Early this month, more than 75 industry experts in MRO and supply chain management met in the Philadelphia suburb of Bristol to attend this 2-day educational and networking event designed to move the industry towards a more connected approach.
Day 1
To kick off the event, SDI held an open house and grand opening event with tours of their brand new SDI Solution Center—a one-of-a-kind facility where MRO innovators can experience the people, process and supply chain technology that make Enterprise MRO possible. The kick-off event demonstrated leading-edge MRO technologies including 3D printing from CADimensions, RFID-enabled inventory systems, industrial vending from AutoCrib, integrated inventory management and mobile applications to name a few.
SDI’s CEO, Andy Cvitanov, served as the master of ceremonies and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Timothy Simpson from Penn State University’s Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition. Dr. Simpson gave a compelling and engaging presentation covering additive manufacturing and how 3D printing will revolutionize the MRO industry.
After tours of the SDI Solution Center, guests enjoyed a dinner reception on the waterfront to network with industry experts.
Day 2
For the second day, the group reconvened at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott for more intimate conversations on topics impacting the MRO supply chain industry. Jagdish Dalal, Certified Outsourcing Professional from JDalal Associates and Chief Advisor in thought leadership for the IAOP, discussed how MRO outsourcing is essentially changing the shape of business. Rich Richardson from GS1 then addressed the complex data challenge and how the adoption and online use of global standards could empower enterprises and help flatten the world of MRO. Steve Pixley, Founder and President of industry leading point-of-use industrial vending provider AutoCrib, walked the guests through the evolution of MRO and how industrial vending is transforming the indirect supply chain. The event concluded with Joel Levitt from Life Cycle Engineering presenting on the connection between risk and the reliability of production assets.
The Innovation Symposium brought together industry leaders in a discussion of how the landscape is evolving and was a great step in connecting the indirect supply chain further. Post-event surveys revealed topics for next year’s symposium. Event presentations were filmed and will be available shortly at sdi.com/innovation.
