Smart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense 2026
Smart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense is a summit on deploying smart technologies, modernizing operations, and building resilient, Industry 4.0-enabled A&D manufacturing and supply chains.
Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Dates
- 27 October 2026
- Venue
- Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
TL;DR
- Smart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense 2026 is scheduled for 27 October 2026 at Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- The summit addresses smart technologies, modernized operations, and resilient, Industry 4.0-enabled aerospace and defense manufacturing and supply chains.
- Organizer-published audience data names VPs, Directors, Global Heads, and Managers across digital factory, automation, robotics, cobots, and advanced manufacturing functions.
About
AMG World organizes this one-day summit in Chicago on deploying smart technologies and modernizing operations across aerospace and defense manufacturing and supply chains. It is pitched at VP, Director, and Head level leaders in manufacturing, operations, and digital transformation. The case made for attending is that rising defense spending and geopolitical risk are pushing manufacturers toward digitalization, with AI, automation, robotics, and digital thread named as forces shortening lead times. Speakers come from firms including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics Mission Systems, and the United States Air Force.
Who you'll find in the room
Leadership
VPs, Directors, Global Heads, and Managers in aerospace and defense manufacturing and operations.
Functions
Digital Factory, Smart Factory, Connected Factory, Intelligent Factory, Digital Technologies, Factory Automation, Test Automation, Robotics, Cobots, and Advanced Manufacturing.
Featured speakers
13 listedKevin Maring
Fellow - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, and Operations Transformation · Lockheed Martin
Crystal Taton
Digital Factory Technical Fellow and Smart Factory Architect · Raytheon
Warren B. Smith
Sr. Principal Systems Engineer and Digital Twin Principal Investigator · General Dynamics Mission Systems
Linley Davis
Operations Systems & Modeling, Intelligent Factory · Lockheed Martin
John Dyck
Chief Executive Officer · CESMII
Vino Kingston
AI Transformation Strategy & Integration, Advanced Solutions · Lockheed Martin
Clay Mullins
Research Engineer · GKN Aerospace
Tony Papke
Sr. Director of Business Development
Deepak Sachdeva
Chief Information Officer · United States Air Force
Waruna Seneviratne
Director - ATLAS · National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR)
Hafeez Syed
Senior Manager, Digital Technology, Digital Transformation Strategy · Pratt & Whitney
Matthew Thornton
CMO/CPO · Rapta
Steven Trebatoski
Senior Manufacturing Engineering Manager, DRS Technologies · Leonardo DRS
What attendees say
“Leading this event allowed me to connect with industry innovators... and witness firsthand the incredible advancements in aerospace manufacturing.”
Venue & travel
Venue
Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference CenterQuestions people ask
5 answeredSmart Manufacturing for Aerospace & Defense 2026 is on 27 October 2026.
It is held at Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
The organizer lists VPs, Directors, Global Heads, and Managers across digital factory, smart factory, connected factory, intelligent factory, digital technologies, factory automation, test automation, robotics, cobots, and advanced manufacturing.
It is most useful for VP, director and head-level manufacturing, operations and digital transformation leaders in aerospace and defense, since speakers come from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Pratt & Whitney and the US Air Force, and topics include digital twins, AI and digital thread. Shop-floor engineers wanting hands-on training, or suppliers outside defense, will get less from a single-day summit centred on enterprise-wide digitalization.
Aerospace and defense manufacturing executives usually wear business casual at such summits, often slacks and a collared shirt or blazer, with jackets optional.
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