The Aluminum Summit — the collocated event of the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) Management Conference and the Aluminum Anodizers Council (AAC) Annual Anodizing Conference — will be held on September 14-16 in Nashville, TN.
The Aluminum Summit will offer a wide-ranging program that addresses critical challenges faced by the aluminum industry. The program targets shared areas of interest for members, including workplace safety, metal supply issues, workforce recruiting, training, and much more.
“The Aluminum Summit happens only every few years, and now that on-site events are returning, we relish the chance to combine our knowledge bases in person, to benefit both AEC and AAC members,” said said Jeff Henderson, President of both the AEC and the AAC. “There are so many technical and operational advancements that our industries experience in common, as well as shared best practices and information on worker retention and training, workplace safety, manufacturing innovations and trade issues. The program addresses concerns common to aluminum anodizers and extruders alike, and we aim to cover a lot of ground in Nashville.”
Aluminum Industry Knowledge
Drawing executives, technical staff, and production managers, the Aluminum Summit will highlight issues directly affecting aluminum extruders and aluminum anodizers. This comprehensive aluminum industry gathering will include panel discussions, five concurrent tracks of focus sessions, and an AAC student posters session — along with abundant and long-awaited in-person networking opportunities. Topics will range from anodizing color, seal, innovations and technology and technical and pretreatment concerns to extrusion market and manufacturing insights and management and strategy issues.
The Summit will also feature two special presentations that will expand on the business landscape. Rosemary Coates of the Reshoring Institute will present the focus session “It’s Time to Bring Manufacturing Back to America,” an especially relevant assertion that can pave the way for economic recovery and supply chain stability. Coates will present strategic planning for global procurement, logistics, trade, and manufacturing.
Rich Karlgaard, futurist and publisher of Forbes, will offer a timely address, “Five Business Trends that will Emerge from COVID-19,” during Thursday’s closing session. The presentation will examine COVID’s lasting impact on work, location, teams, and collaboration. He will explore the post-COVID landscape on Wall Street, in Washington, Silicon Valley, and beyond, assessing today’s economy, business, technology, and investment climates delving into the challenges of our time. He will explore what threats may stop the economic recovery, including government overreach, inflation and geopolitical miscalculation. Karlgaard provides the audience with insights and connects today’s unprecedented economic and political uncertainty with future probabilities.
In-conjunction with the Aluminum Summit, three important educational events will round out the event, including the AEC’s Extrusion Excellence Workshop: Applied Fundamentals, AAC’s Quality & Troubleshooting Workshop, and the Advanced Anodizing Class.
Additionally, the Summit will offer an on-site Aluminum Marketplace exhibition, showcasing industry product and service suppliers.
Registration is open to personnel from member companies of the two associations with early-bird discount rates offered through Friday, July 16. A non-member registration rate is available to AAC Anodizing Conference registrants. For complete program and registration details, visit the AEC or AAC websites.