Materion Corporation - March 2024

Materion’s materials meeting the demands of Industry 4.0

DIGITAL REPORT 2023

MATERION’S MATERIALS

MEETING THE DEMANDS OF INDUSTRY 4.0

How Materion is meeting the needs of the next industrial revolution, enabling it to drive faster cycle times and gain real-time business insights

Though you may not be aware of using Materion products day to day, they are, in fact, essential to daily life, as the company provides a wide range of highquality materials that enable technologies for a safer, more sustainable future.

From aerospace to clean energy, automotive to medical – and even in space – Materion’s materials make possible many essential features of modern technology, including electrical connectors that remain reliable in harsh conditions, semiconductors that process data faster, and LEDs that are more efficient and produce better coloured light output.

Chris Roosien is Director of Infrastructure and Security Director at Materion, recently marking his first year working with the company. In the two decades prior to Materion, he held senior IT security roles in high-profile organisations, including Johnson Controls and Northwestern Mutual.

“I enjoy solving complex technology and business challenges,” says Roosien. “I also enjoy the opportunity to learn and continue to grow which I am able to do here at Materion. I find the ability to learn new skills and deploy new technology for solving complex challenges inspiring.”

Responsible practices for long-term growth Today, Materion is committed to delivering its mission with a strong focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices, stressing the importance of alignment with responsible practices for the company’s sustainable, long-term growth.

Materion’s ESG approach centres on three pillars: governance and compliance; people development and diversity; and responsible environmental management. The company maintains strong governance and ethical operations while ensuring the privacy and data security of all stakeholders.

The company invests in its diverse workforce, providing safe work environments, professional development, tuition reimbursement, diversity programmes, expanded training, and certification opportunities to attract and retain top talent.

Materion is also committed to lessening its environmental impact and educating employees to be better stewards of the planet. Sustainability-based initiatives range from the efficient use of energy and materials to supplier selection based on ethical standards. The company is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives

“MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE AN EXCELLENT PRIORITISATION MODEL IS ESSENTIAL”

CHRIS ROOSIEN DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY AT MATERION

You could be wasting 30-40% on your cloud spend

It’s expected that 90% of businesses will use cloud services this year and will spend more than $50 billion. The growth in spending, however, often exceeds the growth in business because a large portion of what businesses spend on cloud is wasted.

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Concurrency’s company cloud strategies to help reduce waste

Around 30-40% of a company’s cloud spending could be considered a waste, but proper governance can help reduce this, says Concurrency’s Nathan Lasnoski

As the adoption of cloud technology continues to grow, many businesses are facing a common challenge: how to effectively use the cloud to drive new revenue streams and reduce waste. According to Nathan Lasnoski, Chief Technology Officer of IT consulting company Concurrency, the answer is proper governance.

“If you think about the mission of every business, each is unique to the company, but technology is being infused in that mission,” says Lasnoski. “And as it expresses that mission with technology, it’s more and more often running on a cloud platform.”

Concurrency offers project-based consulting, organisational change management, customer service management, sales solutions, and IT management services. With a long history of success and numerous awards, Concurrency is a respected name in the industry.

to a gravel road in snowy conditions. Unfortunately, the waste of cloud resources is a common issue. An estimated 30-40% of cloud spending is considered waste, often due to a need for understanding vendor discounts and spend optimisation opportunities. Cloud governance can address this issue by promoting the responsible use of cloud platforms and improving cost efficiency, security, controls, and visibility.

With effective cloud governance, businesses can turn their cloud usage into an asset, delivering capabilities and value with a direct return on investment. Working with a company like Concurrency means that businesses can ensure their cloud usage is a driving force for success, delivering capabilities and value with a direct return on investment. With the right approach, businesses can turn the challenges of cloud adoption into opportunities for growth and success.

