An Exclusive Interview with GFT’s Scott Hofmann

On 6 November, Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE will be taking place - a captivating virtual conference that will foster connections between the leading manufacturing and mobility leaders across the world.

Throughout the day, a range of engaging fireside presentations and panel discussions will delve into some of the industry’s most prominent topics, including tech & AI, digital manufacturing and the factory of the future.

The virtual event promises to provide attendees with exclusive insight into our industries and equip them with the knowledge they need to develop a competitive advantage in our digital age.

Join us next week and discover the strategies and technologies that are transforming the next generation of electric vehicles, factories and connected transportation.

To get your free virtual ticket, click here.

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Scott Hofmann

Scott Hofmann is the Chief Revenue Officer for US at GFT.

In the company, Scott collaborates with significant manufacturing organisations to realise their digital goals.

At Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE, Scott will be featured on the ‘Future of AI in Manufacturing’ panel alongside Siva Prakash, COO of Saint Gobain, Helena Jochberger, Vice-president and Global Lead for Manufacturing at CGI and Fabien Duboeuf, Industry Manager for Manufacturing at Google Cloud. 

The future of AI in manufacturing panel

As our industries develop, AI has emerged as a prominent, yet sometimes controversial, piece of technology that is unlocking an abundance of possibilities. 

The ‘Future of AI in Manufacturing’ panel will explore how manufacturing processes are being transformed by some incredible advancements in machine learning, robotics, automation and data analytics. 

Attendees will also have the exclusive opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly evolving landscape of manufacturing and mobility by delving into some real-world case studies and exploring some industry insights and influential future trends.

We recently caught up with Scott to discover what inspired him to get involved with the event, what he hopes to achieve during his keynote next week, as well as his predictions for the future of the manufacturing and mobility industries. 

What inspired you to get involved with Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE?

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major transformation as organisations work to execute what was once an unattainable goal: connecting the entire factory floor through data and AI tools. This is no longer 10 or 15 years out—it’s happening now and manufacturers are eager to be a part of it. 

I think everyone participating in Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE shares our vision of helping companies bring this vision to life. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to share more about how exactly we’re doing this at GFT and hearing from others about the work they’re doing as well.

Provide us with an overview of what you will be focusing on during the ‘Future of AI in Manufacturing’ panel

Our panel discussion will focus on the latest advancements in automation, robotics, machine learning and data analytics across the factory floor. I’ll be speaking alongside our long-time partners at Google Cloud and other industry experts about real-world examples of how manufacturers are embracing digital foundations to implement these new technologies and shine a light on some of the resulting use cases. 

Scott will be joined on the 'Future of AI in Manufacturing' panel by Fabian Duboeuf, Industry Manager for Manufacturing at Google Cloud. However, this is not the first time that the two organisations have collaborated.  

GFT is a Premier Partner of Google Cloud. GFT works with its clients to enhance security and performance, reduce costs and unblock projects. Since 2019, the pair of companies have been crafting the ideal digital infrastructure manufacturers can leverage to analyse, collate and store their data.

What do you hope to achieve through our event?

So many companies still see digital transformation as a massively expensive investment that they have to go all in right out of the gate. Our goal is to show manufacturers that this doesn’t have to be the case.

 For many, taking an incremental approach can be just as effective and eliminate some of the potential drawbacks that come from doing too much too fast.

If companies take one thing away from Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE, I hope it’s that digital transformation can be as approachable, customizable and scalable as they want it to be. The only limitations are our collective imaginations and dedication to affecting positive change.

At Manufacturing LIVE 2023, Bryan DeBois, Director of Industrial AI at RoviSys, explored the current state of Industrial AI and how this technology will develop.

What emerging trends do you believe will shape the future of the manufacturing and mobility industries over the next decade?

The future of manufacturing will be defined by companies’ ability to connect all of their disparate, legacy data, creating a foundation that new AI and machine learning use cases can be built on top of.

Most manufacturers are already using some form of AI through point solutions such as visual inspection and predictive maintenance. However, each of these point solutions operates independently of one another, generating tons of data points every millisecond that ultimately end up in separate—and even hidden—siloes.

Manufacturers now recognise the opportunity to connect all of these point solutions through better data strategies while managing the full lifecycle of organisation-wide automation and AI. Modern, digital data architectures will be what enables them to do so.

Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025

Discover the essential diary dates for Manufacturing Digital, as well as its sister publications – Procurement Magazine, Supply Chain Digital and Sustainability Magazine.

To follow Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE on LinkedIn, click here.

2024 diary dates:

• Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE | 6 November 

2025 diary dates: 

• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Singapore | 11 February 
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: Sustainability | 5-6 March 
• Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero | 5-6 March  
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Dubai | 29 April 
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June 
• Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June 
• Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London | 23-24 September 
• Procurement & Supply Chain Awards | 24 September

Make sure you check out the latest edition of Manufacturing Digital and also sign up to our global conference series - Manufacturing & Mobility LIVE

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