A record crowd gathered in Boston last week for the annual LiveWorx® digital transformation event, where attendees explored how digital transformation is becoming a reality for an ever-increasing number of manufacturing companies around the world.
The event brought together more than 6,400 of the industry’s greatest minds from more than 40 countries (with approximately 7,000 more live-streaming the event) for four days of interactive workshops, facilitated industry networking, cutting-edge demos featuring the latest enterprise technology innovations, and more. It spanned disruptive technologies and topics including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the industrial internet of things (IIoT), Industry 4.0, digital engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. This year’s Xtropolis™ exhibit hall showcased some of the most advanced applications of digital transformation available for the industrial enterprise. The show’s 200,000 square foot experiential center featured displays and tactical sessions from over 100 exhibitors who are revolutionizing their industries.
As presenting sponsor, PTC opened the event with a keynote from President and CEO Jim Heppelmann, who declared, “There is a growing awareness that disruptive innovation happens at the intersection of multiple advanced technologies, such as IoT, AR, AI, and Digital Twin. Powered by these complementary technologies, companies now have the tools they need to completely transform the way they generate value through improved efficiency and productivity across products, processes, and people.”
Companies Across Industries Bring Digital Transformation to Life
Companies from across the industrial spectrum presented and demonstrated the unique ways various technologies are helping them to undergo digital transformations. Attendees heard from a wide variety of organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, Southwest Airlines, Stanley Black & Decker, Whirlpool, Vodafone, and more about how IIoT, AR, and other integrated solutions are helping them achieve significant business value. A panel featuring Aggrekko, Fujitsu, Global Foundries, and Howden pointed out ‘top tips’ for bringing digital technology such as AR to the enterprise.
Many of the 245+ sessions at the event highlighted how choosing key strategic partners can inspire digital transformation in the industrial sector. During one such session, Dr. Maria Wilson, global leader of data driven advantage at Howden said, “We realized very early on in our digital transformation journey that the most efficient and time-effective way to execute our vision was to develop a strong partners ecosystem.”
Consistent with that theme, PTC leveraged the LiveWorx stage to make several announcements around alliances, investments, and a strategic acquisition, including:
- Microsoft Partner of the Year: PTC was recognized as the Microsoft Partner of the Year in two categories: “Manufacturing and Resources” and “Mixed Reality”, as well as a finalist in the “Internet of Things (IoT)” category.
- Technology Partner Investment: PTC announced that it has invested in and partnered with Matterport, a company that offers immersive 3D technology and spatial capture solutions. Together, Matterport and PTC will combine their expertise to focus on factories, plants and other industrial spaces – as well as the people who operate them.
- New AR Acquisition: PTC announced the acquisition of TWNKLS, a Netherlands-based company that develops tailor-made AR applications, experiences and services to solve the specific challenges faced by enterprise companies.
More than 100 companies sponsored LiveWorx this year, including Pinnacle Sponsors Rockwell Automation, Accenture, Deloitte Digital, and Microsoft; and Premier Sponsors Analog Devices, ANSYS, Capgemini, Cognizant, DXC.technology, HCL, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IFS, Infosys, and Kalypso. Hundreds more delivered compelling content in breakout sessions and on the Xtropolis floor via Ignite Talx.
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