Generix @ ProMat 2023 “Touch the Future of Supply Chain”

Two years after the virtual event of 2021, ProMat is back—and in-person again! Join Generix Group North in Chicago, March 20-23, for what promises to be one of the most exciting supply chain events in recent memory.

If you don’t know yet, ProMat is far more than just another trade show. With more than 45,000 attendees, 1,000 exhibitors, 150 seminars, and with four keynotes from industry leaders, ProMat is North America’s biggest manufacturing and supply chain show. As such, it’s the perfect occasion for supply chain operators and professionals to discover and share new products, processes, innovations, and stories.

For manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and supply chain solution & service providers looking to boost their business, ProMat2023 is quite simply one of those “can’t miss” events.

At Generix Group, we are excited to reconnect with business partners and customers we haven’t had the chance to see in person in recent years. We’re also looking forward to making new friends and striking new partnerships. Our team will be on site throughout the event at booth S3588. Come chat with us about the future of your supply chain. Discover how our technology solutions can help pave the way to more efficient, agile, and resilient logistics between—and beyond—your four-walls. Or just come say hello! Our experts will be delighted to meet you.

Given how ProMat2023 sprawls out on 370,000 sq. ft. and over four days, we thought newcomers and veterans alike might benefit from some help to better navigate their way through the event. Our team has therefore put together this short guide—and useful links—to help attendees make the most of their ProMat.

What Is ProMat?

We all know the importance of connecting with fellow industry professionals, how crucial it is to the success of any business. In the supply chain world, ProMat may very well be the best occasion for professionals and experts to do just that.

The biannual event was first launched by the Materials Handling Industry (MHI) in 1948 as “The National Material Handling Show”. While the event’s name has since been changed to ProMat (which is short for the event’s slogan, “PROductivity Through MATerial Handling”), the MHI remains the driving force behind it.

Today, ProMat has become the largest North American gathering of professionals from the fulfillment, materials handling, distribution, and supply chain industries. Given its size and importance, it attracts participants from all over the world.

ProMat2023 is a global event. Organizers have made it easier for international attendees to actively participate by providing interpreters and/or translation applications in meeting rooms.

All of that makes ProMat an unparalleled event. It gives stakeholders at distribution, manufacturing, and retail companies a unique chance to link up with supply chain professionals to share insights and discover the new technologies that promise to transform industry standards and improve logistics performance.

The upcoming ProMat2023 event is set to take place in Chicago, Illinois, from March 20 to 23, 2023. The event will occupy over 370,000 net square feet of the McCormick Place. Show hours will start at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. from Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday, March 23, the event will conclude at 3 p.m. Given the size of the event and the number of participants, MHI has created a Hub to help attendees find their way.

The Hub is an interactive resource center located in the middle of the show floor. It serves as a guide to everything about ProMat2023.

In addition, the Hub features a social networking lounge, wireless internet center, and mobile charging stations for attendees to use.

Registration is free and provides access to exhibits, keynote addresses, and educational sessions.

Who Goes to ProMat?

ProMat attracts a diverse range of exhibits, with a large percentage of participating companies being industry leaders. Visitors and participants can therefore expect to receive first-hand and expert accounts of what the future holds for materials handling and logistics.

As the digitization of the supply chain has become a central preoccupation for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers alike, technology solution providers like Generix Group North America will undoubtedly be at the center of many discussions. That being the case, attendees can expect exhibitors to come from all industry segments:

• MHE • Logistics equipment and systems manufacturers • Integrators • 3PL providers • Consultants • Publishers • MHI members • Etc.

You may wonder: why are so many industry leaders flocking to ProMat and exhibiting their products and services? Simply put: the number and quality of attendees explains it all. Statistics from the MHI tell us that 75% of the top 100 retailers, 65% of the top 100 consumer goods companies, and many Fortune 1000 companies regularly send teams of buyers to ProMat with the objective of finding solutions to meet their manufacturing and supply chain requirements. The same statistics indicate that:

• 67% of attendees have power to recommend solutions to stakeholders • 35% of them have the capacity to authorize a purchase • 22% of attendees will actually purchase new solutions at ProMat

In short, ProMat 2023 is one of the best ways for attendees to identify the solutions their company could leverage to optimize operations and grow their business. Conversely, the event offers exhibitors an outstanding showcase for their solutions and/or services.

Make sure to visit Generix Group North America at booth S3588 to get an on-site demonstration of our next generation WMS and MES solutions and learn more about our multi-enterprise collaboration platforms.

What’s Happening at ProMat This Year?

At this point, it should be pretty obvious that attending ProMat2023 is worth it if only because it provides an opportunity to network with people in the same industry. Ask any experienced exhibitor or participant, and they will readily tell you that it’s one of the leading B2B lead generation events they attend. With thousands of registered exhibitors and sponsors, it truly is a perfect platform to meet with potential clients, key decision makers in your industry, and solution providers that can radically transform your operations.

However, attending ProMat is not just a way to grow your business: it’s also a great opportunity to develop your knowledge—which, arguably, can also lead to business growth.

On-Floor Seminars ProMat2023 indeed offers a comprehensive selection of educational on-floor seminars that cover various supply chain-related topics, such as:

• Automation & Robotics • Data Capture • Analytics & Information Management • Workforce & Labor • Transportation • Distribution & Warehousing Best Practices • Manufacturing Efficiency • Planning & Sourcing • Emerging Supply Chain Technology • Sustainability & Risk Management

Education Conference Attendees can also benefit from seminars and workshops on more targeted topics. For instance, the Women in Supply Chain Forum that takes place on March 20 in the Vista Ballroom, room S406ab, “teaches leaders and potential leaders how to communicate and establish trust with all different people”. The forum is designed to empower attendees, regardless of gender, to build more efficient and fruitful communication strategies and become successful leaders.

