CWIMA Summit & Expo: ‘A new adventure every year’

Matthew Day

Staff

April 14, 2025

WAUSAU – Manufacturing in Central Wisconsin “continues to grow,” Conney Edmondson said – and as executive director of the Central Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (CWIMA), she works daily to help build that momentum. 

Per CWIMA’s website (cwimamfg.com), the alliance enhances “the visibility and understanding of the significant economic impacts and products of local manufacturers,” while “transforming the public perception of manufacturing and skilled trades, which is often misunderstood.” 

Chief among CWIMA’s efforts to increase this understanding, Edmondson said, are its annual events, including the upcoming Advanced Manufacturing Summit and Expo. 

The event will take place April 23 (with a kickoff April 22) at the Central Wisconsin Convention & Expo Center (10101 Market St.) in Rothschild.

Following last year’s theme of Industry 4.0, Edmondson said this spring’s summit and expo will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), its impact and its potential for manufacturing. 

“This year, we’re very AI-focused in how you (can) put to work the different types of AI tools in your current manufacturing facilities to streamline your processes,” she said. 

The upcoming event is presented in partnership with the Northern Wisconsin chapter of Women in Manufacturing (WiM), which Edmondson said helps to further strengthen the operation and broaden enthusiasm. 

“I think we create a lot of excitement, and a lot of people want to come,” she said. 

A dive into CWIMA 

Edmondson said CWIMA – pronounced “swim-a” – started in 2015, “but there were conversations in 2011 because we were originally the Central Wisconsin Metal Manufacturers Alliance.” 

“It was a very small group of metal manufacturers that started it,” she said. “Then they realized they weren’t the only ones with the problems, and they could help a lot more people if they got rid of the ‘metal’ (and) opened the door to all manufacturers in the area, so that’s what they did.” 

The alliance’s membership, Edmondson said, has since risen to “upward of 300” members. 

Between CWIMA membership and the way disparate businesses sponsor and promote the alliance’s events, Edmondson said there exists a strong sense of community and cooperation to raise the overall tide of regional manufacturing. 

“(Central Wisconsin manufacturers) all want to see each other succeed, so they work very passionately together to execute stuff and help each other out,” she said. “Many of them could be competitors with each other, but they put that stuff away… It’s a pretty unique way of life.” 

CWIMA serves as a focal point for this interconnection, Edmondson said, with manufacturers encouraging their employees to attend the alliance’s events to learn more about the industry as a whole. 

Edmondson said CWIMA also coordinates this enthusiasm into its signature Heavy Metal Tour event each October (in conjunction with the celebration of Manufacturing Month), which provides area eighth graders an introduction to the industry.  

The tour – which includes visits to two plants and interactions with the companies’ representatives – she said, is funded by regional manufacturers, with hopes to generally promote the career path, knowing full well there’s a chance the students may end up working for a competitor. 

Edmondson said eighth grade has been recognized as an ideal time to “plant the seed” of the benefits of a future in manufacturing. 

“We’ve taken the initiative to start that process,” she said. “We know it works, because you can go on many local manufacturing floors and look at the age of (employees) that are there working, and you can ask them the question, ‘Hey, do you know what encouraged you to do what you’re doing?’ And I would venture to guess eight out of 10 that I question, they will say, ‘I got to tour this place when I was in the eighth grade on the Heavy Metal Tour.” 

Edmondson said a shortage of workers continues to hinder the industry’s potential, and by extension, the regional economy, of which manufacturing is “the backbone.” 

“Our whole goal is to close that worker shortage gap, and we do that by partnering with our educational partners and local industry in helping to create programs and plant the seed for the desire for students to want to go to work in the manufacturing industry and expose them to the educational things that they can get right here in Central Wisconsin, and stay here and have a great life,” she said. “They can have a great-paying job and own homes and cars and things just like their parents have had and grandparents have had.” 

Edmondson said CWIMA also helps with the process of providing up-to-date manufacturing technology to schools, allowing students an early chance for hands-on learning, while also exposing them to the excitement of the new tech. 

Part of her work with the alliance, she said, is to coordinate the private-public partnerships to enable this provision, as she helps businesses to contribute to this vital step. 

“Our manufacturers know that they have to play a part in educating the next generation,” Edmondson said. 

Some more on the summit and expo

If the Heavy Metal Tour is geared toward sparking the next generation’s interest in manufacturing, Edmondson said CWIMA’s other signature event – the Advanced Manufacturing Summit and Expo – is aimed toward those who have already begun their careers. 

“We need to play a part in helping our local manufacturers increase the education of their own, already (hired) employees,” she said. “So, (with the summit and expo), we create a platform that opens the doors for our local manufacturers to have a place to send their employees.” 

Edmondson said the event features a combination of booths and presentations for attendees. 

“There will be a section of booths with equipment (with) a lot of robotic stuff – a lot of robotic cells, robotic welders – different software companies and the things that they can provide, (such as) ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems and those types of things,” she said. “Then we also have a series of breakout sessions that are all based on automation and AI, and a great panel discussion happening with the legal ramifications of the use of AI, etc.” 

Edmondson said the event’s premier workshop – “AI in Action: A Practical Walkthrough for Manufacturing Professionals” – is intended to assure workers their jobs may be evolving, but they’re not disappearing. 

“Just because we’re automating things or using AI systems, (that doesn’t mean) that people are going to lose their jobs – we just need to help get them a different quiver of tools to be able to do their job,” she said. “And that’s why we do the summit and expo, because that’s where they’re going to get that education… Robots aren’t going to operate on their own. They’ve got to have humans to run them.” 

Edmondson said WiM’s Northern Wisconsin chapter’s involvement is to help assure women they’re welcome in “a very male-dominant industry.” 

“That’s another part of the whole puzzle, is that women can be really intimidated to go to work in manufacturing – and yet it’s a great place for women to be,” she said. “I have a lot of manufacturers that have women in really key positions, and they play very strong parts in the success of their companies. It’s really exciting to watch that happen.” 

The summit and expo’s keynote speakers include: 

• Chris Luecke, of the podcast “Manufacturing Happy Hour” 
• Josh Roberts, vice president of Epicor Software 
• Kathy Miller, former senior executive of General Motors, Delphi, Parker Hannifin, Rolls-Royce and Vertiv 

“Kathy Miller – who wrote the book ‘Steel Toes and Stilettos’ – she’s going to do a presentation at lunchtime on embracing change,” Edmondson said. “Basically, there’s a lot of change right now in manufacturing, especially bringing on all the new technologies and processes and things like that. And sometimes that can be really scary to certain generations, because they’ve done what they do for so many years, and they’ve always been the holder, if you will, of the knowledge.” 

Edmondson said virtually anyone in the manufacturing industry would benefit from attending the summit and expo, particularly as CWIMA members can send employees to the trade show for no admission cost, whereas non-members are charged $50. 

“College students, there would be no charge for them to come in,” she said. “They should send me an email (at conney.edmondson@cwimamfg.com) and we can take care of that.” 

Full details on the event and full access are available at CWIMA’s website. 

Edmondson said she hopes the event attracts “anywhere between 500-600″ attendees. 

“We would love to have any and all people come in and see what we have to offer – the more support we get, the bigger and better we can make it next year,” she said. “We are doing this for our partners in the manufacturing world. We just want them to have a place to be able to get their questions answered and hopefully continue down the road of great success.” 

And for those who have attended the summit and expo in the past, Edmondson said there is always new, exciting, invaluable information to glean. 

“I always feel like it’s a new adventure every year,” she said.