Category

VIDEO

Fireside Chat: Accelerating Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence: Leveraging Over 30 Years of Biotech Leadership and Cell Therapy Success
LIFE SCIENCES, VIDEO, LIFE SCIENCES

Fireside Chat: Accelerating Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence: Leveraging Over 30 Years of Biotech Leadership and Cell Therapy Success

Dr. Joanne Beck is currently Chief Technology Officer at Abata Therapeutics. Prior to this, she served as Chief Technology Officer at Aerium Therapeutics and COO at Boston Pharmaceuticals, a private company developing candidates across multiple indications in cardiometabolic, oncology, and immune/inflammatory diseases. Prior to joining Boston Pharmaceuticals, she was Executive Vice President of Global Pharmaceutical Development and Operations at Celgene where she oversaw the company’s Product Development, Global Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering and Quality. Prior to Celgene, she was SVP of Pharmaceutical Development at Shire. Prior to Shire she held roles of increasing responsibility in Process Development at Genentech and Amgen and in Operations at Abbott’s Pharmaceutical and Vascular Divisions. Beck holds a BA in Chemistry from Lewis and Clark College, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of Oregon Medical School and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Beck serves on the board of directors for Orchard Therapeutics and Astria Therapeutics.

Continue reading
Are We There Yet? – A Maturity Model for Enabling Process Monitoring and Learning in Biologics Manufacturing
LIFE SCIENCES, VIDEO, LIFE SCIENCES

Are We There Yet? – A Maturity Model for Enabling Process Monitoring and Learning in Biologics Manufacturing

Dr. Jack Prior leads MSAT Process Monitoring & Data Science/AI Strategy at Sanofi, where he spearheads global initiatives in process monitoring and AI-driven yield improvement for biologics manufacturing. Previously as Head of MSAT Digital, he led teams working to develop global process data analytics systems and to digitize laboratory operations for Industrial Affairs Specialty Care drug substance and drug product manufacturing.

His leadership spans nearly three decades at Sanofi-Genzyme, where he has led manufacturing science organizations supporting process characterization, modeling, technology transfer, and manufacturing operations for critical therapies treating rare genetic disorders. Throughout his career, he has focused on integrating process modeling and advanced analytics with manufacturing science to enhance biologics production across US and European operations. He has led manufacturing science teams supporting multiple tech transfers across the Sanofi network, including the team supporting transfer to a new continuous single-use digital facility, while advancing approaches to process modeling and scale-up.

Dr. Prior holds a Doctor of Science in Chemical Engineering from MIT, where his research in data reconciliation for bioprocess development laid the foundation for his work in process monitoring and control. His current work continues to advance manufacturing science through the integration of digital technologies, process modeling, and AI in biologics manufacturing.

Continue reading
Using Innovation to Accelerate & Optimize Your Drug Manufacturing Scale-Up Strategy
LIFE SCIENCES, VIDEO, LIFE SCIENCES

Using Innovation to Accelerate & Optimize Your Drug Manufacturing Scale-Up Strategy

Joe Goodman is the General Manager of the Americas region for Honeywell Life Sciences, where his team partners strategically with the company’s global clients and prospects, identifying the quality and manufacturing system solutions that best fits their needs. Joe is recognized as a thought leader in the fields of quality systems, regulatory compliance, and the implementation of enterprise software within the Life Sciences manufacturing industry. Before joining Honeywell, Joe spent more than 7 years at Merrill Lynch as a Six Sigma Black Belt. He owes much of his penchant for process and solution design to his time spent in that role. Joe also speaks internationally at Compliance and Manufacturing events.

