Explore the Agenda
8:00 am Registration & Refreshments
9:00 am What it Takes to Make a LEAP a Reality
9:10 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Turning Benefits & Rewards Into Strategic Levers for Retention in Manufacturing
9:20 am Discover: Unlocking Hidden Health Benefits to Build Trust & Retention in Manufacturing Workforces
- Navigating rising healthcare costs and economic uncertainty by aligning benefits strategies with the evolving reproductive health needs of workers, from family formation to postpartum care, and menopause support
- Identifying low-cost, high-impact benefit enhancements and policy updates that already exist within most organizations, helping employers build trust, satisfaction, and long-term loyalty
- Leveraging real-world examples from a leading manufacturer to uncover hidden value in existing benefits investments and drive measurable improvements in retention and employee engagement
9:40 am Discover: How HR and Total Rewards Leaders Are Navigating AI — and Where the Biggest Gaps Remain
- Map the current state of AI adoption across compensation, benefits, and workforce planning.
- Pinpoint the critical gaps in data readiness, governance, and cross-functional alignment that keep total rewards teams stuck in pilot mode.
- Explain why generic AI tools hit a strategic limit.
10:00 am Develop: How Can Manufacturers Use Benefits & Data More Strategically to Drive Retention, Trust & Workforce Performance?
- How can HR and Total Rewards teams use existing benefits, data, and AI tools to better support employees’ evolving health and family needs?
- Where do gaps in data, governance, and ownership limit both benefits optimisation and AI adoption?
- What practical governance models help teams move from pilots and underused benefits to scalable, measurable impact?
- How can manufacturers measure ROI across retention, engagement, absenteeism, productivity, and workforce stability?
10:20 am Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Turn Benefits & AI Ambition Into Measurable Workforce Impact?
- Where do hidden gaps exist across your benefits, rewards data, and workforce programs that create friction for employees or stall AI progress?
- How can you leverage existing data, partnerships, and low‑cost benefit enhancements to move quickly from insight to action?
- What governance mechanisms (KPIs, ownership models, and human oversight) are needed to scale impact responsibly?
- How can benefits and AI‑enabled rewards strategy be positioned as competitive levers for attraction, retention, and long‑term workforce resilience?
10:40 am Innovate: Recognition: The Fuel That Powers a Thriving Workforce
- Employee recognition fuels engagement by making people feel valued, motivated, and connected to their work
- Recognition strengthens retention and loyalty, helping organizations keep top talent in a competitive workforce
- What gets recognized gets repeated—reinforcing positive behaviors, strong performance, and organizational values
- Consistent, genuine recognition builds a thriving culture where employees feel respected, energized, and committed
10:50 am Speed Networking Break
Track A: Talent Acquisition
Reclaiming Speed & Strategic Control in Plant Hiring Through Automation & TA Transformation
11:30 am Brace for the Greenfield Talent Crunch: How TA Leaders Can Build an Agile, Skills-First Model to Protect Capacity Ahead of a 12-18 Month Demand Surge
- Analyzing national Greenfield build activity to forecast a coming “talent crunch,” modelling how hundreds of new facilities will intensify competition for both hourly manufacturing talent and critical salaried roles such as maintenance managers, supervisors, and plant leaders
- Designing a flexible 70/30 TA team structure, 70% perm, 30% contractor, creating the ability to ramp capacity up or down within 30-60 days, reducing surge‑hiring costs by up to 25% while maintaining continuity through demand shocks
- Implementing a skills‑based recruiting approach to expand beyond the traditional competitor set, increasing accessible talent pools by 40%+ and reducing time‑to‑fill risk as Greenfield demand spikes across pharma, semiconductors, automotive, and advanced manufacturing
11:50 am Discover: Reclaiming Hiring Control & Speed: How Johnson Controls Is Replacing RPO with Automation to Cut Time-to-Fill by 50% & Optimize Plant Hiring ROI
- Reclaiming ownership of plant hiring by replacing a fragmented, HR-led model and underperforming RPO with an internally led TA function, reducing vendor spend, regaining control over recruiter resourcing, and cutting time-to-fill from 50–60 days to 20
- Designing a scalable automation-first strategy that uses chatbot-driven applications, dynamic interview routing based on candidate responses, and visual assessments to evaluate plant-readiness, enabling faster, smarter hiring decisions while preserving human touchpoints
- Targeting a further 50% reduction in time-to-fill and unlocking measurable productivity gains, by aligning recruiter bandwidth with operational needs, minimizing vacancy-driven downtime, and positioning TA as a strategic lever for cost-effective workforce planning
12:10 pm Develop: How Can Manufacturers Harness Automation & TA Redesign to Accelerate Hiring Without Losing Human Touch?
