Recognizing the need to accelerate the adoption of Smart Manufacturing in the U.S., the Smart Manufacturing Institute (CESMII) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) are launching the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council (SMEC). Described as “a national think tank of smart manufacturing leaders,” the SMEC has been created to engage business and technology executives, thought leaders and visionaries advocating for the transformation of the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem.
SME and CESMII announced in November 2021 that the organizations were partnering to drive smart manufacturing further and faster by aligning their resources and educating the industry. At that time, they also announced the initial idea for the SMEC as the first joint initiative.
“As we transition from one manufacturing era to another, it’s clear that legacy behaviors, business models and technology architectures must make way for new ones,” CESMII CEO John Dyck said. “It’s the charter of this Smart Manufacturing Executive Council to advocate for this transformation, and the practical steps, investments and policy recommendations that will help this ecosystem cross this digital divide.”
The SMEC will focus on three strategic initiatives:
- Ecosystem: Collaborative strategies enabling plants connected to the enterprise and supply chains for real-time data-driven business orchestration. Goal: flexible and agile processes and supply chains easily reconfigured for changing market demands and empowering collaboration between OT and IT.
- Technology: Accelerate evolution from proprietary, closed systems, enabling interoperability to eliminate data silos, stovepipe architectures and vendor lock-in. Goal: drive down costs, improve agility.
- Workforce: Aligning education, training, and continuous improvement strategies to develop people with the skills needed to accelerate smart manufacturing and create data driven cultures. Goal: organizational structures and capabilities that align resources and people for SM success.
“The Smart Manufacturing Executive Council will act as ambassadors for the vision of Smart Manufacturing in the U.S., working to accelerate the transformation of the entire manufacturing ecosystem and to inspire a vision for the future of manufacturing,” Dyck said.
The SMEC includes these members representing an array of companies and industries:
- Antoine Dhennin, ArcelorMittal
- Alpen Patel, Caterpillar Inc.
- Venu Pillai, Corning Incorporated
- Craig Sutton, Eaton
- Scott King, Ford
- Michael Bastian, Ford
- Lisa Zasada, General Mills
- Jeff Abell, General Motors
- Jon Hobgood, Honeywell
- Ken Creasy, Johnson & Johnson
- Audrey St. Onge, Lallemand Baking Solutions
- Jesus Flores-Cerrillo, Linde
- Don McCartney, OshKosh
- Jeff Kent, Procter & Gamble
- Rick Van Dyke, PepsiCo
- Kelly Dodds, Raytheon
- Sudhi Bangalore, Stanley Black & Decker
“Both CESMII and SME are laser-focused on accelerating the democratization of Smart Manufacturing,” SME Executive Director and CEO Robert Willig said. “SME and CESMII are excited to engage with this remarkable assembly of industry leaders to lift the entire ecosystem. From large organizations and their supply chains to small and mid-size organizations, they’re all essential to creating a more competitive manufacturing environment here in the U.S.”
The SMEC will convene for the inaugural SMEC Session in December 2022 to affirm the charter and set strategic priorities for 2023.
