failures identified in North Chicago in 2024 (as reported by AbbVie's reliability engineer at Emerson Exchange 2025, Control Global).
The problem: Outdated software and infrastructure limits made preventive maintenance on thousands of steam traps inefficient and inaccurate; annual audits were resource-intensive and repairs came long after a trap failed.
Published result: Rosemount 708 wireless acoustic transmitters on steam traps at Abbott Park and North Chicago, after a pilot in Lake County: $214,000 in cost avoidance over the past two years and 445 hours of maintenance rounds reduced by ending the plant-wide audit (reported; period for the hours not stated); 14 steam trap failures identified in North Chicago in 2024 (as reported by AbbVie's reliability engineer at Emerson Exchange 2025, Control Global).
Invited: Emerson, with AbbVie · Read the published case
- Open slot
Your customer's story goes here.
Solved a plant problem in this category? Propose it for the program.
-
-
Control valves & actuators
1 story invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
How a Quebec petrochemical plant swapped a leaking steam valve in two days without a shutdown
Laurentide Controls replaced it with an 8-inch Fisher V150 Vee-Ball valve with a noise-reducing disc, installed in two days, avoiding an unplanned shutdown; Laurentide puts the avoided loss at $1,825,000, the unrecoverable productivity loss of a one-week stoppage (estimated) (as reported by Laurentide Controls).
The problem: A 12-inch valve feeding superheated steam to a dryer developed a leak in a busy corridor; superheated steam is invisible, so the leak was a serious burn risk.
Published result: Laurentide Controls replaced it with an 8-inch Fisher V150 Vee-Ball valve with a noise-reducing disc, installed in two days, avoiding an unplanned shutdown; Laurentide puts the avoided loss at $1,825,000, the unrecoverable productivity loss of a one-week stoppage (estimated) (as reported by Laurentide Controls).
Invited: Laurentide Controls (Emerson Impact Partner); customer not named · 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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Automation distributors
1 story invited · 1 open slot-
Invited
How an aerospace manufacturer raised output 15% by replacing over 30 legacy SLC controllers
Kendall Electric migrated over 30 legacy SLC systems to Rockwell CompactLogix 5380 controllers, PanelView 5000 HMIs and Stratix switches: 15% increase in production output and 20%+ improvement in uptime (period not stated), and estimated cost savings of up to 60% per upgrade (estimated) (as reported by Kendall Electric).
The problem: Legacy SLC controllers and PanelView HMIs were going obsolete with internal spares running low; the plant also needed PI Historian integration, SIL2 safety compliance and tight capital budgets.
Published result: Kendall Electric migrated over 30 legacy SLC systems to Rockwell CompactLogix 5380 controllers, PanelView 5000 HMIs and Stratix switches: 15% increase in production output and 20%+ improvement in uptime (period not stated), and estimated cost savings of up to 60% per upgrade (estimated) (as reported by Kendall Electric).
Invited: Kendall Electric; customer not named · 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
Process control and instrumentation sponsors were in 7 of the 35 summits. Every sponsor and speaker, as printed.
Open any programRockwell Automation, Invensys and Badger Meter each sponsored two summits. 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.