“Cloud platforms need to be governed and secure because it’s the foundation of the work that the business is using the cloud for,” says Lasnoski. He likens it to driving a car on a well-paved road with guardrails compared

“I ENJOY WORKING WITH THE BUSINESS ON CHALLENGES THEY HAVE WHICH WE CAN SOLVE WITH TECHNOLOGY, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL VALUE TO THE ORGANIZATION”

CHRIS ROOSIEN DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY AT MATERION

of those it serves and has a long-standing legacy of upholding the highest ethical standards in pursuing business objectives.

Huge upside from digital transformation

As the manufacturing industry continues to evolve and become more intricate, the need to integrate and connect operations becomes increasingly crucial in gathering real-time, actionable data. This is commonly referred to as Industry 4.0 or Smart Factory, and Materion’s Information and Operational Technology teams have been collaborating with its businesses to develop a phased approach for building a digital foundation in its plants. This equips the company with real-time data to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently, ultimately benefiting both the customer and Materion.

“There is tremendous upside to digitally transforming our facilities and manufacturing processes to conduct business smarter with more efficiency and better customer care,” says Vinder Bhambra, Senior Director, Global Engineering. “Industry 4.0 gives us the ability to collect operating data automatically, without manual effort, and use that information to make faster, data driven, positive changes to our operations.”

With the right digital infrastructure, Materion says it can keep customers better informed by accessing better data more quickly. Realtime data provides the necessary tools to drive faster cycle times, reduce time-to-market, ensure on-time delivery, increase production capacity, and gain real-time business insights.

Leveraging real-time data allows the company to identify and address production or supply chain issues successfully, while eliminating paper-based processes and delivering digital manufacturing instructions to operators at each step. Improved quality assurance and 100% audit-ready

“WE’RE MEETING THE DEMANDS OF INDUSTRY 4.0, IMPROVING OUR PLANTS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS”

CHRIS ROOSIEN DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE

AND SECURITY AT MATERION

compliance in manufacturing are achieved by digitally managing business rules and capturing operations and equipment data.

Industry 4.0 requires three basic elements: fast and secure digital connectivity on the shop floor, connected PLCs/automation or equipment involved in production, and a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) collecting data for use by operators, engineers, and leadership to improve production while providing end-toend real-time business insights.

Materion recognises that many of its factories will require significant investment in digital connectivity to begin the transformation process. Its Operations Digital Strategy team includes representatives from all BU Operations Leaders, Information Technology, and Engineering shared services to prioritise and execute this transformation. While the implementation takes time, the benefits are tremendous, and this keeps Materion competitive in the modern digital era.

Finding partners is a question of trust Roosien is addressing the constant challenge of marshalling resources and ensuring the right skill sets are in place to move projects forward: “That’s always a big challenge. One thing we recommend is ensuring you find suitable partners. There are differences between suppliers, vendors, and trustworthy partners.

“We have challenges balancing operational needs with engineering and projects, and having that level of flexibility to work with my team and still deliver successful programs is really what sets them apart.”

A lot of this kind of industry work was paused for a couple of years during the pandemic, according to Roosien, and organisations are playing catch-up in many ways. “Making sure that you have an excellent prioritisation model is essential. What are the things on the list when something new comes in, what’s the highest priority, what do we focus on and make sure team members know how to prioritise?

“A prioritisation list is not stagnant; it’s going to change, so having the knowledge and ability to prioritise that on their own is even better. Equipping them with that is key.”

Materion has established partnerships along the way to successfully tackle international cyber threats with greater proficiency, including a number of exceptional partners that helps companies with tools like Advanced Threat Detection and Response services that provide 24x7 US Citizen SOCaaS and Managed Detection & Response Platform access. Collaborations with companies that have these kinds of technologies allow Materion, and many other companies, to facilitate joint investigations of various kinds of threats through cloud security resources, threat intelligence, government and defence industrial base threat management.

Using a FedRAMP HIGH Ready provider with a strong compliance background is particularly beneficial because it enables companies like Materion to meet CMMC and NIST 800-171 requirements, while protecting its sensitive data and critical assets from potential threats. By collaborating with companies that have these kinds of capabilities, Materion has the necessary tools and resources to respond to a range of global threats swiftly and effectively.