mHUB AND DMDII NAME THREE FOURTH REVOLUTION AWARD RECIPIENTS: MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR, MARMON; CORPORATE CHAMPION, MICROSOFT; AND FOURTH REVOLUTION CHAMPION, BRAD KEYWELL
Industry celebration recognizes the people, companies, products and initiatives that are galvanizing Midwest manufacturing innovation
CHICAGO (September 20, 2018) – mHUB, and Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), have named Marmon Holdings, Inc. as Manufacturer of the Year; Microsoft as Corporate Champion; and Brad Keywell as Fourth Revolution Champion of the second annual Fourth Revolution Awards. The industry awards ceremony will take place on October 10, 2018, at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago to recognize the leadership, innovation and achievements of the Midwest’s manufacturing community.
The Manufacturer of the Year award recognizes an individual or manufacturing company that has demonstrated its excellence in business practices, innovative production processes, and productivity enhancements, and has made a significant financial investment to manufacturing capacity in the region.
Marmon Holdings, Inc., with more than 100 autonomous manufacturing and service businesses across 13 diverse business sectors, is dedicated to developing creative, customer-focused products and services. During the 13-year tenure of outgoing Chairman and CEO Frank Ptak, Marmon has achieved significant growth through both internal investment and acquisitions. Additionally, Chicago-based Marmon is a strong supporter of the entrepreneurial community through its founding partnership with mHUB.
“We are honored to receive this award along with our retiring leader Frank Ptak,” said Marmon President, Angelo Pantaleo. “Marmon companies manufacture a wide range of products, from railroad tank cars and platform trailers, to commercial beverage dispensers and residential water softeners, to industrial flashlights and metal screws. One thing they all share is a commitment to continual innovation in technologies, materials, processes, and products in order to deliver meaningful solutions to our customers.”
The Corporate Champion award recognizes a corporation or business that has made an impact on manufacturing through community-focused efforts, and significant financial investment throughout the region. As a founding member of DMDII, and a driving force behind industrial technologies that enable predictive maintenance, remote monitoring, and factory optimization, Microsoft is enabling smart manufacturing in the Chicago region and beyond.
“It is an honor to be recognized as a Corporate Champion with this Fourth Revolution Award. Through our work with DMDII and the community, we know that the digital transformation in manufacturing is accelerated through partnerships and collaboration, ultimately rewarding the manufacturing ecosystem and its stakeholders. We truly appreciate this recognition,” said Caglayan Arkan, General Manager, Microsoft Worldwide Manufacturing & Resources.
The new category of Fourth Revolution Champion recognizes an individual who is leading industry into a new era where digital and physical systems converge and lead to advances in productivity, efficiency, and safety in manufacturing.
Brad Keywell, co-founder and CEO of Uptake, is the inaugural recipient of this award, recognizing his work at the company to help industrial companies digitally transform with open, purpose-built software that delivers outcomes that matter.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is happening now; not 10 or 20 years from now. The Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are impacting how we all live, work, and interact with each other,” said Keywell. “The rise of these technologies creates massive opportunity for people who, I believe, will be empowered to innovate, create new jobs and business models, and drive greater productivity and efficiency than what we'd previously imagined was possible. The global industries that power, transport, build, and feed our world are already stronger and better because of these changes. I’m proud to be part of this community in the Midwest that’s embracing innovation and driving industry forward.”
Additional Fourth Revolution Award Finalists Announced
Award winners in five additional categories are being reviewed by the Fourth Revolution Awards prestigious judging committee, and will be acknowledged on October 10 at the award ceremony. These include: Community Empowerment, Product Design of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, and Small and Mid-Sized Manufacturer of the Year.
The finalists for the Rising Star Startup of the Year will pitch at mHUB on September 26 to determine the winner, and public voting on the Product of the Year award will close the same day. Meet the finalists in each category:
Community Empowerment Award Finalists
- Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
- The Gray Matter Experience
- The Garage at Northwestern
- Safer Foundation
- SparkShop
Product of the Year Award Finalists
- Amper Machine Monitoring by Amper Technologies
- aLoo valve by aLoo
- NuRez by NuCurrent
- Osteon Defender by Cast21
- TanvasTouch Technology by Tanvas
- USG Sheetrock(R) EcoSmart Panels by USG
- Hyperelastic Bone(TM) by Dimension Inx
Rising Star Startup of the Year Award Finalists
Innovation of the Year Award Finalists
- 3D Painting & 3D Paints by Dimension Inx
- DigitalClone by Sentient Science
- HARP by CDJ Technologies
- Light Guide System by Ops Solutions
- Surgical Simulators by Praxicut
Small-Medium Manufacturer of the Year Finalists
Confirmed Fourth Revolution Award sponsors include Accenture, Bank of America, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Chamberlain Group, GE Ventures, Granite Creek Capital Partners, Grosvenor Group, JLL, KPMG, Marmon Holdings, Inc., MB Financial, Museum of Science & Industry, Pritzker Group Venture Capital,
RW Ventures, Uptake, UL, WaterSaver Faucet, and Wintrust. Community host partners include IMEC, and The Technology & Manufacturing Association.
For more information on the ceremony, sponsorship opportunities, and awards, visit www.4RevAwards.com and follow @4RevAwards on Twitter.
About mHUB
mHUB is Chicago’s innovation center for physical product development and manufacturing. mHUB is a co-working community of product designers and developers, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers, a network of manufacturing mentors, industry experts and investors, and a source of intellectual and economic capital. mHUB is home to ten shops and labs, including electronics, plastic fabrication, metals and rapid prototyping as well as a microfactory for small production runs.
About DMDII
The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with UI LABS and the Department of Defense, DMDII equips U.S. factories with the digital tools and expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, its more than 300 partners increase their productivity and win more business.
