AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference

October 26-29, 2026

Baird Center - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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15+
interactive sessions
15+
best-practice tours
30+
practitioner presentations
40+
interactive exhibits
8+
inspiring keynotes
4
days of networking

At AME Milwaukee 2026, we embrace a “yes/and” approach to enterprise excellence.

Learn how innovative organizations are using technology to elevate — not replace — people. Discover how they’re creating sustainable systems that serve customers, employees, communities and the environment. Experience operational excellence in action through local tours. Connect in hands-on sessions, interactive workshops, and networking events. Be inspired by visionary keynote speakers and leave with ideas you can apply right away.

Attendees at a previous AME conference session

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Colonel Arthur Athens

Colonel Arthur Athens

U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Colonel Arthur Athens is a nationally respected leadership expert and former Director of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. Drawing on decades of military leadership experience, he inspires organizations to build cultures rooted in trust, accountability, and ethical excellence.

Heléne Smuts

Heléne Smuts

Founding Partner, Credo Growth

Heléne Smuts is an internationally recognized leadership expert who has helped organizations across six continents build resilient, high-performing teams. She combines psychology, executive coaching, and real-world leadership experience to help leaders create cultures where people and performance thrive.

Steve Spear

Steve Spear

Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Dr. Steve Spear is a Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and one of the world’s leading experts on operational excellence and high-performance organizations. As the author of The High-Velocity Edge and Wiring the Winning Organization, he helps leaders build systems that accelerate innovation, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Karen Martin

Karen Martin

Founder, TKMG & TKMG Academy

Karen Martin is a globally recognized lean management expert, advisor, and bestselling author who has helped organizations across industries improve performance through practical operating systems. Her work focuses on building high-performing cultures where respect for people becomes a driver of lasting business results.

Jon Colby

Jon Colby

Keynote Speaker & Corporate Trainer

Named one of MSN.com’s Top 10 Speakers to Follow in 2025, Jon Colby is an internationally recognized communication expert who has spent more than 27 years helping leaders and teams strengthen collaboration and performance. His engaging, interactive approach delivers practical tools audiences can apply immediately.

Audrey McGuckin

Audrey McGuckin

CEO, McGuckin Group

Audrey McGuckin is a global leadership strategist who has partnered with Fortune 100 organizations to lead large-scale transformation, talent, and culture initiatives. She helps leaders embrace AI and innovation while keeping people at the center of organizational change.

Glenn Bostock

Glenn Bostock

Founder & CEO, SnapCab

Glenn Bostock is the founder of SnapCab and a champion of people-centered business transformation. Through decades of leadership experience, he has built award-winning organizations by proving that caring for people is the foundation for operational excellence and sustainable growth.

Tours and sessions

TOURS

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING,
EMPOWERING TEAM MEMBERS

Making manufacturing easier, better and more flexible through employee input

Tour with Bruno

Discover how Bruno strengthens manufacturing excellence through design for manufacturing, mistake proofing and flexible production systems. This tour highlights how integrating quality, efficiency and adaptability into operations reduces waste, improves reliability and supports customer responsiveness. Learn how these core programs empower teams and drive continuous improvement across the organization.

Bruno manufacturing facility tour

GE HEALTHCARE REPAIR OPERATIONS CENTER

Tour with GE Healthcare

See how the Repair Operations Center (ROC) extends the life of health care systems through repair, reuse and recycling. This tour highlights lean practices in action, including daily management, employee-driven improvements and structured problem solving that reduce turnaround times and increase recovery rates. Discover how lifecycle thinking and continuous improvement deliver measurable value across the health care system.

GE Healthcare Repair Operations Center tour

JOHNSONVILLE -DRIVING EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY THROUGH MEMBER OWNERSHIP

Tour with Johnsonville

Explore how the Reliability Excellence approach builds capability and drives equipment performance through operator-driven reliability, planned maintenance and focused improvement. This tour highlights how teams transition to ownership, apply predictive and precision practices and use data to eliminate losses. See how these integrated systems support a zero-loss mindset and improve overall equipment effectiveness.

Johnsonville plant tour

These highlighted tours are just the beginning

AME Milwaukee 2026 offers additional opportunities to explore operational excellence across a variety of industries, with firsthand access to organizations advancing lean transformation, employee engagement, leadership development, digital innovation and continuous improvement. Each tour provides practical insights that can be applied long after the conference concludes.

SESSIONS

DRIVE TRANSFORMATION WITHOUT
MAJOR INVESTMENT

Learn practical strategies that deliver measurable results

PRESENTATION WITH JASON NEAL, GE AEROSPACE

Discover how GE Aerospace doubled engine production and dramatically reduced employee grievances using lean thinking, behavioral science and frontline engagement—all without additional capital investment.

GE Aerospace session

STANDARDIZE WITHOUT SACRIFICING CRAFTSMANSHIP

Balance consistency with a people-first culture

PRESENTATION WITH ROB ULRICH, GIBSON GUITARS AND CHERYL JACKSON, GP STRATEGIES

See how Gibson Guitars successfully introduced standard work in a highly skilled environment while preserving craftsmanship, strengthening engagement and earning team buy-in.

Gibson Guitars session

EMPOWER 35,000 PROBLEM-SOLVERS

Scale continuous improvement across your organization

PRESENTATION WITH TODD SCHNEIDER AND EMILY SWANEY, OHIOHEALTH

Learn how OhioHealth empowered 35,000 employees with a lean promotion team of just 11 people, creating a scalable approach to developing problem-solvers across a complex organization.

OhioHealth session

Beyond these featured presentations...

attendees can explore dozens of practitioner-led sessions showcasing real-world strategies from organizations including Boeing, Bayer CropScience, Medtronic, RTX, Lilly, University Health, Kerry, GE Aerospace and more. From leadership and AI to operational excellence, problem solving and culture transformation, each presentation is designed to deliver practical ideas you can apply when you return to your organization.

why attend AME Milwaukee 2026

The AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference is much more than a manufacturing event. It is a global gathering of professionals and organizations spanning diverse industries. While manufacturing excellence remains at its core, the conference’s rich educational content and networking opportunities deliver exceptional value to attendees from healthcare, aerospace, life sciences, food production, technology, government, defense, academia and beyond.

Join a vibrant community of continuous improvement professionals and gain exclusive access to best-practice tours, expert-led sessions, collaborative workshops and inspiring keynote presentations. AME Milwaukee 2026 is your opportunity to explore the future of enterprise excellence, build meaningful connections and leave with ideas you can put into action immediately.

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past events

testimonials

Everything was put together well. This was my first event and I was greatly impressed. A truly great experience all around! Thank you!

What a great and well run event. Everything was run like a well-oiled machine. Well done to all involved.

OVERALL

I loved this workshop. Definitely taking things back with me to start problem solving within our process. A lot of insight.

This helped me to look at the strategies we currently use and how to improve them and what we can do different

KEYNOTES

Awesome event for networking!

Thanks to Desiree Doleski for her support during the networking event for looking for people who weren’t apart of a group and connecting them with another member. Appreciate your leadership.

NETWORKING

our sponsors

CORNERSTONE SPONSORS

HTL Freight

GOLD SPONSORS

AGS Gold sponsor Fabriq

PATRON SPONSORS

Patron sponsor