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The key manufacturing industry has successfully concluded the MES & Industry 4.0 International Summit at the Alfandega Parliamentary Centre in Porto.
Portugal, Portugal – June 25, 2025 – The key manufacturing industry has successfully concluded the MES & Industry 4.0 International Summit at the Alfandega Parliamentary Centre in Porto, attracting over 600 registered guests from 36 countries in 15 industrial sectors. Over the two days, participants discussed the future of manufacturing, experience sharing, and challenges, and explored the connections surrounding the reality of digital transformation.
The Summit provided a robust programme of expert talks, technology sessions, product demonstrations, roundtable discussions and interactive workshops. Over 50 speakers have provided perspectives on topics that enable AI’s growing role in highly regulated industry compliance and manufacturing operations, as they scale MES worldwide. An important theme that emerged from the discussion was an industry change that went beyond the concept of “smart factories” for thinking factories vision, which helps AI-driven software systems to adapt and optimize in real time.
The keynote address gave a perspective on the digital future of manufacturing. Walker Reynolds, president and Solutions Architect at 4.0 Solutions, held the event with a compelling keynote address on how a unified data strategy and modern architecture can help manufacturers move from fragmented systems to cohesive, scalable operations.
“If we don’t know digital conversion, we can’t unlock the possibilities of AI agents,” Reynolds also said, “99% of digital conversion initiatives begin in the MES layer,” highlighting the key role of MES in creating practical, human-centric solutions that drive meaningful change.
On the second day, Dr. Thomas Kaufmann, Executive Vice President and COO of Automotive at Infineon, shared insights on building a resilient supply chain, moving forward with software defined manufacturing, and providing a clear perspective on how digitalization in the automotive industry is being transformed.
Emphasizing the importance of collaboration, Dr. Kaufman said: […] Here we bring together digitalization, Industry 4.0 and MES enthusiasts. Some of the people I watch in the room would call them mes veterans. ”
Looking back at the impact of the summit, Francisco Almada Robo, CEO and co-founder of Critical Manufacturing, said:
“The feedback from attendees was great, and we introduced opportunities to learn from peers facing similar issues as well as the depth of discussion. Events like the MESI 4.0 Summit help to move the conversation from vision to actual action.
The summit also celebrated the ecosystem-wide collaboration with the Partner Awards and recognized the key role partners play in helping manufacturers achieve their digital transformation goals.
Over the two days, participants and speakers repeatedly highlighted the key role of MES as the backbone of SMART manufacturing, enabling clean data flow, real-time analysis and seamless system integration. The discussion also investigated the new convergence of AI, MES and cloud platforms to support intelligent, flexible and resilient operations. Several sessions highlighted practical AI applications such as adaptive scheduling, predictive maintenance, and cross-site optimization.
“The Mesi 4.0 Summit provided a unique space for meaningful exchange. The event stands out with its depth of discussion and focusing on real-world challenges. “The Summit also emphasized that partnerships are key to translating technology into actionable solutions. It was a great opportunity to share, learn and collaborate.”
sponsor
Sponsors such as Red Hat, Rovisys, Athena Technology Solutions, L&T Technology Services, Tata Consultancy Services, HCLTech, Regenesia, Frontwell Solutions, Scal, and more helped not only sponsorships, but also shared expertise, introduced solutions and supported active events with participants.
Looking ahead
The next MESI 4.0 summit is already on the horizon, with May 20-21, 2027 being announced as the official date for the third edition. As our journey into smarter, more adaptive manufacturing continues, the meal remains at the heart of that conversation.
Important manufacturing information
Critical Manufacturing, a leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant and a subsidiary of ASMPT, offers the most modern, flexible and configurable manufacturing-enabled execution systems (MES). Critical manufacturing MES helps manufacturers stay ahead of strict product traceability and compliance requirements, reducing risk with inherent closed-loop quality, seamlessly integrates with enterprise systems and factory automation, and provides deep intelligence and visibility in global production operations.
As a result, our customers are ready for Industry 4.0. They can compete effectively and profitably, anytime, anywhere, by easily adapting operations to changes in demand, opportunities, or requirements.
About ASMPT
ASMPT is a leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors and electronics. Headquartered in Singapore, ASMPT products cover the semiconductor assembly and packaging, as well as the SMT (Surface Mount Technology) industry. This can range from wafer deposition to a variety of solutions for organizing, assembling and packaging delicate electronic components. ASMPT helps us provide cost-effective industry-based solutions that improve productivity, reliability and quality with our ongoing investment in R&D.
ASMPT is one of the components of the Hang Seng Composite Midcap index, under the Hang Seng Composite Size Indexes, under the Hang Seng Composite Information Technology Indix Index.
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