BEMA has announced its ongoing collaboration with Arizona State University for the Workforce Edition 2024. Now in its third year of partnership programming scheduled along with the BEMA Convention, The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, home of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, will be delivering three data-driven sessions targeting current focus topics in advanced manufacturing.

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering is the largest and most comprehensive engineering program in the U.S.

“The Workforce Edition programming offers both virtual and in-person participants incredible education options along with a taste of Convention for those who aren’t able to attend in-person,” says Kerwin Brown, president and CEO, BEMA. “This collaboration will offer participants access to some of the brightest scholars in manufacturing education, sharing research and information that has the power to transform the future of the industry.”

Workforce Edition Sessions

Industrial Data Flow from Machine Assets: A Key Enabler of Digital Twins in Manufacturing

Presenter: Prof. Binil Starly

Data from machines is a critical infrastructure necessary to create digital twins of machines. The session will cover an overview of various methods of data communication from a physical machine asset to a factory’s IT system and highlight the current technology platforms critical toward the digital transformation of factories.


Knowledge Graphs: An Enabler of Supplier Discoverability and Enabling Digital Supply Chains

Presenter: Prof. Farhad Ameri

Knowledge graphs power some of the world’s largest companies when users need to search for products, people or images to enable supplier discovery and enable a digital supply chain. Learn the basics of knowledge graphs, its internal structure, relation to ontology, and how it enables a digital supply chain from supplier sourcing and supplier discoverability.


Building Factory Dashboards for Industrial Internet of Things

Presenter: Prof. Binil Starly

Learn how to visualize and analyze real-time data from your machinery and processes, enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making. This session will cover the integration of digital twins with factory dashboards in the context of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and some common frameworks that can be used. View sample factory dashboards built on industry scalable tools to implement advanced digital solutions that bridge the physical and digital worlds of modern manufacturing.


Online and interactive

The Workforce Edition of BEMA Convention 2024 will take place virtually on Friday, June 28. Virtual Workforce participants are encouraged to follow along with BEMA Live! Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30, from the comfort of their preferred remote location. BEMA Live! includes the ability to see keynote speaker Alex Weber and the Industry Insight sessions. In-person Convention attendees can also participate in Workforce Edition programming onsite at the Convention hotel.

“The Workforce sessions are a unique and interactive professional development opportunity for learning that can be applied immediately,” says Emily Bowers, vice president, education and operations, BEMA. “Whether you’re joining us in-person or virtually, this is a great opportunity for real-time interaction, so turn on those cameras and join us in the conversations and Q&A.”

Instructor information

Binil Starly is a professor and the School Director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks (MSN) within the Ira. A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Starly, who was named one of the 20 most influential professors in smart manufacturing by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 2020, looks forward to building core competencies in advanced manufacturing processes, cyber-manufacturing and operations engineering, digital factories, and robotics and automation at ASU. Starly was awarded a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award for his contributions to smart manufacturing.

Farhad Ameri is an Associate Professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and the Director of Semantic Computing lab. His research interests include Knowledge-based Engineering (KBE) in design and manufacturing applications, Ontology Engineering, Digital Supply Chains, and Design Theory and Methodology. Dr. Ameri received his doctorate degree in Manufacturing Engineering in 2006 from the University of Michigan. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

He is one of the founding members of the Industrial Ontology Foundry (IOF) and a member of ASME and IFIP WG 5.7 Advances in Production Management systems (APMS). His research team has published research articles in high-impact journals such as ASME Journal of Computing and Information Systems in Engineering, ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, International Journal of Production Research, ASME Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, and many others. Dr. Ameri’s research has been funded by federal agencies such as NSF, NIST, Digital Manufacturing Institute (MxD), and multiple industrial sponsors.


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