UWEBC Partnerships Spotlight: Wisconsin IoT Council + Women In Manufacturing Events

The UWEBC was proud to be a partner of the Wisconsin IoT Council Second and Third Quarter Symposiums, and Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Igniting Innovation: A Women in Manufacturing Experience!

By bringing together leaders, experts, and practitioners from across industries, participants sparked new ideas, shared breakthrough strategies, and discovered innovative solutions to complex challenges. 

At the Wisconsin IoT Council Second Quarter Symposium, held June 18, 2025, in Madison, WI, Generac CIO Talal Butt delivered a keynote on transforming Generac into a global energy technology leader. He shared how predictive maintenance is driving efficiency, customer satisfaction, and smarter, data-driven decisions.

A dynamic panel on Making Predictive Maintenance Work brought together experts from MotorDoc, AprilAire, and CNH Industrial, who shared candid lessons, success stories, and strategies for scaling predictive maintenance across industries. The energy carried into the afternoon with Microsoft’s AI Co-Innovation Lab, where participants explored how cutting-edge services, including rapid prototyping, design thinking workshops, and hands-on collaboration with AI experts, can help manufacturers fast-track innovation and turn bold ideas into practical solutions.

Six men in suits are standing by the Wisconsin IoT banner, smiling.

The momentum continued at the Third Quarter Symposium, held August 19th at Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau. Business and product leaders came together to explore how AI and IoT are helping companies deliver smarter service, unlock new revenue, and stay focused on what customers really need. Insightful talks from i3 Product Development, Komatsu, and UWEBC’s Marketing Practice Director Tom Hershberger brought big ideas to life through real-world examples. A candid panel featuring leaders from Greenheck, Associated Bank, and NTC added valuable perspective on how innovation plays out in their everyday work, sharing both the challenges and the wins. The day wrapped with a hands-on workshop from WMEP, giving attendees practical tools they could apply right away.

Audience sitting at a U-shaped table listening to the presenter.

We also partnered on Igniting Innovation: A Women in Manufacturing Experience, hosted at UW–Madison on August 20. This inspiring event showcased how industrial engineering is shaping the future of manufacturing through keynote insights from Dr. Laura Albert, immersive lab tours, and hands-on sessions covering AI, additive manufacturing, maintenance and reliability, and leadership strategies. Attendees experienced everything from the UW Nuclear Reactor and HSX fusion experiment to the Polymer Engineering Center and Manufacturing Innovation Network (MIN) Lab—truly a behind-the-scenes look at innovation in action.

Women in red blazers at the podium. Audience attentively listening.

These events highlighted just how powerful collaboration can be in driving innovation. The connections made and knowledge exchanged fuel not only smarter adoption of AI, IoT, and advanced manufacturing techniques but also the kind of dynamic partnerships that propel industries forward and shape the future of innovation.

 

Continue the Learning Journey with UWEBC 

The learning doesn’t stop here. UWEBC members can continue exploring these themes and more through our upcoming programs:

👉 Browse the full lineup and register here: UWEBC Events Calendar

We hope you’ll join us to build on the momentum from these exciting partnerships and keep advancing your organization’s innovation journey!

 

Published August 28, 2025
Summer Yang, Marketing Student Assistant