Continue reading
Building Audit-Ready Facilities: Quality Leadership from Design to Commercial Launch
LIFE SCIENCES, VIDEO, LIFE SCIENCES

Building Audit-Ready Facilities: Quality Leadership from Design to Commercial Launch

LeeAnn Chrisco is an accomplished Quality Assurance executive with over 20 years of leadership in GMP manufacturing and compliance. As Director of Quality Assurance at INCOG Biopharma Services, she provides strategic QA oversight across manufacturing, packaging, and quality control, ensuring global regulatory compliance. LeeAnn has led audit readiness, regulatory agency interactions, and facility startups for clinical and commercial operations. Her expertise spans technical transfer, aseptic processing, and quality systems innovation. A contributing author to ISPE and BioPhorum publications, LeeAnn brings deep industry insight and a passion for building high-performing quality cultures in fast-paced, regulated environments.

Continue reading
Reimagining Toyota’s Customer Centered Supply Chain
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Reimagining Toyota’s Customer Centered Supply Chain

Manny Bansi is Vice President of Toyota Logistics Services (TLS). He is responsible for finished vehicle logistics for North American operations that includes managing Marshalling Yards and Ports Operations.

Manny started his career at NUMMI (Joint Venture Between Toyota & General Motors) back in 1992. He then went on to hold positions in various areas including Corporate Strategy, Production Planning, Human Resources, including two-year assignment at Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan.

Manny is also involved in many Business Partnering Groups (BPG) at Toyota Headquarters, such as Young Professionals, AAC, Spectrum, TODOS, TAASiA, and WIIT. He currently serves as Executive Advisor for TAAiSA BPG and believes in the growth of all of his team members through Toyota principles.

Continue reading
Safety as a Competitive Advantage: How to Build Safety Into Your Culture and Drive Productivity
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Safety as a Competitive Advantage: How to Build Safety Into Your Culture and Drive Productivity

Peter Gibbons joined 3M in November 2021 as group president of Enterprise Supply Chain, which includes planning, procurement, internal and external manufacturing, logistics, quality, engineering, and business supply chain.

Prior to 3M, Peter served as chief executive officer of TireHub, a joint venture last mile distributor between Bridgestone and Goodyear. Possessing a wealth of experience in manufacturing and supply chain operations, Peter previously held senior-level executive positions at Mattel, Starbucks and ICI Paints. His growth mindset, inclusive leadership, and orientation toward developing talent and culture has helped him lead highly successful complex changes and significant transformation.

“I believe that building confidence and removing the fear of failure are key components of leadership,” says Peter. “People achieve great things when they are embraced and valued; when they are connected, not isolated; and when their intelligence and imagination are unleashed.”

Outside of work, Peter enjoys hiking, reading, and supporting the Glasgow Celtic soccer club and serves on the board of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from University of Edinburgh and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, Scotland.

Continue reading
Factory Fast-Forward: How Smart Manufacturing is Empowering the New Workforce Demographic Summary
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Factory Fast-Forward: How Smart Manufacturing is Empowering the New Workforce Demographic Summary

Christina Upah is the vice president of Attack Helicopter Programs for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and the senior site executive in Mesa, Ariz. In this role, Upah leads more than 4,600 employees supporting the design, production and delivery of the AH-64 Apache and AH-6 Little Bird helicopters for the U.S. Army and allied defense forces around the globe.

Prior to this role, Upah was director of Mesa Site and Attack Operations. In this position, she was responsible for overall production of the Apache and Little Bird for global customers.

Upah has previously served as the director of International Apache Programs, where she led the program execution of foreign military sales and direct commercial sales supporting customers worldwide. Additionally, she served as the director for Apache India and Supplier Transitions Programs and as the director of Domestic Apache Programs.

First joining Boeing in 1997, Upah has held positions within production operations, fabrication, human resources, supplier transitions and program management. Most notably, she progressed through program management positions of increasing responsibility, having led the successful program start-up of the Little Bird and Apache international and development programs, with a core emphasis on contracts, estimating/pricing, cost management and scheduling.

