TRAVERSE CITY — The annual Northern Michigan Manufacturing Summit gathers industry leaders, innovators, and professionals shaping the future of manufacturing on April 13 at Northwestern Michigan College’s Hagerty Center.
The event, scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., is presented by the Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council and Traverse Connect and features insights, expert-led discussions, and networking opportunities from the region’s manufacturing sector. The summit will focus on three key areas critical to the future of manufacturing:
Manufacturing economic and labor outlook offering insight into the economic trends shaping Michigan’s manufacturing sector, including wage pressures, talent shortages and workforce dynamics. This session will connect broader trends to the real-world challenges facing manufacturers in Northern Michigan.Smart manufacturing and industrial artificial intelligence, exploring how manufacturers are implementing advanced technologies on the shop floor and real-world applications of AI and what it takes to successfully adopt and scale innovation.Collaboration and policy to explore how industry, government, and education partners can work together to strengthen Michigan’s manufacturing ecosystem. The discussion will focus on aligning policy, talent development, and economic strategy to support long-term growth.
The event’s keynote speaker is Rick Dauch, owner and chairman of Century, LLC, and Tactical Kinetics, LLC. He is also a minority owner of the West Point Optical Group and serves on the Board of Directors of American Residential Housing Trust, and previously served on the boards at the SHYFT Group, Koch Enterprises, the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association, and Motor Equipment Manufacturers Association. Dauch amassed more than 40 years of management and leadership experience across a broad range of disciplines, including operations, sales and marketing, labor relations, strategic planning, finance, and investor relations. He’s been the CEO and president of three Tier 1 automotive supplier companies, and an EV start-up company.
The summit will offer practical insights into the latest innovations through interactive vendor showcases, and targets area manufacturers, engineers, entrepreneurs and educators with opportunities to connect with key players in the region’s manufacturing sector. The full agenda, speaker information and registration is available at traverseconnect.com/gtamc_summit