Then, the following day, in the same room, the WERC Connects Panel Discussion tackles “Growth Through Disruption”—a topic that will certainly speak to stakeholders at supply chain companies who have had to deal with Covid 19 and are still struggling through persisting labor shortages.

There’s also a ProMat Student Day on the agenda, on March 22, from 12 noon to 2 p.m., again in room S406b. This event provides a great opportunity for college, university, trade, technical, specialty and high school students to connect with industry professionals and accelerate the development of their budding career. As part of that seminar, industry experts provide a guided tour of the ProMat show floor, a rare opportunity for students (and companies seeking future employees) to extend their network.

In addition to the regular education conference sessions, attendees can look forward to four keynote events:

1. Women Leading in Supply Chain Since joining AWESOME as CEO almost three years ago, Michelle Dilley has doubled down on her efforts to advance and transform the future of women’s leadership in the supply chain world. At ProMat 2023, she moderates a panel of leading women who share their journey, the challenges they have faced in the past, and those that await women on the road ahead. AWESOME was created in 2013 to help senior women leaders connect, collaborate, and advocate for gender equality in the supply chain workplace. Today, the AWESOME community unites over 1,500 women with senior leadership roles in a broad spectrum of organizations.

Participants: • Annette Danek Akey, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Penguin Random House • Maria G. Llamas, Sr. Director Fulfillment Productivity & Systems, Hasbro • Ammie McAsey, SVP Customer Distribution Experience, McKesson • Rachel Cox, Director Supply Chain Strategy, Grupo Bimbo

2. A Conversation with José Andrés José Andrés is a Spanish chef and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit organization that provides meals for survivors of natural disasters. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Andrés and the WCK staff have provided meals to Ukrainians displaced by the war. Chef Andrés shares his inspiring story and speaks to the logistics behind the WCK’s efforts to make the world a better place, one meal at a time.

3. Preview of MHI 2023 Annual Industry Report MHI CEO John Paxton and Wanda Johnson, Specialist Leader at Deloitte, present the Annual Industry Report, jointly prepared by MHI and Deloitte Consulting LLP. The report features a survey on the impact of emerging technology innovations and supply chain trends. Among the report’s important insights, attendees will hear about what companies can do to remain profit efficient while having the operational agility needed to overcome global disruptions.

Panelists participating to this session: • Biswaranjan (Bish) Sen, Chief Product Supply Chain Officer at Unilever • Amanda Davies, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, Mars Wrigley • Kristi Montgomery, Vice President, Innovation, Research & Development, Kenco Group • Donnie F. Williams Jr., Executive Director at the Supply Chain Management Research Center & Associate Professor in Supply Chain Management, The Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas

4. A Conversation with Ron Howard Ron Howard barely needs an introduction, does he? An Oscar-winning director, producer, writer, and former actor, he is the founder of Imagine Entertainment’s production company with his frequent collaborator, Brian Grazer. Some of his notable projects include Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. He has 50 years of industry experience—and excellence.

During this keynote, Ron will share his thoughts on the creative process, inspiration, and the role of a mentor.

Why You Should Join Us at ProMat2023

There are many practical benefits of attending ProMat.

You can discover new practical solutions to complex logistics challenges, gain valuable insights from other manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain businesses, and glimpse into the future of supply chains. It’s a great way to learn about innovative techniques to cut costs, maximize efficiencies, and reduce risks in your distribution center or manufacturing facility.

Attendees get to learn from consulting experts and warehousing technology providers about warehouse management best practices and new technology trends. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get up to date on industry-related events and to discover new operational strategies for today’s logistics problems—as well as tomorrow’s.

ProMat 2023 is quite simply a must-attend event for retail business owners, 3PLs, warehouse managers, manufacturers, supply chain consultants, and other professionals in the MHE industry. How can you better develop your network and deepen your expertise than by having the chance to meet thousands of individuals from your industry in just one place—and for free? If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from the last few years it’s that there’s really nothing that can replace in-person events like ProMat.

What to Expect from Generix Group at ProMat 2023

The whole team at Generix Group North America couldn’t be more excited to be going back to ProMat.

In-Booth Sessions Our experts will be on site throughout the event at booth S3588. Come say hello!

• Join us every day to attend our short sessions on trending topics with experts from Barcoding and Onomatic.

• Come discover the many functionalities and advantages of the SOLOCHAIN WMS, the only Warehouse Management System included in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for WMS to feature native Manufacturing Execution System capabilities. Members of our team will perform demonstrations throughout the event.

• Our experts will be on hand to field questions about our Multienterprise Collaboration Platform, which has been designed to help companies fully integrate their end-to-end supply chain and optimize their B2B channels.

Seminar: How Technology Enables Operational Agility—And Why It Matters Generix Group North America is joining forces with TLS America and Emblem Logistics for an on-floor seminar, March 20th, at 3:30PM in Theater F.

Leveraging the results of a Customer Success Story, our panelists will explain how technology solutions enable the operational agility companies need to overcome today’s supply chain disruptions and boost their competitiveness.

Attendees will gain insight into the capabilities and functionalities a Warehouse Management System must provide in order to efficiently support operations. Special attention will be given to system configurability and adaptability, as those features are essential to a company’s ability to anticipate future requirements and adapt quickly to unforeseen circumstances.

Panelists participating to the seminar are: • Emmanuel Langlois, VP Global Alliances and Partners at Generix Group • Aaron Leblanc, VP Operations at TLS inc. • Harish Kumar, Senior Operations and Continuous Improvement Manager at Emblem Logistics Ltd.