Ceramic Leadership Summit 2014 will be April 7–9, 2014 in Baltimore, Md. The Summit provides a forum for business and manufacturing leaders to confront challenges and discover opportunities. (Credit: ACerS; CLS 2010.)
Strategy noun
- a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.
—New Oxford American Dictionary
What is your business strategy?
Strategy, which traces its etymology to military origins, considers context, resources, and tactics.
If you are in business, you have a business strategy. Does it consider current events and trends, both domestic and global? Where do you discover new effective tactics? What resources can you tap?
The gaps in your strategy are probably part of what keeps you awake at night.
Where do business and manufacturing meet strategy?
The Ceramic Leadership Summit, April 7–9, 2014 in Baltimore, answers these questions—and not for just any industry, but for our industry.
Organized by The American Ceramic Society, the two-day conference is designed for ‘C-level’ executives, senior managers, and management-track young professionals involved in the ceramics and glass industries. Most of the organizing advisory committee members come from industry, too. Their day-to-day perspectives on business and manufacturing permeate the conference.
CLS takes a very practical view of the challenges and opportunities that present themselves daily to the ceramics and glass industry. The focus is on rubber-meets-the-road information that will deliver an immediate ROI for your business.
How? Context and tactics—Day One focuses on context; Day Two on tactics.
Context always matters—what is the business climate domestically and globally; what technology trends drive investment; how can a company innovate effectively; how do you find, train, and retain talent? These executives from industry will set the stage and address these issues.
- James Meil, vice president and chief economist, Eaton Corp., “Global business climate;”
- Katharine Frase, vice president and chief technology officer, IBM, “Technology trends;”
- Andrew Zynga, CEO, NineSigma, “Strategic open innovation—Connecting with the outside world to advance your company’s technology and product innovation;”
- Frank O’Brien–Bernini, vice president and chief sustainability officer, Owens-Corning, “Manufacturing and sustainability;”
- Al Lubrano, president, Materion Techincal Materials and chair, National Association of Manufacturers of Small to Medium Manufacturers, “Manufacturing competitiveness and how we can improve it.”
With the “big picture” in place, the Day Two sessions are smaller and interactive, with plenty of time to discuss specific challenges and opportunities. Speakers and panelists hail from Corning Incorporated, Ceramatec, Catalyst Connection, Thompson Coburn LLP, and Pennsylvania State University and more.
Tracks include:
- Innovation
Innovation strategies, intellectual property, material sourcing - Global manufacturing and sustainable workforce
Energy, environment, and safety; developing sustainable operations; navigating the regulatory landscape; onshore vs. offshore; finding ceramists in a materials science world; developing and retaining talent.
Ample networking events are built into the schedule, including an opening reception, conference dinner, and optional trip to the Walters Art Museum on Thursday.
Ceramic Leadership Summit—Where Business and Manufacturing Meet Strategy. Be sure to join us April 7–9, 2014!