Your Guide to Hands-On Learning at MD&M South
MD&M South workshops are built for manufacturing leaders who want more than theory. These interactive sessions blend proven operational methods with modern digital tools—so you can reduce waste, increase throughput, and build repeatable systems that scale.
Why Attend
Hands-On Learning
Apply concepts immediately through exercises, simulation, and guided group work.
Proven Frameworks + Modern Tech
Bridge Lean best practices with today’s Industry 4.0 tools—without losing what works.
Immediate Shop Floor Impact
Leave with practical use cases you can implement to improve flow, quality, and uptime.
Operational Visibility
Learn how better data, tracking, and insight reveal hidden bottlenecks and wasted motion.
Peer-to-Peer Problem Solving
Collaborate with manufacturing leaders facing the same constraints—people, time, and variability.
Diving Deeper into Lean and Smart Manufacturing Synergies
Lean has long driven efficiency by reducing cost, eliminating waste, and centering the customer. It’s the backbone of continuous improvement across manufacturing.
With Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing on the rise, some wonder if Lean is outdated. It isn’t—the opposite is true. Digital technologies make Lean faster, more precise, and more scalable.
What is Digital Lean?
Digital Lean is the intersection of timeless Lean principles and modern digital tools. It’s not a new set of rules—it’s an enhancement that strengthens proven Lean methods with real-time data and automation.
Why it works
- Precise, timely insights that sharpen decision-making on the shop floor
- Faster PDCA cycles driven by live, granular operational data
- Reduced variability and waste through automated detection and alerts
- Scalable improvements sustained across lines, plants, and networks
Digital Lean in action
- Real-time dashboards and digital Andon to expose bottlenecks instantly
- Automated data capture and SPC to stabilize processes and cut defects
- Predictive maintenance aligned to TPM to increase uptime and OEE
- Digital work instructions with feedback loops to standardize best practice
Digital Lean elevates your Lean program—keeping the principles the same, and making the impact bigger, faster, and more consistent.
Workshop Topics
The Evolution of Lean in Industry 4.0
How Lean adapts—and becomes stronger—when paired with connected systems and automation.
What “Digital Lean” Looks Like in Practice
Real examples of using digital insight to reduce variability and eliminate waste.
Operational Insight that Drives Action
How precise, timely data improves decision-making, floor, and problem-solving.
Where to Start (and What to Avoid)
How to identify high-value opportunities and prevent “tech-first” mistakes.
Sustaining Continuous Improvement at Scale
How to embed Digital Lean into culture, routines, and daily management systems.
From Blind Spots to Breakthroughs:
Real-Time Visibility on the Shop Floor
In modern manufacturing, real-time visibility isn’t optional—it’s a competitive advantage.
This hands-on workshop shows how Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) can transform shop floor operations, eliminate waste, accelerate Lean initiatives, and improve performance.
What you’ll experience
Join an interactive simulation—the Track & Trace Game—that mirrors real production environments using mock parts and tools paired with real digital tracking technology. You’ll see the before-and-after impact of location intelligence, reveal hidden inefficiencies, and learn how technologies like UWB, BLE, and RFID enable practical use cases including WIP tracking, tool control, SMED, LIFO/FIFO adherence, contamination prevention, scrap control, e-Kanban, and more.
Who it’s for
Whether you’re new to RTLS or looking to scale its impact, this workshop blends strategy and practice to help you identify, measure, and improve the drivers of operational excellence across your facility.
Workshop Topics
RTLS Fundamentals (UWB, BLE, RFID)
What each technology does best—and where it fits on the shop floor.
The “Track & Trace Game” Simulation
Experience firsthand how location intelligence changes behavior, flow, and outcomes.
Lean Use Cases Powered by Visibility
WIP tracking, tool control, SMED, FIFO/LIFO, contamination prevention, scrap control, e-Kanban, and more.
Finding Waste You Can’t See
How to uncover hidden motion, delays, rework triggers, and bottlenecks.
Turning Data into Better Performance
How to measure improvement and sustain gains with practical KPIs and workflows.
Who Should Attend?
Built for the People Responsible for Throughput, Quality, and Operational Excellence
Key Decision Makers
- Operations & Manufacturing Leaders
- Plant & Site Leaders
- Continuous Improvement Leaders
- Production & Performance Managers
Technical Professionals
- Manufacturing / Industrial Engineers
- Automation & Controls Engineers
- Process / Validation Engineers
- Quality & Reliability Leaders
Industry Specialists
- Digital Transformation Leaders
- Lean Practitioners & CI Specialists
- Data & Analytics Leaders
- Smart Factory / Industry 4.0 Champions
Who Will You Meet?
Join a Community Focused on Real Shop Floor Results
Operations Peers
Connect with leaders working to improve flow, standard work, and daily management systems.
Automation & Data Experts
Learn from practitioners applying digital tools to increase stability, speed, and consistency.
Lean + Manufacturing Technology Innovators
Meet professionals blending Lean principles with modern visibility and smart manufacturing solutions.
Media, Conference, and Association Partners
Official Media
2026 Media Partners
2026 Association Partners
Site Links
Helpful Links
Official Media
#MDMSouth
Recognitions
