Join Us in Chicago
Expo Hours
| Monday Sept. 8 | 9 AM — 5 PM |
| Tuesday Sept. 9 | 9 AM — 5 PM |
| Wednesday Sept. 10 | 9 AM — 5 PM |
| Thursday Sept. 11 | 9 AM — 3 PM |
Venue
McCormick Place
2301 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60616
About the Expo
North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event heads to McCormick Place in September 2025. FABTECH provides a convenient "one stop shop" venue where you can meet with world-class suppliers, see the latest industry products and developments, and find the tools to improve productivity, increase profits and discover new solutions to all of your metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing needs.
North America's Largest Metal Forming, Fabricating, Welding and Finishing Event
Finishing
C82: Technology Today to Prepare for Robotics in Finishing Tomorrow
*This conference session requires registration and payment.
Finishing operations have a few critical years to save the legacy knowledge within their companies and allow technology to help augment their future workforce and production before it is too late. In this session we will show a proven systematic approach to adding technology into your manual and automated finishing systems that you can begin implementing today, no matter what state your current finishing system is in, to reduce costly quality issues, cut operational costs, lower operator stress, increase employee engagement, and reduce new hire training. This session will include case studies, videos, and practical tips that can begin helping your teams and company right now while simultaneously preparing your finishing system for tomorrow.
About This Session
- Date: October 17, 2024
- Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am
- Room: W-202B
- Level: Basic
- Track: Finishing
Speakers
Derek DeGeest
DeGeest Corporation
As a fellow manufacturer, Derek is passionate for solving bottlenecks and increasing production in finishing. With the constant pressure to incorporate automation in manufacturing, Derek shares what he’s learned with other manufacturers on his podcast Manufacturing a Stronger Standard addressing industry questions on automation and robotics. As the 3rd generation President, he has made DeGeest Corporation a technology leader through software development, data analytics, automation, and the use of robotics.
Brad Ruppert
DeGeest Corporation
Brad Ruppert has lifelong experience with finishing. He grew up working in his Dad’s auto body shop and graduated as a manufacturing engineer. His has spent 2 decades in various engineering, management and leadership roles for Tier 1 OEM’s, custom coaters, and contract job shops. His experience and expertise always lead him back to finishing. He has helped bring self-learning technology to North America at DeGeest Corporation and developed many of the processes and solutions that are being used by companies all over the USA.
FABTECH Conference
Tracks: 3D/Additive, Automation, Cutting, Laser, Forming & Fabricating, Job Shop, Lean, Management, Marketing & Sales, Robotics, Smart Manufacturing, Stamping, Workforce Development
| Sessions | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Sessions | $195 | $220 |
| Workshops | $499 | $599 |
| Best Value Full Conference (5-8 Sessions)
| $795 | $900 |
CCAI Finishing Conference
| CCAI Finishing Conference | Member Price | Non-Member Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Session | $112.50 | $125 |
| 2 Sessions | $202.50 | $225 |
| 3 Sessions | $270 | $300 |
| 4-8 Sessions | $405 | $450 |
AWS Welding Conference
| AWS Welding Conference | Member Price | Non-Member Price* |
|---|---|---|
| One-Hour Sessions (W7, W8) | FREE | FREE |
| Two-Hour Sessions (W1, W2, W12, W13, W14) | $95 | $150 |
| Weld-Ed Conference (W5) | $50 | $75 |
| Half-Day Sessions (W3, W10, W15) | $345 | $430 |
| Full-Day Sessions (W4, W6, W9, W11) | $565 | $665 |
| Professional Program (W16) | $395 | $495 |
| *Non-member price for AWS Welding Full-Day Sessions only includes a one-year AWS Individual Membership. | ||
2025 Platinum Sponsors
