SESSION 1:STAMPING
Stamping and metal fabricating are central to the production process in any vehicle making programmes. OEMs and tier supplier experts present their strategies and discuss the latest technologies with case studies and examinations of methodologies. Module suppliers will talk of their new activities in Germany and beyond, their specialised body component solutions in steel and light metals, and their plans to expand custom-made outsourcing programmes to help OEMs further streamline production.

• Reinhard Jung, Executive Vice President, Production & Logistics, VOLKSWAGEN
• Dieter Pfortner, Managing Director, MAGNETTO AUTOMOTIVE DEUTSCHLAND
• Ignacio Martin, General Manager, OCON AUTOMATED SYSTEMS

COFFEE BREAK

SESSION 2: BODY-IN-WHITE STAMPING
Engineers and strategists working in planning and execution of the body-in-white area talk of their facilities, favoured technical and material solutions and their visions of the future in this crucial area of automaking. Discussions will include the roles of hydroforming, hot stamping and its contribution to 'lightweighting' today and tomorrow's automobiles. Panel debates will examine welding and other joining techniques, and alternatives including riveting, clinching and the use of composites and adhesives.

• Massimo Mattucci, Executive Vice President, Advanced Engineering & Quality, COMAU
• Jayson Pankin, New Venture Creation Specialist, DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES
• Dr Geoff Scamans, Principal Scientist, INNOVAL TECHNOLOGY

SESSION 3: POWERTRAIN
Powertrain manufacturing is an area under extreme pressure on both technology and cost fronts; increasingly sophisticated motors and transmissions are demanding ever more complex machining solutions. There will be presentations on the business and technical strategies of some of Europe's largest transmissions manufacturers, what they can offer in custom-made and semi-customised powertrains and the specialised products they are looking for from their machine tool supply base.

• Günther Apfalter, Member of the Management Board, Operations & Finance, MAGNA DRIVETRAIN
• Dr Hans-Otto Bode, Head of Technology and Plant Planning, VW
• Peter Buckermann, Vice President Global Supply, ZF FRIEDRICHSCHAFEN

LUNCH BREAK

SESSION 4: ASSEMBLY
Final assembly and material handling are perhaps the most rapidly changing areas of vehicle making, with the demands of new materials and plant layouts needing to be meshed with the need for balancing automation versus low labour cost locations. OEM integrators and system designers discuss challenges and solutions, from plant construction to process refinement. Case studies on differences in approach between Europe, the US and Asia will no doubt open some lively panel discussions. Advances in material handling equipment and the influence on production flow patterns will be debated.

• Reiner Greiss, Manufacturing Director, VISTEON CORPORATION
• Stefan Schleimer, Key Account Manager for BMW Group, NOTHELFER GERMANY
• Thomas Dehm, General Director, Material Handling Automotive, EISENMANN

Departure to BMW Plant

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS PRESENTING THEIR LATEST BUSINESS STRATEGIES
(Includes a coffee break from 10.30 - 11.00 and a lunch break from 12.30 - 13.30)

Senior manufacturing executives from carmakers and tier suppliers will give presentations on a fascinating variety of subjects.

From globalization and the constantly shifting patterns of world vehicle production, to the balance of low-cost locations and the building of vehicles closer to the market, an unrivalled cast of automaking executives will discuss what drives successful car makers in the constant challenge of matching customer demand to production reality.

Topics include: how supercars are made at the most consistently profi table car company in the world - Porsche; BMW's innovative paintshop system at its new Leipzig plant; the European version of the Toyota Total Production System; outsourcing full vehicle production at MagnaSteyr; and many more enlightening insights into the way we make cars now and in the future.