December 9, 2025

* JOIN US FOR THE PRE-EVENT HAPPY HOUR ON DECEMBER 8, 2025 FROM 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

7:00 am – 8:00 am CST

DELEGATE REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING BREAKFAST

8:00 am – 8:10 am CST

Chair's Welcome and Opening Remarks

Manufacturing & Operations

Dan Key

SVP and Chief Operations Officer
Solenis

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

8:10 am – 8:20 am CST

Mayor's Welcome Address

John Whitmire

Mayor
City of Houston

8:20 am – 8:50 am CST

Keynote

Rebecca Teeters, Ph.D.

SVP, Fluoromaterial Stewardship and President Chemical Operations LLC
3M

Driving Operational Excellence and Sustainability through Leadership and Innovation

  • Cultivating a culture of accountability and shared success in global chemical operations
  • Leveraging advanced manufacturing technologies for quality, delivery, and cost efficiency Enhancing environmental stewardship through sustainable operational practices
  • Building empowered teams with a focus on continuous improvement and profitability
  • Applying servant leadership and coaching to foster growth and innovation in operations
8:50 am – 9:20 am CST

Plenary

Björn Jackisch, Ph.D.

President, US Operations and SVP, Operations and Supply Chain, Adhesive Technologies
Henkel

Leveraging Data and AI to Drive Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

  • Exploring how data analytics and AI are shaping Industry 4.0 in Henkel’s smart factories
  • The importance of digitalizing existing production sites to optimize processes and improve decision-making
  • Overcoming challenges of varied machine types and manufacturing processes in global operations
  • Integrating customer feedback into production processes through digital platforms for continuous improvement
  • The role of people in successful digital transformation: building skilled teams and fostering collaboration
  • Achieving prescriptive operations through data transparency, AI tools, and sustainable process design
9:20 am – 9:50 am CST

Plenary

Speaker TBA


Innovapptive

Driving Operational Excellence and Achieving Transformational Results

  • Overcoming legacy challenges faced in modernizing operational processes across multiple plants
  • How digitizing operator rounds processes delivers end-to-end visibility and data-driven decision-making
  • Why Innovapptive’s Enterprise Digital Rounds Platform is the cornerstone for achieving a vision of end-to-end connected operations, HSE, and maintenance
  • Lessons learned and insights on how to kick off a successful connected worker journey
9:55 am – 11:35 am CST

Refreshments, Networking, and Pre-Arranged 1-2-1 Meetings

11:40 am – 12:10 pm CST

sessions

Manufacturing & Operations

Samuel J. Ponzo

VP and General Manager
DuPont

Unlocking Growth Through Lean Thinking, Operational Excellence, and AI-Driven Manufacturing Transformation

  • Evolving from Six Sigma to value-focused operational excellence across global business transformation programs
  • Reinvigorating mature lean systems with data analytics, AI tools, and advanced problem-solving methods
  • Applying lean and Six Sigma to supply chain, technology, and commercial operations for competitive advantage
  • Case studies on implementing excellence initiatives across multiple business functions and regions
  • Aligning leadership, culture, and talent with continuous improvement in a sustainability-driven global market
  • Addressing the “what’s next?” in lean after 10–15 years of process maturity

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

Advancing EHS Excellence - Driving Safety, Stewardship, and Capability Across Global Operations

  • Embedding EHS into every layer of a global organization through strong management systems
  • Aligning safety culture with business performance and operational excellence
  • Leveraging data to improve EHS outcomes and reduce incident rates
  • Building frontline capability and connection through a culture of connection and partnership
  • Driving continuous improvement through leadership development and strategic thinking
  • Creating scalable, resilient systems for global EHS management
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm CST

Workshops

Room 1

Leveraging Digital Tools, IoT, and Data Analytics to Optimize Manufacturing Operations and Drive Real-Time Decision-Making

  • Understanding how digital tools and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are transforming chemical manufacturing operations for greater efficiency
  • Implementing IoT sensors and digital platforms to collect real-time data on production performance, equipment health, and environmental conditions
  • Utilizing advanced data analytics to interpret complex data sets, enabling faster, informed decisions and proactive issue resolution
  • Using data to predict equipment failures before they occur, minimizing downtime, and extending asset life
  • Applying data-driven insights to optimize production schedules, reduce bottlenecks, and improve overall efficiency

Room 2

Decarbonization Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities

  • Exploring the role of emerging technologies like carbon capture, renewable energy, and energy-efficient processes in decarbonizing operations
  • Balancing production growth with environmental responsibilities to meet sustainability goals
  • Overcoming barriers to adopting green technologies and integrating them into existing manufacturing processes
  • Insights into regulatory pressures, industry standards, and how they are shaping sustainable practices in manufacturing
  • Strategies for fostering innovation while driving operational efficiency and cost control in sustainable manufacturing
12:50 pm – 1:50 pm CST

Lunch & Learn Roundtable Discussions and Open Seating Lunch

Benefit from additional learning by joining a moderated roundtable discussion on pressing issues in the industry. Registration is required, and attendance for moderated roundtables on Day 1 is limited to attendees and speakers. Choose from:

Optimizing Raw Materials Management: Strategies for Balancing Supply, Demand, and Cost Efficiency

Navigating Complex Industry Regulations: Best Practices for Achieving and Maintaining Compliance

Adapting Global Supply Chains: Tackling Challenges and Mitigating Transportation Disruptions

Ensuring Consistent Product Quality: Managing Standards Amid Supply Chain Instability and Raw Material Variability

Overcoming Data Integration Challenges: Streamlining Real-Time Decision-Making with Advanced Analytics

Hazardous Waste Management Best Practices: Navigating Disposal Regulations to Achieve Environmental Compliance

1:55 pm – 2:25 pm CST

Sessions

Manufacturing & Operations

Nicole Lewis

VP, Operations, Americas
Orion S.A.

