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Energy Optimization for Manufacturing Summit

  • December 3-4, 2025
  • Austin Central Library Special Events Center, Austin, TX

Event Overview

The Energy Optimization for Manufacturing Summit is a senior-level educational and networking Summit that brings together diverse subject matter experts and stakeholders within the manufacturing sector who all share the common goals of  developing effective operational strategies and leveraging data-driven technologies to help reduce energy costs, improve plant optimization, and increase system maintenance and reliability for a more productive, cost-competitive and optimized manufacturing environment in the U.S.

Over 35 Speakers. Early Confirmed Speakers Include:

  • Michael Waelchli

    Senior Vice President and Chief Manufacturing Officer, Novelis

  • Sameer Purao

    Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer & Chief Digital Officer, Celanese

  • Dennis Wilson

    Vice President, ESG & Managing Director, Circular Economy Solutions NA Saint-Gobain North America

  • Dr. Huijuan Dai

    Next Generation Materials and Processes Program Manager, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Office, U.S. Department of Energy

  • Brandon Money

    Global Energy and Sustainability Lead, AFL

  • Dr. Steven Driver

    Global Energy and Sustainability Leader, Sanofi

  • Matt Caprarese

    Vice President of Engineering, Health, Safety, and Environmental, JSW Steel USA

  • Matthew Sadler

    Global Reliability Engineer, ADM

  • Maria Gutierrez

    Global Director, Health, Safety and Environmental, CVS Division, Knorr-Bremse

  • Gilberto Carrera

    Senior Director, Maintenance Reliability, Perdue Farms - Foods Division

  • Dr. Eric Okonkwo

    Senior Energy Engineer, Pfizer

  • Dr. Haresh Malkani

    CTO, CESMII

About the Energy Optimization for Manufacturing Summit

Topics to be covered

  • How to develop a strategic pathway to reduce energy costs and improve daily plant efficiencies while future-readying your operations for greater digitization and sustainability in a low-cost, financially sustainable manner
  • Insight into the capabilities manufacturers want to gain to best inform planning, operations, and daily maintenance to support their overarching energy efficiency and reliability goals
  • Strategies for building a robust maintenance & reliability program for a data driven environment
  • Options for funding your plant energy efficiency projects
  • How to effectively utilize demand response programs and PPAs, and integrate onsite generation and storage capabilities to decrease energy costs, improve resiliency, and support sustainability goals
  • Energy-efficient hardware including high-efficiency motors and drives, advanced thermal management systems, and strategies for optimizing compressed air systems, chillers and more
  • Innovations in AI, IoT and data driven software for manufacturing operations that support energy usage analysis, process optimization, real time monitoring and control of equipment, predictive maintenance, energy forecasting and maintenance workflow optimization and reliability
  • Efficient methodologies for aggregating your current disparate data resources and developing the needed infrastructure to support digitization

As our nation moves toward increasing our manufacturing sector, ensuring manufacturing organizations of all sizes can drive greater efficiencies, capture cost savings and increase profitability is paramount to their success. Energy usage is crucial to the bottom line in nearly every industry and manufacturing is one of the most energy intensive sectors that depend on reliable and resilient power. Downtime caused by equipment failure, excess cost expenditures associated with equipment maintenance inefficiencies and loss of power from power outages can cause financial losses that is often hard to recover from but can be avoided.

With the continual growth and advancement in smart, data-driven applications for the built environment, manufacturers are leveraging these capabilities and moving towards a more digitized environment to improve their overarching optimization. Success depends on developing the right operational strategies and leveraging the appropriate supporting technologies to help reduce energy costs, improve plant optimization, and increase system maintenance and reliability for a more productive, cost-competitive and optimized manufacturing environment in the U.S.

This collaborative agenda is designed for manufacturers of all sizes to learn from their peers, industry innovators, academia and leading consortia on the approaches they can take so all can  walk away with new knowledge gained, expanded professional networks and actionable pathways for their respective organization’s success.

This multi-subject matter expertise focused summit will help enhance internal collaboration while expanding professional networks for future information sharing among all participants.The agenda dedicates panels to both the owner and operator perspective and to leading industry, researchers, and respective consortia. For many of these sectors, they are at the beginning or intermediate phase of energy and digital optimization journey. Speakers and attendees will engage in frank interactive dialogues in order to spark new ideas and help develop strategic pathways for “Moving US Manufacturing Towards an Energy Efficient, Digitized and Optimized Future”.

Gain Knowledge & Insight

 For manufacturers, you will walk away with knowledge gained from our diverse speakers and attendees to help you improve the energy optimization of your built environment. For industry innovators, you will walk away with a deep understanding of the current challenges, needs, and initiatives across a variety of stakeholders within various manufacturing sectors, and learn about where your solution or service may be best applied

Build Partnerships

The Summit is designed to bring together a variety of stakeholders from across manufacturing sectors in order to expand professional networks and forge partnerships with people you may not have necessarily had to the opportunity to engage with yet. You will also discover the latest technologies and trends driving solutions for improving energy efficiencies and plant optimization during our ample networking time throughout both days.

Influence

Share your own insight and knowledge during our interactive sessions. Designed as an interactive ‘Town Hall’ forum, all attendees are encouraged to engage in dialogue and discussion with each other and the speakers during presentations and beyond.

Summit is CLOSED TO PRESS / NO RECORDINGS

Testimonials

Exceptional professionalism. I very much enjoyed the level of engagement by your attendees...Thank you for the opportunity to conduct what we call “Knowledge Transfer
Director UCSD
The most professional, interesting, educational event that I have attended!
Principal, Energy, Engineering & Infrastructure, Corporate Facilities Services Northwell Health
This was truly one of the best conferences I've attended! A fantastic event!.. This was a collaborative event where we took the opportunity to learn from each other to drive our industry forward.
Vice President of Business Development KTERIO
A superb program. I have been attending utility/energy sessions, of widely varying sizes, for over 35 years. Your work ranks with the best I have experienced.
District of Columbia, Department of Energy and Environment

Sponsors & Exhibitors

The 2025 Energy Optimization for Manufacturing Summit provides opportunities for thought leadership speaking sessions, 10 minute Tech Talks, panel participation, table top exhibit space, networking, luncheon, and branding opportunities. Download the Sponsorship and Exhibiting Prospectus Here.

Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor