Show time is here. ProMat 2003, set for February 10-13 at Chicago's McCormick Place North, will feature more than 650 exhibitors and is expected to attract 40,000 attendees, according to the event's sponsor, Material Handling Industry of America.

One theme of ProMat 2003 is that 21^st century businesses will demand more performance from their materials handling and logistics tools than ever before. Explore the possibilities by visiting each of four solution centers on the show floor: equipment, components and manufacturing solutions; fulfillment and delivery solutions; information technology solutions; and assembly logistics and support solutions. You're sure to find a perfect match among the hundreds of booths there on material movement, storage, control, and protection.

Finally, a knowledge portal acts as an umbrella area, where you can get oriented, educated, and benchmarked, right on the show floor. That's where a full schedule of more than 50 educational sessions is set to occur. Industry experts will help you improve productivity in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Topics on tap range from ergonomics and supply chain event management to automated in-process manufacturing and assembly solutions.

Breakout sessions and roundtable discussions include something for everyone: "We all live in a yellow submarine: how RFID is streamlining supply chain management," "The wonders and limitations of simulation and emulation modeling," "Why doubling your productivity can get you fired...every time," and "Residual handling; what to do with the leftovers."

And workshops include: "How to show the bean counter what counts" by John Usher from the University of Louisville, "The basics of material handling" by H. Lee Hales from Richard Muther & Assocs., or "A hands-on supply chain logistics workshop" by F. Roy Piciacchia at Lockwood Greene.

But don't forget about ergonomics! Choose a track from specialty sessions like: "Ergonomics isn't legislation, it's good business" by Tony Mohwish of MegaStar Systems, "Outcome oriented guidelines for ergonomic assist systems and equipment" by Jim Galante of Southworth Products, "Facility safety" by Allen Kautz of Interlake Material Handling Inc., or "The selection and safe use of industrial scissors lifts and tilters" also by Southworth's Galante.

And be sure to attend Monday's executive forum, where you can explore the role that material handling logistics is playing at three companies— Modine Manufacturing Co., Big Lots, Inc., and The Gillette Co. Question the keynote speakers and learn from their experience, as they share the decisions their companies made and the results they achieved, ranging from material flow control and the throughput of high speed lines to process cycle time reduction, to inventory control, to the goals of achieving 6 sigma customer service.