The South Carolina Automotive Council (SCAC) and AIAG Supply Chain and Quality Conference was a success! This 1-½ day event at the end of August took place in historic Charleston, South Carolina, after months of planning and collaborating between the organizing parties. 

The event was well-attended, with representation from several global OEMs as well as tier-level manufacturing companies, leading industry consultants, and solutions firms. Keynote presentations from Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans featured a discussion, in both cases, of key existing and recently approved capital investments and expansions in the Southeast, as well as the future of each company’s products.

Additional presentations covered a diverse range of topics which were carefully selected for timeliness and relevance leading up to the conference. Presentations addressed risk in the supply chain, trade policy, cybersecurity, IATF 16949:2016 updates, smart manufacturing, and much more. As an added benefit to attendees, the event kicked off with an optional pre-conference tour of the nearby Robert Bosch plant to see smart manufacturing in action, and concluded with another optional excursion on the water.

For AIAG, the conference represented an opportunity to offer more value to automakers and suppliers further south, and to build a stronger relationship with SCAC. In the months and years to come, AIAG looks forward to continuing these collaborative endeavors with SCAC, and to exploring the organizations’ shared goals and vision for the future of the industry.