- What are the most effective ways to diagnose inefficiencies in current TA processes and translate insights into scalable solutions?
- How can automation-first strategies (AI screening, chatbots, dynamic interview routing) improve speed while maintaining candidate experience?
- What governance and structural changes help organizations reclaim control from vendors and embed TA into workforce planning?
- How can organizations measure the ROI of TA transformation beyond cost savings, such as productivity, engagement, and operational continuity?
12:30 pm Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Build an Automation-Enabled TA Model That Drives Speed & Strategic Impact?
- Where in your current hiring process are bottlenecks slowing time-to-fill, and what quick-win automation pilots could address them?
- How can you restructure TA teams and embed technology to reduce vendor dependency and improve recruiter bandwidth?
- What metrics, beyond time-to-fill, can track success, such as vacancy-driven downtime, candidate experience scores, and cost-per-hire?
- How can you align TA transformation with plant-level operational priorities to ensure scalability and measurable business impact?
12:50 pm Reserved for Safeguard Global
Track B: Learning & Development
Building Capability That Sustains Output, Safety & Retention
11:30 am Discover: Delivering AI-Powered, Bilingual Leadership Tools to Equip Frontline Managers & Drive Consistent Team Performance
- Rolling out bilingual, just-in-time leadership tools designed for ease of use in fast-paced manufacturing environments, helping frontline leaders apply key behaviors like recognition, accountability, and communication with minimal training
- Leveraging lightweight AI-driven technology to provide clear expectations, reinforce consistent leadership practices, and ensure the program could be sustained at the site level, even with limited organizational development support
- Combining digital tools with peer-led learning sessions to create a scalable, collaborative structure that builds confidence, encourages knowledge sharing, and improves team performance across diverse leadership levels
11:50 am Discover: Embedding Learning into Daily Operations to Build Skills, Strengthen Leadership & Sustain Production in a Lean Manufacturing Environment
- Addressing talent development challenges in manufacturing by narrowing the experience gap between tenured and new employees without compromising output or labor budgets
- Developing frontline leaders through in-the-moment people skills training that leverages daily touchpoints to build trust, reinforce expectations, and drive accountability
- Demonstrating how O-I is building a two-track development model, using microlearning for specialized technical roles and daily leadership coaching to close the skill gap while tracking impact through defect reduction, engagement quality, and long-term trends in absenteeism, injury, and safety event rate
12:10 pm Develop: How Can Manufacturers Integrate Leadership Development & Learning Into the Flow of Work Without Disrupting Production?
- What strategies help frontline leaders apply consistent behaviors in fast-paced environments with minimal training?
- How can AI-driven tools and microlearning be leveraged to reinforce leadership and technical skills in real time?
- What role do bilingual resources and peer-led learning play in creating inclusive, scalable development models?
- How can organizations measure the impact of embedded learning on performance, engagement, and operational metrics?
12:30 pm Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Embed Leadership & Skills Development Into Daily Manufacturing Operations?
- Where in your current workflow are gaps in leadership consistency or skill readiness creating risk, and what quick-win initiatives could address them?
- How can you combine digital tools with peer-led learning to build confidence and sustain knowledge sharing?
- What governance mechanisms (e.g. defect reduction, engagement scores, safety event rates) can track the success of embedded learning programs?
- How can you design bilingual, just-in-time resources that meet the needs of diverse teams without adding complexity?
12:50 pm Innovate: Unlocking Frontline Potential: A Practical Framework for Manufacturing
For manufacturing leaders, improving retention, engagement, and productivity is a constant priority, but delivering on those goals in a 24/7 plant environment is not always straightforward. Communication breaks down across shifts, important updates get missed, and workers often lack easy access to the information and tools they need to do their jobs effectively. This session goes beyond theory to share a practical framework for building a more connected frontline experience. Learn how to reduce operational friction, strengthen communication and alignment across every shift, and create a day-to-day employee experience that better supports engagement, retention, and workforce productivity.
1:00 pm Networking Lunch
Track A: Talent Acquisition
Designing AI‑Enabled Hiring Without Losing Human Judgment
2:00 pm Panel: Re-balancing Human Intelligence (HI) & AI in Manufacturing TA: What’s Delivering Real Impact Today
- Examining how manufacturers are applying AI across recruiting processes to evolve the role of the Recruiter while improving speed and quality of hire on the frontline
- Redesigning Recruiter workflows and capability models to clarify what should be automated, what requires human oversight, and where judgment remains non‑negotiable
- Separating high‑impact AI use cases from those creating friction, risk, or bias, with lessons on where automation is helping and where it is quietly undermining outcomes
2:40 pm Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Re-balance Human Judgment & AI in Your TA Model Without Increasing Risk?
