Sponsored by Infinite Uptime Inc.
Prescriptive AI—the next wave of artificial intelligence that transforms data into prioritized, actionable recommendations—promises to reshape factories by cutting downtime, optimizing workflows, and even redesigning processes on the fly. But is this transformative power accessible to small and mid-sized manufacturers, or will it remain an enterprise-only advantage? With 98% of U.S. manufacturing firms classified as small businesses (SBA, 2025), yet most citing cost and integration hurdles as top barriers to AI adoption, this discussion goes beyond the hype. Panelists will examine practical requirements, affordability, and risk factors, weighing whether Prescriptive AI can be democratized—or if smaller players risk being left behind.
Ganesh Babu Gopalakrishnan is a Senior Vice President at Indorama Ventures Limited and serves as the Global Captain for Manufacturing Transformation in the CPET segment. A mechanical engineer by training, he brings over 38 years of industrial experience in PET and polyester manufacturing.
For the past 23 years, he has been part of Indorama Ventures, and his professional journey in Thailand spans more than 33 years. His current focus is on leading global manufacturing transformation initiatives across CPET operations.
He is actively involved in driving key initiatives such as connected worker platforms, predictive analytics for asset health, standardization of work processes, reliability strategy alignment, turnaround (TAR) optimization, manpower efficiency, and variable cost optimization.
Sponsored by Cybus
In today’s connected industrial world, data sovereignty is becoming a key differentiator for manufacturers seeking trust, flexibility, and compliance. While the Sovereign Cloud sets the stage for digital independence, the real challenge lies in ensuring sovereignty over industrial data itself.
Join our expert panel as we explore what it truly means not to have data sovereignty — from loss of control and vendor lock-in to limited interoperability — and how these challenges can put innovation and competitiveness at risk.
We’ll discuss how manufacturers can establish true data sovereignty through open technology stacks, interoperable data architectures, and compliance with the European Data Act. Learn how reference architectures in the EU help create trusted, secure, and scalable data ecosystems across the industrial value chain.
Sponsored by Atelic
AI can’t fix bad data — it amplifies it. On the plant floor, one flawed data stream can cascade into failed AI rollouts, faulty predictions, or million-dollar supply chain disruptions. The real competitive edge isn’t just having AI models — it’s ensuring the data feeding them is accurate, contextual, and trusted.This session brings together leaders tackling the toughest step in industrial AI adoption: how to validate, clean, and structure data before it ever reaches an algorithm. Panelists will dive into:
• Why “data readiness” is now the biggest predictor of AI success.
• How frontline context (not just clean tables) builds trust in outputs.
• Governance frameworks and architectures that make industrial data decision-ready.
If you’re investing in AI for manufacturing, this is the session that shows how to avoid the costliest mistake: feeding your AI the wrong data.
Sponsored by InfluxData
As manufacturers race to implement AI, predictive maintenance, and digital twins, many discover their biggest obstacle isn't algorithms—it's data infrastructure. This panel explores how to build robust time series data architectures that capture, store, and deliver high-velocity industrial data at scale.
Our panelists will discuss bridging OT/IT systems, maintaining data quality across legacy and modern infrastructure, and designing platforms that enable real-time intelligence.
Senior executive with extensive business development/management experience in manufacturing operations enterprise software, including services, sales, marketing, software implementation, professional services and design and development of complex software solutions. An executive with the ability to apply people management skills, strong writing skills, software development expertise and business acumen to work collaboratively with customers in solving complex business process problems.
Sponsored by Adlib Software
Most manufacturers are trying to “do AI” before they’re RAG-ready. This session explains what it means to have RAG-ready content — normalized, version-controlled, and auditable.
Key talking points:
• What “RAG-ready” means in the context of Digital Supply Chain.
• Why unstructured documents are the biggest blocker to AI adoption.
• Framework: Clean → Contextualize → Govern → Retrieve → Generate.
Hamish Mackenzie operates as a Fractional Chief of Staff to space and deep-tech startup/scaleup CEOs, providing the focus, clarity, and execution leverage they need to turn complex technology into reliable growth — without adding full-time headcount.
With 20+ years in B2B technology and GTM strategy, he helps founders align their teams, sharpen their message, and build predictable momentum — by combining strategic GTM support with AI-enhanced operating systems that unlock leadership capacity across the business.
Sponsored by Arch Systems
By 2030, 2.1 million manufacturing jobs may go unfilled (Deloitte). How can AI copilots, AR/VR training, and digital twins transfer knowledge from retiring experts to a new generation — before the skills gap cripples frontline operations?
Global supply chain disruptions cost companies an average of 45% of one year’s profits over a decade (McKinsey). Can predictive AI, digital twins, and real-time visibility tools finally give manufacturers the resilience they need — before the next crisis hits?
