Better Equipped: How to Turn Career Gaps into Industry 4.0 Talent
The State of Agentic AI and Prospects for Industrial Automation
Automation That Elevates: Building Meaningful Work in Smart Factories
ChatGPT Enterprise: Protecting Your Intellectual Property and Data
MD&M West & MD&M South: Learn, Connect & Elevate Manufacturing
Talent Acquisition: Flexible Schedules for Diverse Workforces
MX.0 Southeast & MX.0 Midwest: Led by Manufacturers for Manufacturers
Upcoming Events
Manufacturing’s talent challenge is not only about training. It’s also about confidence, connections, and workplace culture. This new blog makes the case that career gaps are a normal part of life, not a red flag, and that returners can be a strong source of Industry 4.0 talent when hiring focuses on demonstrated capability.
Also find practical ideas for rebuilding skills and support together, including returnships, mentorships, and clearer on-ramps that help people contribute quickly.
Agentic AI has been one of the most talked-about themes, with big promises around autonomous automation for operations and business. In reality, many solutions have been harder to deliver than early forecasts suggested.
In this webinar replay, Leonard Lee, Executive Analyst at NeXt Curve, breaks down what agentic AI is, why it has been challenging to implement, and what it could mean for manufacturing and industrial automation going forward. He is joined by Industry 4.0 Club Co-Founder Tim Stuart and CEO Mike Ungar.
As Industry 4.0 and automation accelerate, the real challenge is often the human side. Is there tension between Lean culture and fast-moving technology, or can they reinforce each other?
In this January 28th webinar, join Kathy Miller, MAPP, MBA, ACC, Senior Operations Executive and Author, as she shares what separates organizations where digital tools support meaningful work from those where they unintentionally erode it. She will also cover common leadership missteps during automation rollouts, and how leaders can balance empathy for long-tenured employees with the realities of change.
Register: Automation That Elevates
Get a quick look at how teams can use enterprise AI tools while keeping sensitive information protected. In this video short, Industry 4.0 Club founder and AI expert Jason Bean emphasizes the importance of AI policy.
From powerhouse speakers and can’t-miss sessions to advanced manufacturing solutions right on the expo floor, MD&M West is designed to help you learn, connect, and move faster — without running between events. There’s still time to register; this year’s event is February 3-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
What you’ll find this year:
✨ 5 Tech Tracks, including Next-Gen Manufacturing and Supply Chain Design
✨ 3 hands-on workshops
✨ The Leadership Summit
✨ Networking and the Welcome Reception
Also, MD&M South is coming April 22-23 to the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina. With six expos under one roof, MD&M South is your one-stop shop for all aspects of the manufacturing process.
Employer flexibility is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining a broader range of talent in manufacturing. Watch this short from our webinar Discovering the Art of Putting a Face on Manufacturing featuring Whitney Koch, an expert in education and manufacturing content, as she connects lessons from the education field that can help manufacturing.
The 5th MX.0 Southeast and 3rd MX.0 Midwest events bring together manufacturing leaders to share practical, real-world lessons in digital transformation, directly from the factory floor.
MX.0 Southeast: Returning to beautiful Greenville, South Carolina, on April 7 & 8, hear from industry leaders across two days of case studies, interactive workshops, and insightful panel discussions. View the 2026 speaker lineup including:
Peterson Lindo, MBA, Innovation & Digitalization Specialist, BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
Scott Burkey, Technology Fellow, Smurfit Westrock
Trent Randles, Engineering Manager, BorgWarner
Vishal Nigade, Logistics Engineer, Atlas Copco
MX.0 Midwest: After two incredible years of packed sessions, insightful panels, and powerful networking, the 3rd annual MX.0 Midwest on September 30 & October 1 in Cleveland promises to be bigger, bolder, and even more action-driven, bringing together the Midwest's manufacturing leaders and tech pioneers to define what's next for digital manufacturing. Whether you want to sponsor, speak, or attend, now’s the time to get involved.
January 21st webinar – Turning AI into your Next Competitive Advantage
January 28th webinar – Automation That Elevates: Building Meaningful Work in Smart Factories
February 3-5 – MD&M West, Anaheim, California
February 4th webinar – Breaking Barriers in Engineering. Watch LinkedIn for our invite coming soon!
February 11th webinar – Beyond Asset Performance: Unlocking IoT Data for Strategic OEM Insights. Watch LinkedIn for our invite coming soon!
February 18th webinar – Supply Chain Partnerships: Change to Stay Ahead. Watch LinkedIn for our invite coming soon!
February 25th webinar – Diving Deeper into Lean and Smart Manufacturing Synergies. Watch LinkedIn for our invite coming soon!
March 4th webinar – Security Starts at Design: “Shifting Left” in Industrial Automation. Watch LinkedIn for our invite coming soon!
April 7-8 – 5th MX.0 Southeast, Greenville, South Carolina
April 22-23 – MD&M South, Charlotte, North Carolina
September 30-October 1 – 3rd MX.0 Midwest, Cleveland, Ohio
Join the Industry 4.0 Club and be part of our vibrant community, dedicated to shaping the future of manufacturing. By actively participating, you can make a meaningful impact in advancing Industry 4.0 and contribute to reshaping the manufacturing landscape.
We’re always looking for new contributors to share their expertise, experience and spread the word. You can contact us directly at info@industry40club.com with a subject such as “Getting Involved” and follow us on all social media (LinkedIn & YouTube) or donate to help fund the club’s activities.
Shaping the Future is Industry 4.0 Club’s official newsletter. You can help us improve by sharing feedback and suggestions. The newsletter will land in your inbox every Month; please subscribe to not miss anything and forward the email to someone you think would benefit from this.
Shaping the Future is brought to you with support from our partners:
Breaking the Bottleneck - A weekly-ish manufacturing and physical AI newsletter and interview series from industrial tech expert Aditya Raghupathy.
Informa Media - Informa champions specialists working in academic and business-to-business markets, connecting people with knowledge to help them learn more, know more and do more.
MD&M Trade Shows - For nearly 40 years, MD&M expositions and conferences have been the trusted resource nationwide for every aspect of advanced manufacturing development.
MX.0 Media - MX.0 Media’s in-person events and online platforms are where manufacturers connect and share real-world digital transformation and Industry 4.0 lessons, building relationships that propel their businesses, careers, regional and national economies forward.
Society of Women Engineers - SWE is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering, and to be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders.
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