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:

Annual UWEBC Conference – Our flagship event bringing together business leaders from across Wisconsin and beyond.
Product Management Special Interest Group – Connect with peers to share strategies and challenges in shaping market-driven product innovation.
AI Special Interest Group – Explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries with real-world applications and best practices.
Data & Analytics Cross-Functional Interest Group – Gain cross-industry insights on leveraging data for smarter decision-making. Plus, we’ll be joined on December 4 by the incredible Dr. Laura Albert.
Supply Chain Special Interest Group – Share and learn approaches for building resilient, efficient, and digitally enabled supply chains.
Trade Compliance Special Interest Group – Stay ahead of regulatory shifts and collaborate on strategies to manage global trade complexity.

👉 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