Session Abstract:
The industrial sector is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by the convergence of advanced sensor technologies and AI-powered solutions. This panel at IoT Slam brings together experts from engineering services, sensor technology companies, and AI companies to explore how enhanced sensing can unlock smarter, more efficient AI applications for industrial use cases. From optimizing supply chains and manufacturing processes to enabling predictive maintenance and real-time decision-making, our panelists will discuss cutting-edge sensor innovations, data integration strategies, and AI-driven insights that empower industries to thrive in the era of Industry 4.0. Join us to learn how these technologies are shaping the future of industrial intelligence and driving operational excellence across diverse verticals.
Speakers:
Guy Merritt is an experienced C-suite executive, Guy has 35 years engineering leadership advising and developing IoT solutions, native cloud-based systems, products and engineering & manufacturing test solutions for a wide variety of industries. He is an author of the award-winning book “Proactive Risk Management: Controlling Uncertainty in Product Development.”
Bryan Saunders is certified Six Sigma Black Belt and Mechanical Engineer with over 20 years of industry experience in the manufacturing, utilities and transportation industries. Currently, Bryan is Head of Industry Consulting for SAS Institute’s IoT Division, where he provides thought leadership and industry expertise to drive advanced analytic solutions across industry in support of the Internet of Things. Bryan helps customers uncover value and drive improved business outcomes from the growing volume of connected devices, with a specialized focus on improved service delivery, asset utilization, equipment reliability and overall product quality. Prior to joining SAS, Bryan worked for the General Electric Company in a variety of roles supporting manufacturing and quality solutions, where he developed deep domain experience in equipment condition monitoring and reliability, supporting remote service delivery for the electric utility market.
Steve Hassell More than 20 years of experience as both a corporate CIO and president of companies providing hardware and software to data centers. Previously, he served as CIO of Emerson Electric and most recently as president of Emerson Network Power/Vertiv’s Data Solutions business.
Ankur Verma is the Co-Founder & CEO of Lightscline, a deep tech AI startup building 400x lightweight AI algorithms and associated workflows to efficiently process TeraBytes of real-world data. By exploiting the redundancy of real-world sensor data, Lightscline’s proprietary AI technology automatically identifies the 10% important data for tasks like anomaly detection, classification, etc, reducing 90% of the AI infra and people related time/costs. Lightscline serves the industrials, infrastructure monitoring, oil & gas, new energy, and on-device AI markets. Ankur has a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Penn State, has been a 30 under 30 honoree by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and has published frontier AI research in top journals like Nature Scientific Reports, Procedia CIRP, and Manufacturing Letters.
Eric Murray works with a passionate group at ProAxion who combine strong domain knowledge with rich IoT data to provide the manufacturing segment with accurate machine health insights (yes AI is involved). He brings 30 years’ experience in positions responsible for business leadership, international business, and global sales & marketing in technology and technically intensive companies. Eric has a variety of utility and manufacturing experience including Smart Grid, instrumentation & test, and machine monitoring in multiple manufacturing industries. Eric has enjoyed leadership positions in both early stage companies through to successful exits, and senior executive positions with ABB and GE. Eric holds a B-Eng from the Royal Military College and an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
