CADDi to Convene Manufacturing Executives in Chicago on the Industry’s Next Decade: AI That Transcends Physical Limits
Invitation-only executive forum during IMTS 2026 follows CADDi UNLEASH 2026 in Tokyo, which convened approximately
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CADDi, the global technology company behind the AI data platform for manufacturers, today announced an invitation-only executive forum during IMTS 2026 focused on management, leadership and corporate culture.
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Keynote Speakers Yushiro Kato and Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita have spent their careers in Japan’s manufacturing leadership circles, where TPS and kaizen originated. Fujita built a med-tech company from Cleveland into a global business under Canon. This is a global vantage point most U.S. leaders don’t get.
Executives attending IMTS 2026 are invited to join the CADDi Manufacturing Future Forum, which will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Mae District venue in Chicago’s Motor Row, blocks from McCormick Place. Interested attendees can reserve their Manufacturing Future Forum seat via: us.caddi.com/owned-events/manufacturing-future-forum-sept-2026. Seats are limited to 150 guests and require advance registration.
The forum follows CADDi UNLEASH 2026 in Tokyo, held Aug. 4, 2026, which doubled attendance from 2025 and convened global senior leaders. “Just wrapped CADDi UNLEASH, our second annual customer conference, and it exceeded what I expected by a wide margin. Over 2,000 manufacturing leaders in one room, customers and partners flying in from across the U.S. and beyond, all there to talk about where the industry is headed,” said CADDi U.S. Vice President of Sales Patrick Harrigan. “We are excited to bring these executive-level conversations to Chicago in September,” he added.
The Chicago forum, focused on how manufacturing leaders will compete over the next decade, is expected to draw senior executives from leading North American manufacturers, including automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers.
The Manufacturing Future Forum will convene executives in operations, quality and engineering from manufacturers across automotive, aerospace, food, logistics and pharmaceuticals. It will feature “The Physical Limit and How to Solve It,” an exclusive keynote session led by Yushiro Kato, co-founder and CEO of CADDi, who will share insights about the next decade of manufacturing and CADDi’s vision for the industry. According to Kato, “As AI advances and AGI becomes a tangible reality, we will surely break through the limits of intelligence, humanity’s most defining identity. Yet we believe this will only bring humanity face to face, once again, with the limits of the physical world. The more AI transcends the boundaries of intelligence, the more clearly we will recognize the far more primitive limits of being physical.”
Kato is joined by guest keynote speaker Hiroyuki Fujita, Ph.D., D.Sc.h.c., founder and CEO of Quality Electrodynamics (QED) and chairman of Canon Healthcare USA. Anchored in his belief that manufacturing is the foundation of national strength, Fujita will speak on the corporate culture and leadership needed to build a better tomorrow.
IMTS 2026 will be held from Sept. 14 to 19, 2026, at McCormick Place in Chicago. In addition to CADDi’s Manufacturing Future Forum, live CADDi AI data platform demonstrations will be available upon request at Booth 135454.
About CADDi
CADDi is an AI-powered data platform that makes design and supply chain data accessible and actionable for manufacturing teams. Headquartered in Tokyo and Chicago, the company was founded in 2017 by industry veterans Yushiro Kato and Aki Kobashi, formerly of McKinsey and Apple. Its flagship product, CADDi Drawer, uses advanced AI to centralize and analyze unstructured design and production data, helping manufacturers improve efficiency, reduce redundancies and unlock innovation. Recognized globally for innovation, CADDi was listed in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and won the SaaS Award for Best Business Intelligence and Engineering Management Software. To learn more, visit us.caddi.com.
View copy of this release on https://us.caddi.com/resources/news/caddi-manufacturing-forum-at-imts-2026?ref=US-PR-2026-Q4-CADDi-Manufacturing-Future-Forum-IMTS-Chicago-BW
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