- Where in your current recruiting workflow is AI genuinely accelerating speed or quality, and where is it creating hidden friction, rework, or risk that needs to be addressed?
- Which decisions in your hiring process must remain human‑led due to judgment, accountability, or bias risk, and how clearly are those boundaries defined today?
- What is one recruiter workflow you could redesign to better separate automation, human oversight, and non‑negotiable judgment without adding complexity or headcount?
- How are recruiters being upskilled to operate confidently alongside AI, including knowing when to trust automation and when to intervene?
Track B: Learning & Development
Closing Skills Gaps & Accelerating Competency Through Scalable Development Models
2:00 pm Discover: Blueprints for Agility: How Exela Pharma Sciences Used DACUM to Cut Time to Competency by Up to 60% in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
- Diagnosing skill gaps in pharma production and quality roles by engaging high-performing employees and supervisors in DACUM sessions to decode real job functions and define the precise skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed for success in GMP-regulated environments
- Remapping training for speed, compliance, and precision through DACUM-generated skill blueprints, translated into targeted learning maps linked to microlearning and on-the-job evaluation, with L&D, operations, and QA collaborating to ensure alignment with pharmaceutical standards
- Driving measurable impact and future readiness by reducing time to competency by 40–60%, improving training consistency and internal mobility, and laying the groundwork for AI-driven skill profiling and strategic workforce planning in pharma manufacturing
2:20 pm Develop: How Can Manufacturers Design Skills Frameworks & Training Models That Future-Proof Operations?
- What strategies help organizations move from ad-hoc training to structured skills academies aligned with workforce planning and production needs?
- How can DACUM and similar methodologies accelerate competency while ensuring compliance and precision in regulated environments?
- What role do external partnerships, apprenticeships, and advanced training centers play in building sustainable talent pipelines?
- How can organizations measure the ROI of skills academies and competency frameworks beyond speed, such as retention, mobility, and operational resilience?
2:30 pm Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Build Scalable Skills Development That Drives Workforce Readiness?
- Where in your current training approach are gaps slowing competency or creating compliance risk, and what quick-win pilots could address them?
- How can you leverage skill blueprints, microlearning, and on-the-job evaluation to accelerate readiness and mobility?
- What governance mechanisms (e.g. proficiency frameworks, competency dashboards, apprenticeship KPIs) can track progress and sustain impact?
- How can you integrate skills development into the rhythm of work while aligning with future operational and technological needs?
2:50 pm Networking by Company Sector
We’re introducing dedicated networking groups designed to connect you with talent leaders from manufacturing organizations in a similar sector to your own. This is your opportunity to share experiences, exchange ideas, and tackle challenges with peers who truly understand your operational context.
Fixing the Leadership Layer That Controls Everything Else
3:20 pm Discover: Rebuilding Supervisory Structure to Transform Plant Performance: How Shawmut Is Aligning Workforce Planning with Operations
- Diagnosing the operational impact of leadership gaps – a legacy decision to cut supervisors created uncontrolled spans of responsibility, eroding safety culture, morale, and quality standards across manufacturing lines
- Partnering with operations and workforce planning to reintroduce critical supervisory roles, implement leadership development, and embed accountability frameworks that connect structure to the employee lifecycle and plant-level performance
- Driving measurable improvements in key metrics, targeting reductions in safety incidents, faster time-to-fill for frontline roles, improved retention, and higher engagement, while building a sustainable operations model to maintain long-term productivity gains
3:40 pm Develop: How Can Manufacturers Build Plant Leadership Models That Hold Up Under Real‑World Pressure?
- Where are performance, safety, or retention issues being driven less by individual leaders and more by structural flaws, such as spans of control, unclear expectations, or inconsistent enablement?
- How can organizations align leadership structure, selection, and day‑to‑day tools so plant leaders are set up to succeed rather than compensate for system gaps?
- What role should data and technology play in clarifying expectations, reinforcing consistent behaviors, and reducing variability across sites without over‑engineering solutions?
- How can HR, TA, and Operations jointly define what “good” plant leadership looks like in practice and ensure it is tested before hire, reinforced early, and sustained over time?
3:50 pm Action: What Practical Steps Can You Take to Strengthen Plant Leadership & Improve Safety, Retention & Output?
- Where in your current plant leadership model are gaps in structure, fit, or enablement creating downstream issues such as turnover, safety incidents, or inconsistent performance?
- What is one leadership role, layer, or span of control you should reassess to reduce overload and restore accountability on the floor?
- How could you better use data you already have (turnover, safety, engagement, performance trends) to improve leadership selection and onboarding decisions?
- What lightweight tools, expectations, or routines could help frontline leaders apply consistent behaviors day to day without adding training burden or complexity?