WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA-EASTEC 2011 opens tomorrow for a three-day run and is expected to attract manufacturers from the entire East coast. The event features 500 exhibitors, including industry leaders Mitsubishi, Citizen Machinery America, Compumachine and Brooks Associates.

“Manufacturers are hungry for ideas on being more efficient and competitive, as well as reaching new markets,” notes Kimberly Farrugia, senior show manager for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the organizer of EASTEC 2011. “This year’s event is packed with opportunities to learn, exchange ideas, and network.”

The EASTEC 2011 starts Tuesday, May 17, with a keynote presentation on “The Trends Driving Jet Engine Manufacturing” by Pratt & Whitney’s Joe Presing, manager of strategic manufacturing, and Paul Faughnan, technology manager and manufacturing engineer. A second keynote on Thursday features Donna Bibber, president and CEO of Micro Engineering Solutions LLC, presenting “Advances in Micro-Manufacturing Technology for the Medical Device Industry.”

Attendees can also attend any of the 21 free Resource Center presentations offered at EASTEC 2011, including a new topic, “Social Media for Manufacturers – Getting Started,” which is of growing interest in the industry.

Exhibitors, including Citizen Machinery America Inc., are expected to debut 150 new products at EASTEC 2011. “We will showcase two new machine tools at the event: the Citizen L20 X, a multi-axis, high-precision Swiss-style lathe, and the Miyano BNA42-DHY, a high-precision, multi-axis turning center,” revealed James Cepican, general manager at Citizen Machinery America Inc. “It’s a good opportunity to show our new machines and to illustrate how Citizen Machinery America supports New England manufacturing.”

EASTEC 2011, the largest annual manufacturing event on the East coast, takes place May 17–19 at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA. The show opens daily at 9 a.m. and is centered on five exhibit categories: design, engineering and rapid technologies; tooling, workholding and machining accessories; automation, quality and process improvement; plant, energy and environmental efficiency; and precision manufacturing equipment and systems.