Get free materials handling, supply chain education with ProMat on-floor seminars

Ready to rest your feet and fill your brain? Check out one of the 100-plus, on-show floor educational sessions held during ProMat. These free sessions are housed in 10 separate theaters located on the far right corner of the exhibit hall. They run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, on Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

“The on-floor seminars are presented by industry experts in material handling and logistics solutions,” said Daniel Stanton, MHI’s vice president of education and professional development. “It’s a unique opportunity for attendees to learn more from exhibitors, industry groups and research institutions about the latest material handing technologies and trends.”

Topics range from best practice reviews to maintenance to metrics. Detailed abstracts of each session, with key takeaways for attendees, are included on promatshow.com and the ProMat app. Each theater holds 100 participants, and it’s first-come/first-served with no standing room allowed, added Stanton.

As a preview of the types of insights to be found on Wednesday and Thursday at the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics’ Workforce Summit 2015, the publication is sponsoring an on-show floor presentation entitled, “How To Deal with Disruptors Affecting Your Career,” on Monday. This seminar, held from 12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., features professors and roadmap contributors William Ferrell, professor and associate dean of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Clemson University, and Kimberly Ellis, associate professor in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Session attendees will hear about the 10 key disruptors making the most significant impact on supply chains today, and the core competencies essential to their future professional success.

Additionally, several industry groups will be presenting the latest insights into their technologies. These sessions typically feature two or three panelists from different companies discussing new developments, applications and uses for the equipment represented by their group. “We always see a lot of interest and high attendance levels generated by the industry group sessions in particular,” Stanton said.

Industry group sessions are as follows:

MONDAY
• “ProMat 2015’s Newest Automated System Solutions & Their Impact in Warehousing, Distribution and Manufacturing Application,” presented by the Automation Alliance, 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., Theater E
• “ProMat 2015’s Latest Advances in Handling Equipment, Systems & Controls,” presented by the Integrated Systems & Controls Group (ISC), 11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m., Theater F
• “How AGVs Improve Safety and Flexibility at Minimal Cost in Warehouses and DCs,” presented by Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS), 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., Theater A
• “ProMat 2015’s Newest Order Fulfillment Products & Solutions to Improve Efficiencies & Productivity,” presented by the Order Fulfillment Solutions Council (OFS), 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., Theater G
• “E-Commerce Is Entering a New Dimension. Are Your Conveyors and Sorters Ready for the Challenge?” presented by Conveyor & Sortation Systems (CSS), 12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., Theater D
• “How to Deal with Disruptors Affecting Your Career,” presented by the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics, 12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., Theater F
• “Rack Project Design: Resources & Frequently Asked Questions,” presented by the Rack Manufacturing Institute (RMI), 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Theater D
• “The Effects on MH Equipment Design with an Aging and Obese Workforce,” presented by the Ergonomic Assist Systems & Equipment (EASE) Council, 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Theater F
• “Discover Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS): Latest and Greatest Applications and Technologies at ProMat,” presented by the Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) Fixed Aisle (F/A) working group, 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Theater D
• “What Can a Moron do with Metrics?” presented by the Supply Chain Execution Systems & Technologies Group (SCE), 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Theater B

TUESDAY
• “Current Trends and Technology in Storage & Inventory Management,” presented by Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Theater F
• “Building Relationships, Pathways and Partnerships between University and Industry,” presented by the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE), 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m., Theater I
• “Protect Your People… and Your Wallet: Safety and Guarding Solutions for the Industrial Facility,” presented by the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA), 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., Theater A
• “Maintaining Systems for Maximum Uptime and Reliability,” presented by Conveyor & Sortation Systems (CSS), 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Theater F
• “Analytics: Big Data & Data Mining,” presented by Order Fulfillment Solutions (OFS), 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., Theater C
• “Considerations for the Planning and Use of Industrial Steel Storage Racks,” presented by the Rack Manufacturing Institute (RMI), 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., Theater A
• “Top 5 Ways AGVs Drive Lean Efficiency and Reduce Costs in Manufacturing,” presented by Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS), 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., Theater G
• “Designing Complex Integrated Systems,” presented by the Automation Alliance, 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Theater F
• “Using Software to Maximize Your Order Fulfillment Performance,” presented by Integrated Systems & Controls (ISC), 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Theater H

WEDNESDAY
• “The Role of Education in Innovation,” presented by the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE), 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Theater A

If you miss a session—or can’t decide between two being held at the same time—you can still view and hear the content later. All of the PowerPoint Presentations will be captured in PDF format and synchronized in a Flash file with audio recordings of each session. These files will be posted to promatshow.com after the conclusion of ProMat.