Innovation will be a key theme at EASTEC 2010, the largest annual precision manufacturing event on the East Coast. The three-day event will kick off on May 25 with an exeecutive breakfast where Chris Trimble, the author of 10 Rules for Strategic Innovators, will present “The Innovation Imperative and Revitalizing the U.S. Economy." EASTEC 2010 will also launch Innovations Theater this year where manufacturers will introduce new products and services introduced since last year’s event. More than 90 manufacturers have indicated that they will be showcasing new products at the event.
"There is nothing inevitable about the decline of American manufacturing,” notes Trimble, an adjunct associate professor of business administration at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, the executive director of the William F. Achtmeyer Center for Global Leadership, and a senior advisor at Booz & Company. “The path to renewal is through innovation. We cannot win the battle to be the lowest-cost producer, but we can win by designing and manufacturing the cutting-edge, high-tech, precision products of the future.” Trimble has dedicated the past 10 years to studying a single challenge that vexes even the best-managed corporations: how to execute an innovation initiative. Most recently, he published How GE Is Disrupting Itself in the October 2009 Harvard Business Review with Jeff Immelt and Vijay Govindarajan.
Trimble’s presentation will mark the second year that EASTEC has offered an executive breakfast offsite. The breakfast is open to exhibitors, attendees and the general public, although seating is limited.
“Innovation is the key to converting opportunity into success, growth, and new jobs,” notes Kimberly Farrugia, EASTEC show manager. “The EASTEC 2010 event is a unique opportunity to learn what other companies are doing, share best practices, and create networks to increase productivity and profitability. According to a recent report by Deloitte and the New England Council, advanced manufacturing has the potential to add 7,500 to 8,000 jobs with salaries averaging close to $80,000 annually.” Farrugia stated that 19 manufacturers have signed up to make presentations at the EASTEC 2010 Innovations Theater on subjects ranging from “The Next Generation of Generative Laser Process Technology” to “CAD/CAM for Robots.”
Sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, EASTEC will be held at the Eastern States Exposition on May 25-27 and is centered on five exhibit categories: Design, Engineering, and Rapid Technologies; Tooling, Workholding and Machining Accessories; Automation and Process Improvement; Plant, Energy, and Environmental Efficiency; and Precision Manufacturing Equipment and Systems. EASTEC also features Lean and Green Resource Centers offering presentations, consultations and opportunities to meet potential business partners.