Automotive Manufacturing North America 2026 Agenda

15:00

Registration open

16:30

Intro and welcome to Automotive Manufacturing North America

AMS Chief Content Officer Christopher Ludwig opens the conference and shares why manufacturers in North America need to ensure their cost control aligns with goals to make automotive production more flexible, resilient and local. As the industry transforms, OEMs and suppliers must exploit opportunities in manufacturing technologies across AI, automation, vision systems and more.

16:35

Smart factory execution: Adapting to constant change

Automotive Manufacturing North America opens with an exploration of how production teams can best manage and master volatility, including maximising flexibility. Learn about the tools, data, processes and skills needed to make factories not only connected, automated and efficient, but even more adaptable.

17:10

Making every dollar count: Managing cost and capex for more competitive, reliable North American manufacturing

This session will focus on maximising investments and controlling capital expenditure at automotive plants through more efficient brownfield upgrades, retooling equipment and enhanced maintenance strategies. 

17:50

Meet the Speakers & Networking Reception

A relaxed opportunity to engage with industry leaders and fellow attendees. You will also hear from some of the leaders and experts speaking at the conference, to learn more about what is changing in North American automotive manufacturing, insight into their careers and a sneak peek at the exciting discussions to come on Thursday.

Drinks reception ends at 20:00

Key topics

Cost & capital efficiency
Design for manufacturing
Flexible production
Practical automation
AI at scale
Workforce evolution