Register for the Meeting                                  Register for Golf Sponsor the MCAA Industry Forum—See Sponsorship Options HERE Review information about the Product Approval Process Summit 2008 Industry Forum May 18-20 The Buttes Resort Tempe, Arizona Sunday, May 20, 2007 MCAA Captains Choice Golf Tournament Sunday, Sunday, May 18, 2008 Golf Tournament 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm – Welcome Reception Monday, May 19, 2008 Registration and information will be available from 7:00 am through 5:30 pm 8:30 am - Welcome – Brian LaBelle, Planning Committee Chairman, GF Piping Systems 8:45 am - 10:00 am - Nanotech, Black Holes and Chocolate   Richard Morley, R. Morley Inc. Dick Morley will discuss nanotech, black holes and chocolate and the future of the internet. The physics of the black hole is a key to understanding our changing world, especially in the burgeoning international engineering environment. Crossing the gap from cosmology to nanotech can be done and will wake us up. Black holes have information content related to the surface area, not the volume.  The smaller the hole, the better the information to volume relation.  This surface-to-volume ratio is critical to chemical actions and social interaction. Nanotech strategy allows significant optimization of this relationship. Batteries, food and paint are but a few of the direct applications for materials since the surface is the point of interaction. What does this mean? That the larger the organization is, the less likely it will succeed with innovation. Really? Smart and small work.  Some analysis has been done on company size and profit and these are related. Who knows where this session will lead? No equations were harmed in preparing this discussion. Dick suggests you have three cups of coffee before entering the dragon's den.  And yes, these subjects are all related. (Of course, chocolate samples will be available). 10:00 am – 10:30 am – Morning Break — Call the office and network with peers 10:30 am – 11:45 am -   Take Two:  New Dimensions in Channel Relationships  Dr. Michael Workman, President, Michael Workman Associates   Last spring, Michael Workman talked with MCAA members about the changes occurring within all distribution channels.   He looked at the changing metrics, expectations, opportunities, and influences of current and new supply and demand chains as well as what it takes to establish and manage expectations, and how to be rewarded for value contribution.  We now live in a world of required alliances, potential alliances, and evolving alliances.  The rules for playing within our channel are changing rapidly, and the next phase of opportunity is certain to be different and interesting.  Dr. Workman isn't done and we need to learn more.  This year he'll be interviewing a number of MCAA members and his presentation is going to look at how our industry is handling the new dynamics in channel relationships—what we are doing right and what we need to start to do differently. Noon – 1:00 pm — MCAA Business Meeting Luncheon 1:00 - 2:00 pm — A Review of MCAA Operating Benchmarks Edward J. Curry, Partner, Curry & Hurd, LLC   For many years, Ed Curry has been making a presentation to the MCAA members on the results of the Association's annual Operating Benchmarks Report.  Again this year he will offer his insight on a high level review and analysis of the report which covers 2003-2007 as well as look at the performance of the largest public companies in our industry. 2:00 - 3:00 pm — Business Cycle Forecast   Jeff Dietrich, Senior Analyst, Institute for Trend Research Returning again this year is Jeff Dietrich who writes  a report on the business cycles of our top user industries for MCAA (the "Semi-annual Report on the Industrial Market").  At this session you will get up-to-date information on where the economy is headed and what that direction means for your business.  Jeff will highlight what ITR Phase Management Objectives™ apply at this time in the business cycles of your user industries and what leading economic indicators we should be watching for. 3:00 - 3:30 pm — Afternoon Break — Call the office and network with peers 3:30 – 5:00 pm — Concurrent Roundtable Discussions Attendees will offer questions or issues they wish to cover in advance of our meeting in May.  During the roundtables, our moderators will offer those subjects to the attendees for full and open discussion and a sharing of ideas and approaches.     Mike Willey, Principal   Rasmusson & Willey, LLC A.  Mid-Year Review of the "Market Forecast for Process Instrumentation and Automation in the United States and Canada" Our expert will briefly review the content of the report, the methodology for collection of information, the highlights of the results and then walk thorough a couple of examples of how one might  use the results for market intelligence and strategic planning. B.  Financial Roundtable – Moderated by Edward J. Curry, Partner, Curry & Hurd LLC C.  Engineering and Innovation Roundtable – Moderated by Richard Morley, R. Morley Inc. D.  