We have a great line-up for this year’s ProMat, with plenty of not-to-miss opportunities to see the latest manufacturing and supply chain solutions as well as learn and network with your peers. Each morning of ProMat you will receive this newsletter, which will be filled with news from the show floor, previews for the day ahead, recaps of conference events, and valuable information on the industry’s biggest event.

Be sure to check out the Program Guide, too!

 

Download the ProMat 2017 mobile app – promatshow.com/app – on your Apple iPhone®, iPod, iPad®, or Android® smartphone. This is a helpful tool for your time at the show. It’s got exhibitor listings, the schedule, a floor map, and even a shuttle bus schedule – all at the touch of a button. You can even Tweet using the show hashtag (#ProMatShow) and a link to reserve a table at the Bistro with a tap and hold.

Dun & Bradstreet, a New Jersey-based data insight company, donated $20,000 to Guilford County Schools with $10,000 going straight to the Western Guilford’s logistics class. With this donation, six students from this class are able to attend Student Days at ProMat 2017, where they will have the opportunity to learn about the logistics industry firsthand. Students will see hands-on demonstrations of the latest technologies and innovations from more than 950 exhibitors from industry, commerce and government.

MHI is pretty "pumped" to have comedian Dana Carvey headlining MHI Industry Night at ProMat 2017 on April 5 in Chicago.
Tickets for MHI Industry Night at ProMat 2017 are $50 and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. Plus, the door prize is a $30,000 trip of a lifetime. Seats are limited for this event! Learn more and register today!

All keynotes are held in Room S100 on Level 1 of McCormick Place South.
"Building Supply Chain Sustainability for Competitive Advantage: Lessons learned from leaders in innovative facility design"
Andrew Winston will lead a panel of manufacturing and supply chain sustainability leaders as they discuss how companies both large and small can use environmental strategy to grow, create enduring value and build stronger supply chains. Learn firsthand how leading brands have successfully incorporated environmentally sound practices into their facility design and how it is driving efficiency and cost savings.

All on-floor seminars are located in the theaters on the McCormick Place South Hall. See the Conference App and guide for full session details.
Today you’ll find 36 different educational seminars to choose from covering a variety of themes including: Automation & Robotics, Transportation, Distribution and Warehousing, Data Capture, Analytics and Information Management, Manufacturing, Planning and Sourcing, and Sustainability, and Risk Management.

Located in the Autonomous Vehicle Solutions Theater in the North Hall.
On today’s schedule, you’ll find four seminars on autonomous vehicle solutions, which include learning about better ways to improve overall efficiency and effectiveness of your inventory checking, how the commercial drone industry is affecting the regulatory landscape, drone delivery and its disruption to the supply chain, and, lastly, hear the insights from a material handling peer and a leading-edge technologist on the billions of dollars being invested by companies for autonomous vehicles.

Located in the Sustainable Facility Solutions Theater in the North Hall.
At 1 p.m., you will have the opportunity to hear from Tim Debus, President & CEO of the Reusable Packaging Association, on why reuse is the circular solution of sustainable transport. Then, at 2 p.m., come listen to Rick Bindle, VP of Supply Chain, REI, on how they built the most sustainable distribution center in the world. Then, at 3 p.m., come listen to how CHEP North America helps optimize levels of product protection with quantitative testing and analysis between product damage and increased packaging.

Last year, REI opened a fully automated, LEED Platinum distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona. The facility was designed to be one of the world’s most sustainable distribution centers. To encourage further innovation, REI is sharing the design information of this facility so others can advance the parameters of sustainable design. Toward that goal, they are holding two sessions at ProMat focused on this facility.

It's time to get ready for ProMat 2017. With two halls, a record number of exhibitors and attendees, this is going to take some planning.

ProMat is in Chicago, home of... well, lots of stuff. It’s a big city and it's pretty cool.

While you're in Chicago for ProMat 2017, you’re going to need to meet some basic human necessities. Like food. Here are some ideas and options if you're out on the town. 

If you're looking for a place while on the show floor, the ProMat Bistro is the most convenient and well-balanced lunch option located just off the show floor.

 

>> 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM: Keynote – Building Supply Chain Sustainability for Competitive Advantage: Lessons learned from leaders in innovative facility design
>> 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Show Floor Hours
>> 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM: Education Seminars
>> 10:45 AM – 4:00 PM: Autonomous Vehicle Solutions Theater 
>> 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Sustainable Facility Solutions Theater

 

 

Here is a look at some of the key events taking place tomorrow. More details to follow or check them out here. 

>> 8:45 AM –  9:45 AM: Keynote, "Industry 4.0- How Intelligent machines are transforming supply chains"
>> 10:00 AM –  5:00 PM: Show Floor Hours
>> 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM:  Education Seminars
>> 10:45 AM – 3:30 PM: Autonomous Vehicle Solutions Theater
>> 10:15 AM – 4:00 PM: Sustainable Facility Solutions Theater
>> 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM:  MHI Young Professionals Networking Event

Follow along and see what we’re up to at ProMat by following us at @Poweredbymhi for the latest show information, photos, and specials, and use #ProMatShow as your hashtag!

Located in the middle of the ProMat 2017 show floor, The Hub is an interactive resource center that offers multiple informational and networking opportunities for ProMat visitors. Stop by, plug in, catch up with colleagues at the Social Networking Lounge and Wireless Internet Center, learn more about MODEX 2018, and about the opportunities we offer to manufacturing and supply chain professionals.  Here is some information about The Hub as well as some other handy tips for your adventures at ProMat. Or, check out some additional articles here.

The latest issue of MHI Solutions is here! Published quarterly, MHI Solutions offers in-depth articles specifically addressing material handling industry and the accomplishment, challenges, regulations experienced by those involved in it. This issue focuses on hiring and retaining a skilled workforce, from the technologies driving the changing skillsets, to industry–academia collaboration, to how to adapt to a new, more tech-savvy generation of supply chain workers.