CHICAGO — The Association For Manufacturing Technology and SME announced a major new partnership for a series of regional co-branded trade shows focused on the manufacturing technology industry. The collaboration encompasses the existing EASTEC, WESTEC, SOUTH-TEC, HOUSTEX, and Mfg4 events.

The new events will feature a blend of education, applications, and technology innovation, particularly in the areas of digital manufacturing, automation, MTConnect and the Industrial IoT. Mirroring the industry trend of regionalized manufacturing in the U.S., each event will include a mix of topics and technologies that are of specific interest to that region.

“SME and AMT are each bringing their unique strengths to this collaboration, which will provide our members and the manufacturing industry at large with innovative, best-in-class events to drive business success,” said AMT President Douglas K. Woods. “We look forward to exciting developments as our partnership grows.”

SME and AMT first partnered on an event-related agreement in 1989. The idea was to pull together both organizations’ resources to develop forums where manufacturers could see the latest technologies in their own regions of the U.S.

“SME and AMT are an excellent pairing, representing the individuals and companies that are the end-users and builders of manufacturing technology,” said SME Chief Executive Officer Jeff Krause. “Together, our organizations represent the manufacturing marketplace.”

The 2017-18 events will immediately benefit from the cooperation and collaboration of AMT and SME. Some updates could potentially include: innovative new learning opportunities, new interactive exhibits and more ways for attendees and exhibitors to connect and collaborate.

“The dynamic of manufacturing is changing dramatically, and manufacturers are demanding the latest and most innovative events and solutions available,” said AMT Vice President - Exhibitions & Business Development Peter Eelman. “The combination of AMT and SME will bring those solutions to a wider audience. We are excited about future possibilities as the industry evolves and the events evolve along with it.”

“Events are the live platform that drives collaboration,” said Vice President of SME Events and Industry Strategy Debbie Holton. “As two of the largest producers of manufacturing events in North America, SME and AMT provide regional venues that manufacturing professionals rely on to see the latest technology and create business opportunities.”

HOUSTEX, EASTEC, SOUTH-TEC, WESTEC and Mfg4 will continue to serve important manufacturing centers across the U.S. with enhanced content on key topics like additive manufacturing and smart manufacturing. For more information, visit sme.org/sme-and-amt.

For more information, visit sme.org and amtonline.org.