Manufacturing Summit focuses on supply chain, staffing | Business

TRAVERSE CITY — The key to post-pandemic ascension in manufacturing often comes down to minimizing disruption in two key areas: supply chain and staffing.

So finding the focus for Tuesday’s eighth annual Northern Michigan Manufacturing Summit wasn’t difficult for organizers of the event, which returns to Northwestern Michigan College’s Hagerty Center after a one-year absence.

“The theme this year is (we) wanted to talk about supply-chain challenges and staffing shortages,” said Kevin Olds, a member of the Grand Traverse Area Manufacturing Council board of directors and a senior business advisor at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. “Those two things more than anything have been top of mind for most manufacturing leaders that I come into contact with on a daily basis.

“We wanted to have speakers to provide insight and maybe best practices that relate to those two topics.”

Normally held in early March, GTAMC’s 2020 event was held just before the pandemic changed the business world and the manufacturing industry forever.

The 2021 Manufacturing Summit was moved from its traditional March date to June to accommodate an outdoor gathering. Last year’s event was moved to Jacob’s Farm and told the tale of eight businesses in a much different format with a much different focus.

“Stories of Humility, Agility and Perseverance: Manufacturing in Northern Michigan” was the theme of the 2021 summit. But Olds said Tuesday’s event is back to its usual schedule, for the most part.

“For sure,” Olds said. “Networking events are huge and events like this that provide an opportunity to get together and talk shop. It’s hard to do networking in a virtual space.

“Even though this event has always been in person, we’re happy to be able to do it in person.”

Tuesday’s summit begins with registration from 7:50-8 a.m.

New this year is a networking luncheon from 11:50 a.m. to 1 p.m. The summit is $40 for non-GTAMC members to help cover the cost of the lunch. It remains free for GTAMC members.

The keynote speaker for 2022 is Chris Kuehl, managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence. Kuehl used a “Wizard of Oz” reference for the title of his address: “Recession, Inflation, and War — Oh my!”

Olds said Kuehl will discuss topics such as supply-chain disruption as well as the effect the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had on other economic factors from 8:25-9:30 a.m.

“What is the situation right now?,” Kuehl said in an email to Olds about his address. “How real is the threat of recession and runaway inflation? What is feeding the concern and is there a path back to some semblance of normal?

“There are still many positive signs, but the threats are real as well. What role is supply-chain breakdown and labor shortage playing in all this?”

Olds said he heard Kuehl give one of the keynote addresses at the three-day Center for Best Practices Conference in Phoenix in late September 2021. He Googled Kuehl after that conference, contacted him on LinkedIn to start a conversation and secured his speaking services back in January.

“He’s an economist and he was talking about the future of the manufacturing economy in the country and around the globe,” Olds said of Kuehl’s September speech.

Following Kuehl to the podium is Good Works Lab founder Ty Schmidt to discuss workplace mental health. Olds said Schmidt will talk about the Workplace Mental Health Playbook and touch on topics such as culture, accommodations and mental health equity.

Scott Kunselman, a board member at Traverse City’s Promethient and advisory board member at Caresoft Global, will discuss supply-chain disruption from 10:35-11:20 a.m.

The last speaker is GTAMC board member Dennis Arouca. A member of the board of directors for the Grand Traverse Economic Development Corporation and a board member of the Manufacturing Technology Academy, Arouca is scheduled to give an Industry 4.0 update from 11:20-11:50 a.m.

Olds said all of the presentations should translate into actions regional manufacturers can use in their own facilities in addition to providing “a better understanding of why things are the way they are” post-pandemic.

Olds said more than 70 had already registered a week before the June 7 summit. He expects that number to grow by a dozen before it begins.