Los Angeles — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Engineer Adam Steltzner will respectively open and keynote WESTEC, the premier West Coast manufacturing event. Mayor Garcetti was recently elected to office and has championed manufacturing since hitting the campaign trail. Steltzner has been a public figure in NASA’s Mars rover project. Produced by SME, WESTEC 2013 will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center October 15-17, 2013.

“The Mayor can direct policy and bring stakeholders together to drive manufacturing growth in the region,” said Christine Longroy WESTEC event manager. “And highlighting NASA’s technological feat with the Mars rover connects manufacturing to scientific advancements.”

As the leader of America’s second largest city, Mayor Garcetti has made business innovation and manufacturing a major priority of his administration. Prior to assuming office, the Mayor was instrumental in shifting Los Angeles forward by enhancing the City’s technological implementation and know-how. As part of his economic agenda, Mayor Garcetti has actively encouraged increased manufacturing in the Los Angeles area. In his opening address, the Mayor will talk about the need for technology innovation and opportunities for manufacturing in the region.

As the face of the Mars Science Laboratory mission for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Steltzner serves as the chief landing engineer and landing system development manager. He was responsible for the entry, descent and landing phase to ensure that the intricately designed Mars rover vehicle landed safely. Steltzner’s keynote speech at WESTEC is titled “A Different Way to Get to Mars – The Engineering Challenge.” In his speech, Steltzner will detail the unique engineering and manufacturing issues facing NASA’s team which has been described as an unprecedented feat of technology.

For nearly 50 years, WESTEC has built a reputation as the West Coast’s premier technological showcase and innovation for the manufacturing industry. Generations of manufacturers have used the event as a forum to find cutting-edge equipment, explore advanced technologies and learn innovative new production methods to help grow their businesses. Many of the industry’s top equipment manufacturers have unveiled technological breakthroughs at WESTEC from software, cutting tools, 3D printers to multitasking machines.

For more information, and to register for WESTEC 2013, visit westeconline.com.