January 2026 | CESMII Smart Manufacturing Roadshow: Kansas

CESMII Smart Manufacturing Roadshow: Kansas | Recap

On Tuesday, January 13, manufacturers, innovators, educators, and MEP center representatives gathered at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Education Center for the CESMII Smart Manufacturing Roadshow. This half day event introduced attendees to smart manufacturing, highlighted the organizations that can support that journey, and provided practical takeaways manufacturers could bring back to their shop floors.

The day opened with welcoming remarks from Kansas Manufacturing Solutions CEO, Tiffany Stovall, followed by Missouri Enterprise CEO and President, Dusty Cruise. Both leaders emphasized the importance of the MEP program and the value of collaboration among MEP centers and national institutes like CESMII. By working together, these organizations create trusted advisor teams that are uniquely positioned to support manufacturers.

Attendees then heard from Jerry Pope and Dr. Scott Balag of Kansas City Kansas Community College. They shared how KCKCC continues to expand and strengthen its manufacturing workforce programs through new offerings, high quality educators, and strong industry partnerships. Their remarks highlighted the college’s commitment to preparing students for manufacturing careers while supporting regional workforce needs through collaboration with organizations like CESMII, KMS, and Missouri Enterprise.

Doug Lawson, CEO of ThinkIQ and CESMII Executive Board Member, officially kicked off the technical content by guiding attendees into the smart manufacturing mindset. He walked through what smart manufacturing is and what it is not, compared where the industry stood in 2020 to where it is headed in 2026, and encouraged manufacturers to first understand their current position on the journey. Doug outlined three stages of smart manufacturing maturity: ecosystem, knowledge, and technology. By the end of the session, attendees were thinking about smart manufacturing in a more structured and approachable way.

Connor Cook, CESMII Roadshow Program Manager and event host, followed by introducing CESMII’s Smart Manufacturing Acceleration Roadmap. This roadmap serves as a starting point for manufacturers and is developed alongside a certified CESMII Roadmap Professional. Once completed, organizations gain alignment across strategy, culture, and operations, creating a clear path forward for smart manufacturing initiatives.

Doug Lawson returned to the stage to connect strategy with action through an overview of starter kit solutions. He walked through system architecture, maintenance considerations, scheduling and job routing, and how CESMII Smart Manufacturing Profiles can be paired with hardware to create turnkey solutions. The session concluded with a demonstration showcasing a manufacturer that had fully implemented the approach. Attendees saw real time production data including downtime, targets, shift performance, and units produced, along with the hardware and sensor technology used to capture the data.

Following the demonstration, attendees participated in networking and solution demonstrations from event sponsors Guide Technologies and 3DMakerWorld, Inc. During this time, Kyle Myers of Guide Technologies shared how their ERP solutions support manufacturers, followed by Chad Mees of 3DMakerWorld, Inc who demonstrated how scanning technology allows manufacturers to overlay drawings, identify design issues, and make corrections before entering mass production.

The final session of the day was led by Sudhi Bangalore, Founding Partner and CEO of Full-Bore Manufacturing Technology and Consulting. Sudhi shared real world success stories from manufacturing floors and discussed how manufacturers can leverage existing resources and solution providers to support their smart manufacturing goals.

The event concluded with a guided tour of the KCKCC FAME (Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education) lab led by Rich Piper with Kansas City Kansas Community College. Attendees learned about the KS FAME program, an earn while you learn pathway that combines classroom instruction with paid internships at local manufacturers. Students in the program receive hands on training in multiple manufacturing disciplines while also developing professional skills and earning an Associate of Applied Science degree.

Thank you to CESMII for advancing smart manufacturing nationwide and for bringing this roadshow to the Kansas City region. Thank you as well to Missouri Enterprise, Guide Technologies, and 3DMakerWorld, Inc. for sponsoring the event and supporting the continued growth of smart manufacturing in our region