Now in its third year, this downtown Chicago event brings senior manufacturing leaders together for candid talks and peer connection on running operations in the AI era
CHICAGO, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Falconi US announced EDGE 2026, an annual evening that brings CEOs, plant leaders, and operations executives together to trade practical lessons on running operations and to connect with peers. This year's event takes place Tuesday, September 15, on the Chicago River. EDGE has become the evening where senior operators compare notes on what actually works on the plant floor.
This year's conversation centers on how manufacturers are turning the promise of AI into results they can measure on the floor. Speakers and attendees will dig into where digital tools are actually earning their keep in operations, how leaders are steering their teams through that change, and what the next few years of industrial operations look like as the technology matures.
"The best part of EDGE is the room," said Bernardo Miranda, Senior Partner at Falconi US. "These are senior operators who rarely get to sit down with peers facing the same pressures they are, and every year people leave with relationships that outlast the night. That connection is why they come back."
EDGE 2026 brings some of manufacturing's most influential voices on AI and operations to the stage. Speakers include Jeff Winter, the Industry 4.0 expert widely known as "Mr. Industry 4.0"; Vince Ambrosino, a Falconi US board member and former President at McCain Foods; Gabriel Alves Rodrigues, partner at Falconi US; Devin Bhushan, founder and CEO of Squint; and Lucas Fernandes, VP of Solutions Engineering at Tractian.
The EDGE Awards return this year to recognize the manufacturers behind standout operational results. The three honors celebrate a relentless pursuit of operational excellence, large-scale transformation, and innovation through technology. Last year's awards went to McCain, Kraft Heinz, and Tractian, whose founder accepted the recognition on stage.
"Handing out the awards is one of my favorite parts of the night," said Josh Clark, Partner at Falconi US. "We get to recognize the companies moving faster and leading boldly, the ones putting in the work to get real results. It meant a lot to the teams we recognized last year, and I'm looking forward to doing it again."
The evening opens with a riverside reception, cocktails and dinner from RPM, then short keynotes, the awards presentation, and time to network. EDGE is sponsored by Tractian, Squint, and Timenow.
Attendance is complimentary and by request, with a simple approval step that keeps the room focused on senior manufacturing leaders. Those interested in joining can request to attend at falconi-us.com/edge-2026, and those confirmed will receive full event details.
Event Details
- What: EDGE 2026, hosted by Falconi US
- When: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:00–10:00 PM
- Where: Chicago, IL
- Cost: Complimentary; attendance by request and approval
About Falconi US
Falconi US is a management consultancy focused on operational performance in manufacturing, translating boardroom strategy into plant-floor execution and financial results for leaders from CFOs and COOs to plant managers. It is an independently owned and operated subsidiary of Falconi, a Brazilian consultancy with more than 40 years of global operations and supply-chain expertise. Falconi US was named to Business Insider's America's Top Management Consulting Firms 2026, an inaugural ranking based on a survey of more than 25,000 professionals who work directly with consulting firms. Learn more at falconi-us.com.
Media Contact
Samantha Shreve, Falconi US, 1 773-208-7707, [email protected], https://falconi-us.com/
SOURCE Falconi US
Share this article