Manufacturing Ecosystem Group (MEG) is lighthouse to an industry experiencing historic investment in new manufacturing capacity initiated by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for supply chain resilience. For years, MEG has promoted Operational Excellence as the '2nd half of capex project' which involves many owner-facilitated activities. MEG is steering industry to include all stakeholders who contribute to Total Installed Cost (TIC) including OEM, EPC, CQV, and automation. This sounds reasonable but is rarely done!

Rockwell Automation has announced new $2B greenfield manufacturing plant in New Berlin WI. This project will use Lean construction best practices as selection criteria for EPC partner. With commitment to transparency and trust, we will create multi year case study highlighting Lean and AI in design, construction, and operational excellence phases of the project. This MEG project will be lighthouse to industry by creating roadmap for other project teams to follow. Just as Lean has delivered generational improvements on the manufacturing shop floor, we are in early days of Lean and AI disrupting project delivery and resulting in better project outcomes.

Speakers:

James Zwiefel of Rockwell Automation brings Smart Manufacturing initiatives to industry. He has over 25 years of experience implementing lean principles on global mega projects across multiple industries including advanced manufacturing, military & federal, and mass transit. Zwiefel challenges status quo project methodologies by expanding the project delivery team and including non-traditional stakeholders like production equipment OEMs and automation – all contributors to Total Installed Cost (TIC).  Trust, transparency, and collaboration are essential in the built environment with ever-increasing levels of complexity.  Zwiefel is Chair of Manufacturing Ecosystem Group (MEG) which is industry-focused group within LCI. 

Brenden Lowe is Director, Global New Capacity – Lighthouse at Rockwell Automation. Brenden started his career at Rockwell working with OEM customers in Wisconsin, focusing on expanding his clients’ access to new projects. Brenden currently leads the Global Lighthouse New Capacity Team. This team is dedicated to driving market share across industrial companies that are building new footprints around the world, laying the foundation for the next generation of mines, mills, and factories. He focuses on standing up customer lighthouses by combining our proven capabilities with advanced technology and processes for a great customer outcome.  Brenden is based in Chicago, Illinois.