NFFS 2027 Industry Executive Conference
February 19-21 | Rancho Bernardo Inn | San Diego, CA
Education Sessions
Timely insight. Practical strategies. Conversations built around the issues shaping the industry.
Insight for the Decisions You're Making Now
IEC education is designed around the issues foundry leaders are navigating every day—from economic uncertainty and workforce challenges to regulatory compliance, technology, supply chains, customer expectations, and artificial intelligence.
Hear directly from experts and industry peers, then take the conversation further through interactive roundtables built for candid discussion and practical exchange.
Saturday, February 20
Economic Outlook 2027: Insights and Strategies for a Changing Industrial Landscape
What will the economy mean for your foundry in 2027? Michael Feuz of ITR Economics returns to IEC with a data-driven look at the economic forces shaping manufacturing, metalcasting, investment, and industrial demand.
This session will help business leaders look beyond headlines and better understand where the economy may be headed, what indicators deserve their attention, and how changing market conditions could affect planning, purchasing, workforce decisions, and growth.
Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for anticipating change and making better-informed business decisions in the year ahead.
No One Wants to Do This Work
The workforce conversation often begins with the same frustration: finding people willing to work in manufacturing—and keeping them once they arrive.
Kory Anderson brings the foundry perspective to a candid discussion about today's labor challenges, what employees are actually looking for, and where traditional approaches to recruiting and retention may no longer be enough.
The goal is not simply to diagnose the workforce problem, but to start a more useful conversation about how foundries can position the work, the workplace, and the opportunities they offer differently.
Industry Roundtables
New for IEC 2027! The Industry Roundtables create space for candid, peer-to-peer conversations on technology, economic conditions, workforce, metal sourcing and supply chains, executive strategy and next-generation foundry leadership. These conversations happen once with no repeats/no second sessions. Choose the topic that matters the most to you and make sure you're in the room when it happens.
Smarter Foundries: Technology Roundtable
Discuss where technology is creating real value inside today's foundries, where adoption remains difficult, and how leaders can separate practical opportunities from technology for technology's sake.
Navigating What's Next: Economic Roundtable
Take the morning economic discussion further with a conversation focused on what changing conditions mean for your company, customers, markets, investments, and planning decisions.
Building the Workforce You Need: Talent Acquisition & Retention Roundtable
Compare recruiting and retention challenges with fellow foundry leaders and discuss practical approaches to building a stronger workforce pipeline and creating an environment where employees want to stay.
Navigating OSHA and EPA Compliance
Regulatory compliance continues to demand the attention of every foundry leader. Martha and Skip Guimond return to IEC to help attendees understand the OSHA and EPA developments that matter most to foundry operations.
Drawing on their extensive work with the foundry industry, they will translate complex regulatory requirements and enforcement priorities into practical guidance that leaders can use to evaluate risk and strengthen environmental, health, and safety programs.
Expect a focused, practical discussion designed to help attendees understand what deserves attention now and what may be coming next.
Sunday, February 21
Politics, Policy & Manufacturing: What Foundries Should Expect in 2027
Washington decisions can quickly become foundry business decisions. Omar Nashashibi of Inside Beltway will provide IEC attendees with a forward-looking briefing on the federal policy environment and the developments most likely to affect non-ferrous manufacturers in 2027.
The discussion will connect activity in Congress, the White House, and federal agencies to the realities of operating a foundry—helping leaders better understand emerging risks, opportunities, and potential changes in the business environment.
Attendees will leave with greater visibility into what may be coming from Washington and how their companies can prepare, respond, and engage.
Staying Essential: What Customers Expect from Their Foundry Partners
Customers are asking more from their suppliers than quality castings and on-time delivery. The strongest foundry relationships increasingly depend on responsiveness, reliability, communication, problem-solving, technical support, and the ability to anticipate what customers need next.
This session will explore what makes a foundry truly valuable to its customers and how manufacturers can move beyond being simply a supplier to becoming an essential long-term business partner.
Industry Roundtables
Sunday's roundtables put attendees directly into the conversation on supply chains, executive strategy, and the next generation of foundry leadership.
Strengthening Your Supply Chain: Sourcing Metals Roundtable
Discuss sourcing challenges, material availability, supplier relationships, volatility, and strategies foundries are using to build more resilient metal supply chains.
Leading from the Top: Executive Strategy Roundtable
A peer conversation for leaders navigating growth, investment, operational priorities, organizational change, and the difficult decisions that come with leading a foundry business.
The Future of Foundry Leadership: Next-Gen Roundtable
Explore what the next generation of foundry leadership will look like and discuss succession, leadership development, changing expectations, and preparing future leaders to take the industry forward.
Practical AI for Foundries: What You Can Actually Do Monday Morning
Artificial intelligence is generating plenty of attention—but what can a foundry realistically do with it today?
Delcie Bean will move the conversation beyond the hype and focus on practical ways businesses can begin evaluating and applying AI to everyday work. The session is designed for executives who want to better understand where AI can create value without needing to become technology experts themselves.
Attendees will leave with ideas they can take back to their teams immediately, along with a clearer sense of how to approach AI adoption intentionally rather than simply chasing the latest technology trend.
Learning Opportunities Designed to Continue After the Sessions End.
IEC gives attendees access not only to expert perspectives, but to the collective experience of the NFFS community. Hear the presentation, ask the questions, compare experiences with your peers, and take practical ideas back to your business.
VIEW THE FULL AGENDABring the Conversation Back to Your Business.
Join foundry executives, industry experts, and NFFS leaders in San Diego for IEC 2027.
REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!