GREENVILLE, S.C. - SCaroNews -- The SC Manufacturing Conference & Expo (SCMCE) returns to the Greenville Convention Center November 4-5, 2026, under this year's theme: Breaking Barriers. Building What's Next. Registration is open now at scmanufacturingconference.com.

This year's programming centers on three pillars shaping manufacturing today — the workforce skills gap, supply chain resilience, and operational excellence — and how AI and technology are accelerating change across all three.

Featured speakers include:

• Jake Hall, "The Manufacturing Millennial," keynoting on The Future of Manufacturing: Technology and the Workforce
• Don Bent, USC Upstate, and Joanne Wright and Steve Wright, Kinetic Talent, on closing the skills gap
• Amy Sartain, SC Council on Competitiveness, on strengthening supply chains with AI
• Dr. Saeed Farahani, Clemson University, on modernizing plant operations
• Vijay Gurav, Senior Industrial Engineer, Boston Whaler, on real-world AI implementation
• Rashmi Vadlakonda, Trane Technologies, at the SCBiz Women in Manufacturing Awards

Workforce: 77% of manufacturers report difficulty finding qualified workers, and the industry needs 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, per the National Association of Manufacturers and Deloitte/Manufacturing Institute. "How Manufacturers Are Actually Closing the Skills Gap," with Bent, Wright, and Wright, shares what's actually moving retention numbers for Southeast manufacturers.

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Supply Chain: Global supply chain disruptions rose 38% in 2024, and fewer than 6 in 10 manufacturers can trace materials past their second-tier suppliers, according to Resilinc and Tradeverifyd. Sartain leads "Building Through Disruption: Strengthening Supply Chains Using AI," alongside a session on operating through tariffs and cost spikes.

Operations: Compliance now costs manufacturers $29,100 per employee annually — over $50,100 for small manufacturers — per NAM. Farahani and Gurav headline sessions on modernizing plant operations and real AI implementation results, from Clemson research to the Boston Whaler plant floor.

The event also hosts the inaugural Operational Excellence in Manufacturing Awards, honoring leaders across nine categories, and the SCBiz Women in Manufacturing Awards featuring Vadlakonda.

SCMCE's advisory board includes leaders from BASF, KION Group, Isuzu, Trane Technologies, South Carolina Research Authority, and more. As the only large-scale manufacturing expo in the Greenville area through 2026, organizers are calling it a must-attend event for manufacturers across South Carolina and the broader Southeast — including North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida.

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Event Details
SC Manufacturing Conference & Expo
November 4-5, 2026
Greenville Convention Center, Greenville, SC
Registration: scmanufacturingconference.com (https://www.scmanufacturingconference.com/)