October 2021 Virtual Conference Agenda

8:30am – Welcome

Stephen MacKenzie, President & CEO, Invest WindsorEssex
Mayor Drew Dilkens, City of Windsor
Warden Gary McNamara, County of Essex

8:40am – Opening

Wendy Stark, Director of Business Retention & Expansion, Invest WindsorEssex
Rob Whent and Vladimir Franjo, NRC-IRAP

8:50am – Introduction to First Speaker

Introduction: Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, President, Automate Canada

9:00am – First Speaker

Speaker: Christy Michalak, Director, Advanced Manufacturing Development Programs, NGen

Negotiating the Waves of Change

Canada has a long history of innovation across many sectors and we place amongst the world’s leaders in technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics – in fact we’re well positioned to be leaders in industry 4.0 and beyond. But as the world rides through waves of massive change, how do we turn the turmoil into opportunity? Our presenter will walk us through some of the best practices employed by companies who have continued to innovate and thrive throughout the pandemic.

9:50am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS

CYBERSECURITY

Speakers:
- Sem Ponnambalam, Xahive
- AJ Khan and Deepan Dhingra, Vehiqilla
Moderator: Philipp Kornitzky, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

ROBOTICS

Speakers:
- Niclas Sjöstrand, General Manager, ABB Robotics Canada
- Ben Huigenbos, BOS Innovations
Moderator: Shelley Fellows, Automate Canada

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Speakers:
- Mo Abuali, IoTco
- Ryan Scott, Tessonics
- Scott Robinet, Voltaric
Moderator: Vladamir Franjo, NRC-IRAP

AUGMENTED REALITY/VIRTUAL REALITY

Speakers:
- Harold Dumur, OVA
- Sean Graglia, Microsoft
Moderator: Andreas Waller, Ontario Centre of Innovation

10:35am – Introduction to Second Speaker

Introduction: Dr. K.W. Michael Siu, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, University of Windsor

10:45am – Second Speaker

Speaker: Joris Myny, Senior Vice President, Digital Industries, Siemens Canada

What Industrial Innovators are Accomplishing Today

The manufacturing sector is facing urgent, rapidly changing challenges that have been accelerated by the global pandemic. Digitalization and automation are essential to meet these challenges. In this 45-minute session, you will hear Joris Myny present cutting-edge technologies that have been implemented by Siemens’ customers in Canada and worldwide.

11:35am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS

AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING

Speakers:
- Chris LeChien, Valiant TMS
- Allen Ali, DataRealm
Moderator: Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, CAMM/Automate Canada

AGRI-TECH

Speakers:
- Brian Hendel, Splice Digital
- Saber Miresmailli, Ecoation
Moderator: Aaron Coristine, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers

CONSTRUCTION

Speakers:
- Brent McPhail, Brave Control Solutions
- Eric Parker, Vista Solutions
Moderator: Kristina Urquhart, Freelance Journalist

AEROSPACE

Speakers:
- Nick Dimitrov, AIS
- Mohammed Belassel, Proto Manufacturing
- Andrew Good, Jesse Garant Metrology Centre
Moderator: Rob Whent, NRC-IRAP

MOLD MAKING

Speakers:
- Amrinder Singh, Lincoln Laser Solutions
- Jonathon Azzopardi, Laval International
- Linsey Pecile, Invest WindsorEssex
- Peter Wawrow, St. Clair College
Moderator: Vlad Franjo, NRC-IRAP

12:20pm – Introduction to Keynote Speaker

Introduction: Peter Wawrow, Director of Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, St. Clair College

12:30pm – Keynote Speaker

Speaker: Jim Beretta, Customer Attraction, The Robot Industry Podcast

Automation’s Golden Age

We are entering a special time in automation. We are entering The Golden Age. The hard work has been completed, or has it? What does the future of industrial automation look like? Jim will take his experiences, interviews, client work and strategy, podcast conversations and distill them into what the next 5 to 10 years will look like in industrial automation and how that will change the way that we manufacture in North America and possibly the world.