Upah holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and psychology from Ottawa University. She is an Arizona native and serves on the board of directors for the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

Continue reading
Panel: Shopfloor Safety Advancements/Avoidances – A Strategic Report Reviewing Plant Level Operations
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Panel: Shopfloor Safety Advancements/Avoidances – A Strategic Report Reviewing Plant Level Operations

Safety in manufacturing touches nearly every aspect of the business. Despite its costs, it must remain a priority. Join our panel of leading manufacturers to hear their report from the shopfloor and how they are developing and advancing their safety procedures and policies.

Achieving a single source of truth and increased visibility into everyday operations in order to:
Monitor real-time processes
Document procedure and policies
Use these aids in traceability and accountability
Provide actionable reporting and analytics

Continue reading
Panel: New Technology on the Shop Floor, How to Onboard and Maintain: Driving Efficiency, Training and Long-Term Success in Manufacturing
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Panel: New Technology on the Shop Floor, How to Onboard and Maintain: Driving Efficiency, Training and Long-Term Success in Manufacturing

Empowering Employee Engagement: Effective engagement is more than just morale; it’s about creating an environment where employees take ownership of their roles. We’ll discuss strategies for fostering open communication, recognizing contributions, and aligning individual goals with organizational success. Key challenges like overcoming resistance to change and bridging generational workforce gaps will be addressed.
Securing Buy-In for Digital Tools: Implementing new technologies often meets resistance on the shop floor. This session will explore how to present digital tools as enablers, not threats, by involving employees early, addressing fears of job displacement, and emphasizing practical benefits like improved safety, efficiency, and productivity. Training programs and peer advocacy will also be covered to ensure seamless adoption.
Building Skills for Tomorrow: Upskilling is critical to prepare your workforce for industry 4.0 and beyond. We’ll identify the technical and soft skills most in demand for 2025, strategies for integrating ongoing learning into daily operations, and how to overcome the challenge of knowledge gaps in a fast-evolving landscape.
Driving Continuous Improvement: In an era of fluctuating customer demands and supply chain complexities, continuous improvement remains a cornerstone. The discussion will focus on integrating real-time data analytics, fostering a culture of problem-solving, and balancing agility with consistency to optimize performance across the production line.

Continue reading
Securing Manufacturing’s Transition to the Cloud: Key Cybersecurity Strategies for Executives
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Securing Manufacturing’s Transition to the Cloud: Key Cybersecurity Strategies for Executives

Vinod D’Souza leads the Manufacturing and Industry vertical for Google Cloud’s Office of the CISO. In this role, he partners with organizations to help them adopt Google Cloud and Workspace, supporting their overall security transformation. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and technology, Vinod has a proven track record of working with organizations in a variety of industries, leading customer-focused security and transformation engagements. Vinod holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics from Manipal Institute of Technology, Mangalore University, India.

Continue reading
Making Long-Term Capacity Decisions with Confidence at Bristol-Myers Squibb
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Making Long-Term Capacity Decisions with Confidence at Bristol-Myers Squibb

Lynn leads global teams as VP, Global Biologics Supply Chain at Bristol Myers Squibb since Dec 2022. In this capacity she is leading a transformation to deliver a highly synchronized, transparent, and predictable end-to-end Global Supply Chain. Her role is focused on balancing agility and efficiency while investing in capabilities to enable accelerated delivery of pipeline assets through our supply network.

Lynn joined BMS from Merck, where she had 20 years of global experience across manufacturing, supply chain, strategy, engineering and policy, across developed and developing markets. During her tenure she has worked across small molecule OSD, biologics and vaccines modalities. She has lived overseas in Asia for over eight years on assignment in Taiwan and Singapore. Lynn’s most recent role was Large Molecule Value Chain leader responsible for Established and Global Health Security Vaccine value chains (including pediatric, Ebola and COVID response). In this role she partnered with commercial, research and manufacturing colleagues to manage long-term sustainable supply strategy for these vaccines.