Driving Excellence in Manufacturing with Strategies for Plant Optimization and Navigating Emerging Demands

  • What does driving efficiency, productivity, and reliability look like in our manufacturing sites across the Americas?
  • Implementing 4DX methodology to ensure focused execution and accountability within teams
  • Prioritizing strategic maintenance investments to enhance plant reliability and secure long-term success
  • Adapting to emerging industry demands to stay ahead of market shifts and capitalize on opportunities
  • Aligning manufacturing processes with evolving customer and market expectations for sustained growth
  • Fostering a culture of continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and meet sustainability objectives

Quality & HSE

Loan Ngô

VP, Quality, Americas
Henkel

Leveraging Total Quality Management (TQM), Data Analytics, and Culture to Drive Continuous Improvement 

  • Understanding the principles of TQM and how they drive both operational excellence and business results
  • Leadership strategies to create a TQM-driven culture that fosters high-performance teams
  • Case study: Leveraging data and Statistical Quality Control (SQC) to help detect abnormalities and enable better decision-making
  • Discussing quality improvements and their direct impact on cost, customer satisfaction, and business performance
  • Demonstrating the importance people, process, and technology in achieving systemic quality and future readiness
2:30 pm – 3:00 pm CST

Workshops

Room 1

Navigating Regional Shifts in Supply and Demand to Better Adapt to Global Production and Trade Changes

  • Analyzing the impact of changing economic growth patterns in China, Southeast Asia, and Africa on global supply chains
  • Examining how production shortages in Europe could result in increased imports from regions like the U.S. and Middle East
  • Exploring the trend of regionalizing manufacturing, focusing on how it affects the supply chain and global competition
  • How government incentives in the U.S. are driving the growth of industries like battery manufacturing and reshaping global markets
  • How to mitigate risks by expanding supply networks and increasing flexibility in sourcing and production

Room 2

Advancing Quality Management Systems: Enhancing Compliance, Efficiency, and Risk Management

  • Understanding the role of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) in preventing accidents
  • Discussing key PSM requirements: Safety reviews, employee participation, and proactive risk management
  • The importance of regular inspections and preventive maintenance programs to mitigate chemical hazards
  • Crafting and implementing emergency response plans to ensure effective action during chemical releases and accidents
  • Supporting continuous improvement and compliance in chemical manufacturing
  • Best practices for fostering a safety-first culture in chemical plants and maintaining PSM compliance
3:05 pm – 4:25 pm CST

Happy Hour, Networking and Pre-Arranged 1-2-1 Meetings

4:30 pm – 5:00 pm CST

Sessions

Manufacturing & Operations

Speaker TBA


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Navigating Chemical Compliance in a New Era of Enforcement and Risk Management

  • Identifying key risk areas chemical manufacturers requiring monitoring
  • Providing insight into regulatory expectations for pollution control and community safety practices
  • Detailing the evolving role of EPA regional coordination in managing large-scale chemical enforcement
  • Examining how companies can proactively align internal programs with EPA’s compliance goals
  • Discussing use-cases of cross-agency collaboration in addressing environmental justice concerns

Quality & HSE

Richard Nickerson

Assistant Area Director, Houston North Area Office, and Compliance Officer, Process Safety Management
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Process Safety Management (PSM): How OSHA is Protecting Industry from Risks

  • Understanding the role of OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) in preventing accidents
  • Discussing key PSM requirements: Safety reviews, employee participation, and proactive risk management
  • The importance of regular inspections and preventive maintenance programs to mitigate chemical hazards
  • Crafting and implementing emergency response plans to ensure effective action during chemical releases and accidents
  • Supporting continuous improvement and compliance in chemical manufacturing
  • Best practices for fostering a safety-first culture in chemical plants and maintaining PSM compliance
5:05 pm – 5:35 pm CST

Plenary

  • Peter Shearstone

    VP of Global Quality and Regulatory Affairs
    Thermo Fisher Scientific

Championing Quality: A Personal Approach to Driving Cultural Change Worldwide

  • Integrating quality culture throughout a company with strategies for consistency and excellence
  • Establishing practices that are replicable across different businesses, countries and cultures
  • Implementing strategies that drive behaviour change toward quality at the individual level
  • Best practices to drive and sustain cultural change in large, complex and global companies
5:40 pm – 6:25 pm CST

Panel Discussion

  • Sven Fastré

    VP, Operational Excellence
    BASF

  • Agustin García Argibay

    VP, Global Supply Chain and Managing Director, Latin America
    Eastman

  • Maureen Sorensen

    VP, Operations
    The Lubrizol Corporation

  • Lauri Boulger

    VP, Supply Chain, Energy and Sustainability
    Honeywell

  • Héctor Gilberto Perez

    Head, Regional Engineering LATAM
    Henkel

Leveraging Lean and Six Sigma to Drive Next-Level Performance

  • Leveraging Lean tools for process redesign to drive breakthrough improvements in production flow and supply chain
  • Reducing process variation and achieving near-zero defect levels in high-volume manufacturing
  • Case studies demonstrating the ROI of Lean and Six Sigma in scaling operations and improving margins
  • Addressing the challenges of aligning Lean and Six Sigma initiatives with corporate culture and leadership engagement
  • Quantifying continuous improvement initiatives on operational sustainability, profitability, and market competitiveness
6:25 pm – 6:35 pm CST

Chair's closing remarks

Manufacturing & Operations

Dan Key

SVP and Chief Operations Officer
Solenis

Quality & HSE

Lyndee Brassieur

VP, Environment, Health and Safety
PPG

6:40 pm – 7:40 pm CST

Networking drinks reception