2012 Automation Summit, June 25-28, Washington, D.C.

Siemens' 2012 Automation Summit, which will take place June 25-28 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C., will feature Lt. Col. Rob Waldman, an Air Force vet, as the keynote speaker.

April 17, 2012

Siemens Industry Inc. announced best-selling author Lt. Col. Rob “Waldo” Waldman, also known as “The Wingman,” will provide the keynote address during the company’s 2012 Automation Summit at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel, June 25-28. Waldman is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and holds an MBA with a focus on Organizational Behavior. A Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), Waldman has been featured on Fox and Friends, CNN, Investor’s Business Daily and Business Week, among others. As an F-16 fighter pilot, Waldman flew more than 65 combat missions in Iraq and Serbia.

More than 40 breakout sessions are scheduled featuring best practices and topics such as energy and asset management, improve productivity through the application of automation technology, maintenance and operations, novel approaches to problem resolution and safety and industrial security.

The theme of this year’s Summit, “Community. Experiences. Productivity.,” derives from the “wingman concept,” as the event will provide engineering and operational professionals, automation and operations management and senior-level executives with end user learning opportunities covering the complete spectrum of automation–from process and discrete to motion control and drives.

The Summit will feature Version 2.0 of the Connect Event, where attendees can network in-person and virtually with Siemens employees, solution providers, integrators, distributors and end users. 

Siemens will offer hands-on training sessions, featuring work stations with equipment, led by technical experts, and will provide updates on recent product enhancements, including the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal, Simotion Version 4.2, and the recently released PCS 7 Version 8.  Certificates will be distributed to those individuals completing training courses, which may then be submitted for professional development hours.  Classes may include firewalls in automation security, automation with Siemens, programming safety logic using safety matrix, energy management using intelligent motor control solutions and others.

Waldman, author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Never Fly Solo, will share with attendees his experiences as a combat decorated fighter pilot and businessman, and offer advice on overcoming challenges, building trust, adapting to change and achieving success.

“In business and life, you should never fly solo," he said; having a strong and valued two-way partnership with an automation company’s user community is "similar to having a wingman. The solution to winning when the heat is on lies in the ability of every wingman in your organization, regardless of their role, to support the team and be 100 percent committed to the mission,” said Waldman. 

Registration and additional Summit details are available by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/summit.

Siemens Industry Inc.

www.usa.siemens.com 

– Edited by Chris Vavra, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com