McLean, Va. March 08, 2014 -- The MTConnect Institute, organizer of the third [MC]² 2014 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference - Advancing Data-Driven Manufacturing,is pleased to announce the keynote speakers for the conference, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., April 8-10 at the Caribe Royale Orlando.

On April 9 Peter Lucas, Ph.D., founding Principal of MAYA Design, will present “Interoperability in the Age of Trillions.” With more than 10 billion microprocessors produced every year and the world soon containing a trillion computers,making a world work in an effective and humane way is a challenge without precedent. Dr. Lucas’stalk will explore this challenge and describe the goal of a true "Ecology of Information Devices.” Focusing on the intersection between advanced technology and human capabilities, Dr. Lucas has worked to break down the disciplinary boundaries that lead to technology that is poorly suited to the needs of individuals and society.

The April 10 keynote will be presented by Dean Bartles, Ph.D., Executive Director of Digital Lab for Manufacturing within UI LABS and Greg Harris, Ph.D., U.S. Army AMRDEC (tentative).Both presenters will speak about the federal investment for the DMDI Institute that will be used to establish the Digital Lab for Manufacturing (Digital Lab), led by UI LABS, a Chicago-based research and commercialization collaborative. Along with the $70 million cooperative agreement, UI LABS has secured an additional $250 million of support from industry, government, and community partners to

Keynote Speakers Announced for [MC]² 2014 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference

form the $320 million Digital Lab. As a pillar of President Obama’s investment in U.S. Manufacturing, the Digital Lab will be the nation’s flagship research institute in digital manufacturing and design innovation and a world-class, first-of-its-kind manufacturing hub with the capabilities, innovation and collaboration necessary to transform American manufacturing.

“The MTConnect Institute is proud to host theseworld-class thought leaders who willboth inspire a new way of thinking and empower with actionable information to help propel the digital manufacturing field forward,”said President and Chairman of the MTConnect Institute Board Courtney Hill.

MTConnect is a set of open, royalty-free standards intended to foster greater interoperability between controls, devices and software applications by publishing data over networks using the Internet Protocol. Since its introduction in 2008, MTConnect has become the standard for manufacturing connectivity. The manufacturing technology community commonly uses MTConnect to connect the shop floor to monitoring applications and to integrate the shop floor with the entire manufacturing enterprise.

The conference schedule and program tracks for [MC]² 2014 include:

• Hands-on training on the first day of the conference with sessions that cover basic and advanced topics about the MTConnect standard, including how to develop Agents and Adapters, as well as how to take advantage of the MTConnect/OPC-UA Companion Specification.

• General sessionson the second and third mornings of the conference willcover the benefits of the latest advancements in digital manufacturing and apply to a broad range of conference attendees.

• Breakout sessions will run concurrently during the afternoon of the second day of the conference.The topics will focus on areas of interest for device and equipment manufacturers, software developers, and end users.

Keynote Speakers Announced for [MC]² 2014 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference

For further information about the conference and to register, visit MTConnectConference.com.

MTConnect Institute

The MTConnect Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization established to further the development of the MTConnect standard and publish related materials.  The organization includes Board of Directors, Technical Advisory Group (TAG), Technical Steering Committee, as well as various working groups to further the standard in specific technology areas.  Any company or organization can be a member and aid in furthering the development of the MTConnect standard by becoming a member of the TAG. Membership is free, and it requires agreement to the MTConnect Intellectual Property Policy, which can be found on the MTConnect website’s “Institute” section. www.MTConnect.org.



Contact:

Paul Warndorf
Secretary
MTConnect Institute
703-827-5291
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