Your Only Opportunity to Learn From Aerospace & Defense 4.0 Experts in a Collaborative Setting
Elevating A&D Manufacturing & Supply with Smart Technology, Workforce Innovation and the Power of Industry 4.0
28 October 2025
Chicago, IL, USA
“As both a speaker and attendee at the Smart Manufacturing Conference by AMG World in Chicago last year, I really enjoyed the roundtable discussions and the interaction with the other attendees. It was an added benefit to have access to key vendors and suppliers in a more intimate setting at the conference. I was fortunate to make some great contacts whose products will be helpful to us on our Transformation journey.”
Andy Mears, Production Operations Sr Manager – Digital Transformation and Intelligent Factory Integration, Lockheed Martin
Aerospace & Defense manufacturers are navigating a perfect storm of rising geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and critical skills shortages. These converging pressures have created an environment of unprecedented complexity, where meeting evolving customer demands has never been more challenging.
To thrive, A&D manufacturers must embrace industry 4.0 and implement smart manufacturing initiatives at pace. By adopting disruptive technologies, such as automation, robotics, IoT, digital twins, AI and data science, they can unlock optimized manufacturing and supply capabilities.
Join A&D experts in Chicago to explore how smart technologies can shorten time-to-market, streamline processes, improve efficiency, enhance quality, increase predictability, and support decision-making across your manufacturing assets, processes and workforce.
2025 Official Advisory Board
Kevin Maring
Fellow - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, and Operations Transformation
Lockheed Martin
Warren B. Smith
Sr. Principal Systems Engineer and Digital Twin Principal Investigator
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Tony Papke
Senior Director Business Development
MxD
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2024 Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Expert Speakers
Andrew Mears
Production Operations Sr Manager - Digital Transformation and Intelligent Factory Integration
Lockheed Martin
Warren B. Smith
Sr. Principal Systems Engineer and Digital Twin Principal Investigator
General Dynamics Mission Systems
Kevin Maring
Fellow - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, and Operations Transformation
Lockheed Martin
Patrick Dunfey
VP of Marketing & Sales Enablement
Anark
Kristen M. Pope
Women in Manufacturing
Jim Martin
Director of Customer Engagement
Anark
Dr Waruna Seneviratne
Director, Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS)
National Institute for Aviation Research
Matthew Thornton
Co-Founder and CMO
Rapta AI
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This summit will provide you with the necessary tools to:
- Explore real-world use cases demonstrating tangible business impacts achieved through smart manufacturing technologies
- Leverage advanced data analytics and digital thread to enable end-to-end traceability and drive process/product optimization
- Establish governance frameworks and cross-functional collaboration models for scaling digital initiatives across the enterprise
- Digitise tribal knowledge to facilitate knowledge transfer and preserve intellectual capital
- Understand emerging additive manufacturing techniques, materials, and qualification processes for production applications
- Develop an ecosystem-centric approach by fostering partnerships with suppliers, customers, and technology providers for innovation
- Assess workforce readiness and design robust training programs to bridge critical skills gaps for the factory of the future
Who you will meet:
VP’s, Directors, Global Heads and Managers of:
- Digital Factory / Smart Factory / Connected Factory / Intelligent Factory
- Digital Technologies
- Factory Automation / Test Automation / Robotics / Cobots
- Advanced Manufacturing / Additive Manufacturing / Digital Manufacturing
- Digital Thread / Model Based Digital Thread
- IIOT / Industrial Internet of Things
- Digital Product Lifecycle
- Cloud
- Cybersecurity
- AI / Machine Learning
- XR/VR/AR
- Manufacturing Data
- Operations Excellence
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Continuous Improvement
Our sponsors, technology & solution providers include:
- IIoT
- Industrial Robots / Intelligent Robotics / Cobots
- VR/ AR
- Vision Systems
- Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing
- Simulation & Digital Twin
- PLM
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud Computing
- Edge
- MES
- ERP
- ML / Predictive Analytics
- RPA
- Visualisation software
- Blockchain
- Digital SCM Solutions
- Wearables
Sponsorship Opportunities
The Smart Manufacturing Technology vendor landscape is vast. New entrants are innovating rapidly. It is therefore a prerequisite that solution providers acquire a granular understanding of the industry’s needs in order to develop those bespoke solutions that are critical to winning new business. Showcase your technology solutions to senior decision makers across roles in industry 4.0, manufacturing technology, and data & analytics.
2025 Sponsors
2025 Media Partners
Testimonials
Complimentary Resources
Unlocking the Secret to Unbeatable Customer Loyalty
Complete the form to download your copy of this complimentary whitepaper from our official smart manufacturing summits event partner Belden focused on leveraging OT data on your plant floor to unlock the secret to unbeatable customer loyalty.
Towards Logistics 4.0: How MTU Aero Engines Achieves Complete Material Flow Visibility with Real-Time Asset Tracking
Ahead of our Smart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense Summit in Chicago, IL, USA, we are delighted to share this innovative case study from our official event partner Kinexon focused on how MTU Aero Engines Achieves Complete Material Flow Visibility with Real-Time Asset Tracking. Complete the form to discover: The biggest challenges MTU Aero Engines faced Their… Read more »
Metal Additive Manufacturing Complimentary Articles
Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine is a leading authority for those looking to discover the latest commercial and technical developments in the world of metal AM. We cut out the hype, kill the buzzwords and discuss a range of topics from the metal 3D printing industry, including market insights, applications, materials, equipment, research, events, and software…. Read more »
Panel Discussion: Accelerating Additive Manufacturing Adoption in Aerospace and Defense
Ahead of the Smart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense Summit in Chicago, IL, USA on 29 October 2024, we recently spoke to Additive Manufacturing experts to explore opportunities, barriers, and solutions to successfully integrate AM technologies within manufacturing operations Complete the form to learn from leading experts, including: Michael Bonacum, Senior Director Government Relations, GE… Read more »
