Zoller Holds Modern Manufacturing Summit
Alexander Zoller, president of Zoller Inc.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Zoller hosted its Technology Days & Smart Manufacturing Summit on May 13 and 14, 2026 at its North American headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI, bringing together manufacturers, industry leaders and technology partners for two days of direct, experience-driven dialogue on the realities of modern manufacturing. Held under the theme “Smart Manufacturing. Made Simple.” the event made one thing clear: Smart manufacturing is no longer defined by future concepts, but by how consistently companies execute disciplined connected workflows between tool management and shop-floor operations. Over the two days, it became evident that the experienced manufacturing leaders in the room are driving real progress by integrating data, process control and automation into tightly coordinated production environments, reducing variability and improving decision-making at every stage of the production process.
The program featured a strong lineup of industry voices, including Jeff Cederstrom, president of ARCH Cutting Tools; Peter Doyle, president of Hirsh Precision; Max Egan, president of Atlas Fibre; Frank Weisskopf, president of TTS Tooling Technology Supply; John Leppien II, president of GARR Tool, Tom Bassett II, president of Pro-Cam LLC and Walt Swenton, senior manager of advanced manufacturing at Eaton Aerospace, alongside Zoller leadership and customers actively implementing advanced manufacturing strategies.
Across keynote presentations, customer discussions and peer exchange, a consistent theme emerged that the gap between companies talking about digitalization and those executing it continues to widen. “We designed this event to move beyond traditional formats and create a space for real dialogue between experienced manufacturing leaders,” said Rita Conroy-Martin, director of marketing & CX at Zoller Inc. “The level of openness in the room showed that manufacturers are actively working through these challenges and looking for practical ways to bring greater control and consistency into their operations.”
As digital manufacturing continues to mature, collaboration between tooling systems, machine tools and process intelligence is no longer optional, it is becoming the foundation for sustainable productivity gains.
“Efficiency today is not about isolated improvements, it’s about how everything works together,” said Alexander Zoller, president of Zoller Inc. “The companies making real progress are not necessarily the ones investing the most, but the ones executing with discipline, connecting tool data, preparation and machine integration into a single consistent process.”
What distinguished the event was the level of engagement and candor among attendees. These were not passive participants, but experienced leaders openly sharing where they are seeing success, where challenges remain and what it takes to scale performance across multiple locations. That reality was reflected in broader discussions around supply chain instability and material cost volatility, particularly the escalating pricing of tungsten carbide and its downstream impact on production, margins and competitiveness. Jeff Cederstrom, president of ARCH Cutting Tools, shared firsthand perspective on the issue, including recent engagement at the federal level, highlighting the growing pressure manufacturers are facing and the need for greater operational control in response.
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