In the community she currently serves as a board member for alma mater- Cornell Engineering (CEAA) and most recently the US-Taiwan Business Council. She is active with ASCEND (Pan Asian Leaders). Mother of three active daughters and avid sports enthusiast, she has coached youth sports for many years attracted to the parallels of leadership through lessons learned on and off the field.

Continue reading
Driving Competitiveness by Leveraging Autonomous Business Concepts
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Driving Competitiveness by Leveraging Autonomous Business Concepts

Heather Bishop is the Global Director for Manufacturing at John Deere Power Systems, where she oversees strategic manufacturing and quality for the division responsible for engines, drivetrain, remanufacturing and batteries across more than nine operations in five countries. With over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and supply chain, including 25 years at John Deere, Heather is a passionate leader with expertise in global multi-unit operations and supply chain organizations, focused on developing talent and teams.

Heather has a proven track record of driving transformation through the integration of lean manufacturing principles, innovative technology in a manufacturing environment, and a strong organizational culture that focuses on engaging people and unleashing their talent.

Heather’s dedication to excellence extends to her personal life, where she cherishes time with her husband, 17-year-old son, and 16-year-old daughter. Heather also enjoys traveling and participating in adventures during her trips, listening to hundreds of books a year, planting and gardening, volunteering, and cooking.

Continue reading
Engaging with Manufacturing Data / The Road to AI Transformation
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Engaging with Manufacturing Data / The Road to AI Transformation

Tom is a seasoned business professional with over 25 years of experience helping manufacturers leverage technology to drive business transformation and performance improvement. Since starting with IBM in the mid-’90s, he has specialized in developing and executing technology strategies that align with corporate objectives, enhance operational efficiency, and fuel growth.

Passionate about innovation, Tom helps manufacturers navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape, enabling them to improve productivity, increase profitability, and expand market share. His expertise lies in delivering high-value outcomes through digital solutions tailored to the unique needs of the manufacturing industry.

When he’s not advocating for technology-driven transformation, Tom enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two boys. Whether fly-fishing, camping, or birding, he values the balance and inspiration that nature provides.

Continue reading
Evolutionary Progress in a World of Revolution: Moving Forward Within the Chaos
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

Evolutionary Progress in a World of Revolution: Moving Forward Within the Chaos

Jeff Pehler is a partner in West Monroe’s Consumer and Industrial Products practice. He is known for his relentless pursuit of improvement, consistently driving measurable value for his clients. Recently, Jeff developed a product launch strategy that generated over $20 million in annual sales growth for a consumer services company. Additionally, he redesigned back-office operations, boosting EBITDA by more than 4% for an industrial products distributor. His expertise encompasses growth strategy, pricing, process optimization, and M&A strategy.

Kylea Robb is a Senior Manager with West Monroe in the Consumer & Industrial Products practice and is part of the Dallas office. She is a results-driven, relationship-oriented project leader experienced in developing and delivering more efficient processes and productivity enhancements with a technology layer. Her expertise includes enterprise digital strategy value creation, in depth manufacturing diagnostics, ERP and business applications strategy development, supply chain strategy and implementation, and overall process improvement.​

Continue reading
The Top 4 Challenges for Executives in 2025
MANUFACTURING, VIDEO, MANUFACTURING

The Top 4 Challenges for Executives in 2025

Shawn Smith has been with Milliken & Company in roles of increasing seniority and responsibility in production, supply chain, business development, and business improvement for twenty years. He is a graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

Performance Solutions by Milliken (PSbyM) brings a unique, Practitioner-based value proposition to its clients and has built an enviable record of helping companies achieve substantial and sustainable improvements in their operations and safety excellence efforts. This approach, built on the foundation of lessons learned while Milliken & Company created and implemented its own world-class performance system, helps client organizations engage and empower their associates by establishing a culture of continuous improvement and drive breakthrough operations impact. PSbyM currently serves companies in more than 100 operating locations in 28 countries across a wide range of industry sectors.

Continue reading