CHICAGO — The International Manufacturing Technology Show recognizes the critical role job shops play within the manufacturing industry. To help job shop stakeholders find solutions to their everyday problems, IMTS 2018 has announced a focus on job shops and created a special series of events, including practical learning sessions, engagement opportunities and conferences. IMTS 2018 runs from September 10-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago. 

“The Job Shops program at IMTS 2018 further expands on the greatest collection of resources available to help job shops maximize their operations,” said Peter R. Eelman, vice president of exhibitions and business development at The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “The value of engaging with peers cannot be over-stated; practical learning opportunities abound and IMTS 2018 features more than 2,400 exhibitors who will showcase their newest technologies and products.”

To register and learn more about events that help job shops improve efficiency in multiple areas, visit imts.com/jobshops. As an incentive to attend these events, IMTS is offering a chance to win a garage shop welding and cutting equipment package valued at approximately $5,000, courtesy of ESAB.

Practical Learning

This year, IMTS will host practical learning sessions and conferences specifically geared toward owner-operated job shops from Wednesday, Sept. 12 through Friday, Sept. 14. The first session and lunch will kick off at 11 a.m. Sept. 12 with insights from marketing master Steve Miller, who will discuss new ideas for business growth and lessons from his book, Uncopyable: Creating an Unfair Advantage Over the Competition. This session and lunch will also be offered at 11 a.m. Sept. 14. Following lunch, at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday only, a panel featuring successful job shop owners will lead a discussion titled The Unending Search for Qualified Labor, the leading issue facing job shops.

Another practical learning opportunity at IMTS 2018 includes Modern Machine Shop magazine’s Top Shops Workshop, a live extension of their benchmarking program for job shops, on Sept. 13. Top Shops features a combination of technology utilization and modernization that have helped manufacturing facilities be competitive, innovative and profitable.

Technologies and Products

IMTS 2018 features 10 technology pavilions, all offering a multitude of technologies and new products specifically for job shops. From Additive Manufacturing to Metal Cutting to Quality Assurance, attendees will experience new technologies and products for job shops throughout McCormick Place.

In addition, the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Booth at IMTS 2018, located at the entrance to the North Building, provides an interactive display for discovering the best practices of the finest advanced manufacturing shops and plants.

AMT’s Eelman said, “IMTS builds community on the show floor, in conference sessions and through informal conversations with peers. Our Job Shops program at IMTS 2018 makes it easy for first-time visitors to make connections so that they, as well as industry veterans, can all further their business goals.”

Engage and Discover

During the Job Shops “lunch and learn” events, offered Sept. 12 and Sept. 14, IMTS encourages shop stakeholders to share ideas and talk through strategies essential for helping their business grow. The chances are that others in the room face the same or similar challenges, and the willingness to share success stories is one of the traits that brings the manufacturing community together.

Similarly, the Top Shops Workshop is sponsoring a networking session from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sept. 13 for all attendees of this program to meet the speakers and engage with industry peers to exchange ideas, share challenges and find solutions that can boost their business to new heights.

For more information, visit www.AMTonline.org.