Sales Channel Roundtable – Moderated by Michael Workman, President, Michael Workman Associates 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Literature Display and Reception These companies will be displaying their products and services during the reception Automation World Magazine FasTest, Inc. MCAA Precision Digital Corporation SELLTiS LLC Spitzer & Boyes 7:00 pm - Dinner with Table Topics for discussion We will survey the membership prior to the Industry Forum and get the top dozen topics for discussion.  One will be posted for each table and you will discuss that topic during dinner.  After dinner, Dick Morley will moderate a group "download" of the discussions. Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Registration and information will be available from 6:00 am through 1 pm. 8:30 am – 10:00 am – Selling Has Nothing to Do with Selling   Rick Farrell, Tangent Knowledge Systems You'll leave this session with the following information in your pocket ... and then change the way you think about your sales organization: Learn why most sales organizations are very good at a game no longer being played. Learn why selling by its very nature produces the exact opposite effect that is intended. Learn why your value proposition is valueless. Learn why you are paid and rewarded for your questions and not your answers and solutions. Learn how to get your customers to sell you on whether they have a compelling reason to change. If you are going to lose, learn how to quickly, effortlessly and with a minimum expenditure of time. 10:00 am - 10:30 am - Morning Break 10:30 am - Noon - Growth through Innovation:  Why Spending More ISN'T the Answer   Michael Dalton, Guided Innovation Group What constrains your growth today?  You may be surprised to find that spending more isn't usually the answer.  Our speaker will explore the constraints that impede growth and different approaches to getting more out of your innovation investment.  Areas he will cover include: Focus:  Power of 80/20 and Lean thinking to focus innovation Customer & Market Insight:  Moving from "What's in it for US" to "What's in it for THEM?" Engagement:  The importance of building engagement and coordination across the organization Execution:  Tools and step by step process for implementing your innovation improvements Mr. Dalton is an experienced marketing and innovation practitioner with nearly 25 years of industrial, B2B experience and will offer you innovation tools, processes, and strategies that you can take home and put to work in removing the constraints of your growth. Noon - Lunch 1:00 -4:00 pm – Product Approval Process Summit MCAA postponed this meeting from October, 2007 to ensure that sufficient numbers of our member companies would have an opportunity to participate in the discussion.  For those attending the Industry Forum, there will be no additional registration fee.  For those who only want to attend the Summit (who are welcome to attend the Tuesday morning sessions of the Forum as well), the cost will be $100. Based on input from member companies, MCAA leadership sees an increasing disconnect between the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) which serve our industry and the testing and certification needs of instrumentation companies and their customers.  This half-day meeting will bring the parties together in a process intended to increase the knowledge of member companies about the options available to them and about their best approach to the process of obtaining product approvals.  We hope at the same time to help the testing laboratories to better understand issues specific to our industry and to open a better channel of communication so that the process works well for all. Our invited NRTL panelists are: James Mismas, Manager, Business Development, Controls, Distribution & Industrial Equipment, CSA-International James Marquedant, Group Manager, Electrical, FM Approvals LLC Ann Ruggles, National Sales Manager, Intertek Testing Services NA Inc. Kevin Harbarger, Vice President of Sales, MET Laboratories, Inc. Brian Baker, Quality Manager, SGS US Testing Company, Inc. Ted Haschke, Regional Sales Manager, TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc. Kerry McManama, General Manager, Global Hazloc for Gas & Oil Strategic Business Units, UL Conformity Assessment Services During the meeting, each of the testing laboratories will present information about the goals of their organization, the metrics for accomplishment and insight into their process for product approval.  Edward Curry, a principal in the consulting firm of Curry & Hurd, will moderate a dialog between the representatives from the testing laboratories and MCAA members based upon a survey of the interests of the membership.  The purpose of the dialog will be to elicit how MCAA companies can best approach the approval process to minimize delays and unforeseen expenses. Please thank our Planning Committee Members: Brian LaBelle GF Piping Systems Jeff Disbrow MOXA Technologies, Inc. Michael Gerster WIKA Chris Gilson Gilson Engineering Sales Tom Nelson Racine Federated Row Oglesby Adaptive Controls Jeff Peters Precision Digital Larry Rice Emerson Process Management John Schwin Thermo Fisher Scientific John Shaffner Process Controls Corp. Stefan Tudor Burns Engineering Inc. Thanks to our Industry Forum Gold Sponsor Emerson Process Management and all of our other program sponsors! Copyright © 2000-2008 Measurement Control & Automation Association