Providing engagement and insight

At select SME conferences and trade shows, the Foundation’s Bright Minds® Student Summit program exposes thousands of high school students to manufacturing technology, companies and careers through guided tours of the show floor, handson competitions and dynamic keynote speakers. In 2022, the Education Foundation sponsored one student summit at RAPID + TCT and participated in AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS, collectively hosting 11,000 students.

The 2022 RAPID + TCT event, a two-day discovery experience, gave college students unique, hands-on access to the latest technologies, high-tech demonstrations, dynamic speakers and 16 leading employers. Bright Minds also enabled hundreds of high school students to attend the event and engage with four exhibiting universities: the University of Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan University, Lawrence Technological University and Wayne State University.

In 2022, the Foundation also hosted several students from 28 states in the annual SkillsUSA national additive manufacturing competition, which SME created nearly 10 years ago and still continues to manage today.

Board of Directors

The SME Education Foundation is governed by a board of directors composed of proven and accomplished professionals from industry, academia and communities.

President

John Miller, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Plano, Texas

Vice President

Frank W. Ervin III, Ervin Policy Group LLC, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Secretary/Treasurer

Andrew M. “Andy” Jones, Seizert Capital Partners, Birmingham, Michigan

Directors

Erica Powell Bell, Harman International, Novi, Michigan

Adam B. Claytor, Coltrane Logistics, Wixom, Michigan

Valerie I. Freeman, Washington Park High School, Racine, Wisconsin

Kimberly A. Green, Advance CTE, Silver Spring, Maryland

Joseph A. “Joe” Kann, Cobble Creek Solutions, Racine, Wisconsin

Robert “Robby” Komljenovic, Acieta, Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Arthur F. McClellan Jr., Lear Corp., Southfield, Michigan

Mark L. Michalski, LSME, Sizzle & Stem Digital Media, Lexington, Massachusetts

Christopher A. Rake, FIRST, Manchester, New Hampshire

Kyle M. Riegel, Schunk Carbon Technology, Des Moines, Iowa

Marion G. Wells, Human Asset Management, Flossmoor, Illinois

JoAnne P. Williams, JD, Fairfield University, New Haven, Connecticut

SME in the 1970s

In January 1972, SME launched the Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE) credential and awarded it to more than 1,500 individuals. Four years later, Manufacturing Engineering magazine became the society’s official publication, replacing titles published since the organization’s beginnings.

The SME Manufacturing Engineering Education Foundation (now the SME Education Foundation) launched in April 1979 to support schools with financial and technical resources.

Generating commerce , building communities and showcasing technologies

SME Events inspire a thriving community of 85,000+ manufacturing thinkers and doers to share knowledge, build communities and help facilitate commerce at more than 15 manufacturing trade shows and conferences across North America. In tandem, the SME Digital Experience delivers added value, extending the lifecycle of SME’s in-person events with industry-relevant content and the initiation of a 365 community committed to advancing manufacturing. SME Events offer exhibitors and attendees from all aspects of manufacturing an opportunity to thrive and to advance the business of manufacturing, which is essential to economic growth and prosperity.

As the industry’s leading voice for advancement and opportunity, SME provides its members and manufacturers with valuable tools to foster growth, introduce and share ideas, create enriching experiences and connect all of us in a collaborative ecosystem. This means that events must go well beyond calendar dates and physical gatherings. In addition to providing new information, these events bring audiences together and create lasting community experiences that participants can share year-round.

Sme Event Partners

Strategic partnerships are a cornerstone of our collective success

We believe in the power of more. We are humbled by the industry giants and emerging startups and all professionals in between who leverage the value of our events. That includes critical, credible industry organizations with shared goals and aspirations that are better realized when we unite and present industry ideas, advancements and opportunities together with SME Events.

Today, each three or four-day event draws together manufacturing professionals, leading companies, advanced technologies and groundbreaking thought leaders from across the continent and around the world. Manufacturing professionals attend our events, and meet face-to-face to discuss design and production challenges and explore possible solutions that stand to revolutionize their operations. Exhibitors benefit from a world-class showcase for their most innovative solutions, and a staging ground to cultivate lasting relationships with current and prospective customers. They all depart with the practical knowledge, contacts and insights they can use in the year ahead to create stronger, more productive businesses.

Our goal for SME Events

is to remain consistently one step ahead of the evolving needs of our customers, providing them with the specific tools, education, events and features that will aid them in navigating the rapid changes in the manufacturing industry, exceeding their customers’ expectations and competing on a global scale.

Sme

By The Numbers

15+ Major Events

drawing more than 85,000 Attendees and 4,000 Exhibitors

These include our chapter meetings, plant tours, webinars, on-campus panels and discussions, and on-site training and development activity, and we produce hundreds of high-value experiences every year.

SME’s extensive network of more than 500,000 manufacturing practitioners , decision-makers, influencers, partners and other members of the manufacturing community give us insights into the marketplace that guide and shape our thinking.

SME is going digital with EventLIVE

Although in-person gatherings are a critical resource — and will continue to be for the foreseeable future — attendees increasingly want and expect digital experiences, too — either integrated into a hybrid conference or as standalone events. Such tools help keep the community engaged throughout the year and allow for even more partnering opportunities.

In this 2022 Annual Impact Report, SME Events formally introduces our latest digital investment, EventLIVE. We are leading the way to the digital manufacturing 365 community and hope you will join us. The new SME digital platform positions SME as a trusted thought leadership provider and community builder serving to advance manufacturing while attracting the next-generation workforce.

2022 Event IMPACT:

In each event location, from Monterrey, Mexico, to Toronto and Atlanta, FABTECH delivered high-value, leading educational programs and networking opportunities – and satisfied the manufacturing industry’s quest to see new technology. With 1,700+ exhibitors demonstrating the latest in high-tech equipment in front of more than 45,000 people, FABTECH provided an outstanding platform for commercial activity.

Event Partners: