This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Tri-City Development Council’s annual Smartmap Expo, which will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 at TRAC in Pasco.
This year’s keynote speaker is Harry Moser, founder and president of Reshoring Initiative, which works to bring jobs that have been outsourced overseas back to the U.S.
Moser will speak during the Haskins Steel Power Breakfast, which begins at 7 a.m. at TRAC
Moser worked in the manufacturing industry for 40 years before founding the Reshoring Initiative, which is supported by 27 companies and trade associations. The Reshoring Initiative helps U.S. manufacturers recognize the profit potential of using producing and sourcing products locally, as well as the critical role they can play in strengthening the economy. Moser’s website allows users to calculate, using their own company’s figures, the cost benefit of doing its manufacturing at home or abroad. The tool, called the Total Cost of Ownership Estimator, factors in transportation, inventory and other relevant factors.
Moser believes that workers are afraid to get into the manufacturing industry because they are constantly seeing those jobs being outsourced. He says if companies can keep jobs in the U.S. or bring them back, more workers would get into manufacturing and there would be more skilled labor available.
During the Power Breakfast, Jeanne Diller, CEO of SIGN Fracture Care International of Richland, will present the annual Smartmap Manufacturer of the Year award.
The breakfast will be followed by the opening of the manufacturer’s expo featuring more than 100 exhibitors and a number of Success Seminars, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At 9 a.m., Moser will also speak during a workshop called “Reshoring manufacturing back to the U.S.” Registration is required to attend Moser’s workshop.
Other seminars offered are:
Innovation—A Discussion on How to Bring the Concept of ‘Meaningfully Unique’ to your organizations, which will be presented by Rhea Wallace, director of Growth Services, Impact Washington.
OSHA Best Practices: Key Essentials for an Effective OSHA Training Program, presented by James Moss, senior account executive, Vivid Learning Systems, Pasco.
Team Integration Development — Building Teams that Last, presented by David Minerath, ME, president, Quest Integration.
Off the Drawing Board — from Prototype to Production, presented by Scott Schroeder, president, Mega Tech of Oregon, Corvallis, Ore.
Maximizing Profitability in a Job Shop Environment, presented by Paul Bailey and Brent Terhaar, partners, Clifton Larson Allen Manufacturing and Distribution Group.
Washington Manufacturing 2012: A SWOT Analysis, presented by Bill Virgin, editor and publisher, Washington Manufacturing Alert Newsletter, Pacific Northwest Rail News.
In addition to the workshops, Smartmap visitors can tour the Advanced Inspection and Manufacturing Mobile Training Unit. The unit, developed by the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee, is a 53-foot classroom on wheels that can offer training in product design, programming, testing, set-up, machining, inspection and reporting.
Smartmap exhibitors will have the opportunity to tour the ATI Richland Operations facility, which uses electron beam technology to melt titanium in a vacuum chamber to create ingots, that can be processed into titanium coil, sheets, plates or more.
Exhibitors will also be treated to a special reception hosted by Gesa Credit Union Sept. 26 at the TRAC Center Atrium. The event includes networking, appetizers, Washington wines and live music.
Attendance to the 10th Annual Smartmap Expo is free, but registration is required. For more information or to register, go to www.smartmapexpo.org or call TRIDEC at 735-1000.
by Mary Hopkin
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business
