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Automation Fair 2024 brought together the Plex and greater Rockwell Automation community in sunny Anaheim, California. This year’s theme — “Make it Matter” — set the tone for the inspirational week together as both current and prospective customers, partners, and team members arrived at the industrial automation event of the year to learn how to innovate in the year ahead.

If you couldn’t join us or you’re wanting to relive the fun, be sure to check out our top 5 highlights from this year’s transformative event!

1. The Plex Customer Summit

It goes without saying that the Plex Customer Summit is one of the best parts of Automation Fair. In the rush of event week, this half-day summit brings together the Plex Community and is completely dedicated to Plex customer voices, insights from Plex leaderships, and industry conversation. This year’s summit featured:

• An engaging keynote led by Anthony Murphy and Michael Hart. These two Plex leaders celebrated accomplishments from the past year, highlighted the roadmap of Plex’s future, and brought the audience through an in-depth discussion of Plex’s latest product release, Plex Connected Worker.
• A customer panel, featuring Chelsea Milling Company, RECARO, and American Axle. This panel paired each customer with their Customer Success Manager (CSM) and, together, they spoke to the audience about the customer’s Plex journey and their success since implementation.
• Three breakout sessions tailored to prospective customers, hybrid industries, and food & beverage. These breakout sessions allowed summit attendees to dive a bit deeper into the details and ensure industry-specific questions could be answered.

2. The 2024 Plex Impact Awards

Plex customers and partners have been recognized by the Impact Awards for over a decade. The categories have remained the same: Industry Leader, Transformer, Innovator, and Partner of the Year. Let’s look at this year’s category winners:

• Industry Leader: Flex
• Transformer: Chelsea Milling Company
• Innovator: Pacur
• Partner of the Year: Cumulus Consulting Inc.

Each of these companies demonstrated creative usage of Plex products and a willingness to think outside the box when problem solving, implementing, and developing new projects. Be sure to read their individual blog posts, which provide the larger story behind their Impact Award win and join us in celebrating this accomplishment!

3. Hestan Offsite Tour

The Hestan off-site tour was your chance during Automation Fair to see Plex ERP and MES in action, along with a walk through the production facility and showroom of the award-winning culinary brand. Tour attendees looked on in awe as they witnessed the production behind Hestan’s advanced commercial equipment and luxury indoor appliances. Fear not, we have photos to share: 

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4. The Women in Manufacturing Luncheon, Sponsored by Control+M Solutions

Making an appearance for the third year in a row at Automation Fair, this year’s Women in Manufacturing Luncheon (sponsored by Plex Platinum Partner, Control+M Solutions) centered on an important theme: The Future of Manufacturing Depends on Women. 

With an engaged crowd in front of them, this year’s panelists discussed personal experiences navigating the manufacturing industry, the role women will play as manufacturing continues to experience workforce challenges, and ways women can empower one another. Attendees not only learned from the panelists, but also those sitting next to them throughout the session. 

Meet this year’s panelists:

• Dawn Brusseau, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Rockwell Automation (Moderator)
• Divya Venkataraman, Director, Lifecycle Services Strategy, Rockwell Automation
• Patti Nowak, Owner, Control+M Solutions
• Victoria Beltran, Director of Information Systems, Pacur
• Jayne Millard, Executive Chairman and Co-CEO, Turtle

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5. Future-Focused Keynotes

One of many benefits that Automation Fair offers is the opportunity to hear directly from manufacturing leaders about the current and future state of the industry. This year, attendees listened and learned from leaders like Rockwell’s very own Chairman & CEO, Blake Moret. There were also insights shared from exciting external voices, including NVIDA Vice President, Omniverse and Simulation Technology Rev Lebaredian.

Luckily, these engaging keynotes were recorded for all to enjoy:

• The Future of Industrial Operations
• Automation to Autonomous 2.0
• Making It Matter
• Inspiring Innovation - Fireside Chat

If you couldn’t join us in Anaheim, this is your opportunity to participate in the conversation that took place at this year’s event. Recorded content from Automation Fair 2024 is limited—we encourage you to check these videos out. 

Catch us in Chicago for Automation Fair 2025

One Automation Fair has come to a close, but the next one has already been announced! Plex and Rockwell Automation teams are already looking forward to next year’s event and it never hurts to plan early. Be sure to mark your calendars for Automation Fair 2025, taking place in Chicago, Illinois!