By Travis Webb, AEM Technical Director --
Navigating the complex and evolving world of product safety and regulatory compliance is no small feat today.
The last several years have brought forth a wealth of compliance risks and burdens for our industry; a mixture of new and old regulatory concepts that threaten the ability of OEMs to sell their products around the world. The risks are significant and numerous: safety concerns, engine emissions, chemical management issues, and more. More importantly, though, they are an ever-present factor in how AEM members and their peers do business.
AEM is committed to ensuring its member companies aren’t forced to tackle these issues alone. It’s why our Safety & Product Leadership Department teams up with our Education and Events staff and member company leaders each year to offer a one one-of-a-kind industry event that brings together heavy equipment manufacturers, value chain partners, and subject matter experts to harmonize ideas and orchestrate breakthroughs: AEM’s Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar.
Organized for AEM members and by AEM members, our Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar provide unprecedented access to the latest insights on product liability, safety design standards, regulatory requirements, and potential risks to avoid.
Since the roles at our AEM member companies are both well-rounded and diverse, so too are the sessions and presenters that will be made available at this year’s conference in Nashville (set for April 28-May 1). Among the topics attendees can expect to be covered in detail this year include:
- Building elite teams (from the perspective of keynote speaker and Navy SEAL Combat Veteran Eric Frohardt)
- Functional safety
- Cybersecurity
- Chemical compliance
- Engine emissions
- Artificial intelligence (AI) tools
- Batteries and electrification
- Fire safety and incident investigation
The member-driven information and insights shared at the AEM Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar is also organized into four tracks to help provide a comprehensive range of valuable learning opportunities:
- The Principles Track – Featuring fundamental insights for those new to the industry, this track also serves as an excellent refresher for seasoned industry professionals.
- The Advanced Track – Offering deeper dives into critical industry issues, this track is tailored for seasoned product safety and compliance experts.
- Technical Communications Track – This track is designed to help industry professionals enhance their skills as they relate to safety materials and publications.
- Product Management – Providing comprehensive information regarding how product safety intersects with product management, this track helps to foster industry-wide collaboration and understanding among peers.
Collectively, attendees and presenters at the Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar are the folks that are tasked with tackling the complex and evolving world of product safety and regulatory compliance across our industries. Setting competition aside, they engage with one another and share useful approaches in order to stay on top of timely and relevant issues impacting us all. And since it’s virtually impossible for any one company or individual to know everything necessary to remain compliant with ever-changing regulations and keep up with the latest safety best practices, each year AEM and several of its most trusted member company representatives work to bring it all together.
Finally, there’s the networking. Quite simply stated, it’s a huge component of this event. Attendees are afforded the uniquely valuable opportunity to meet up with hundreds of other professionals from a different companies spread across our industries. From sparking up a personal conversation at a lunch table, to discussing a recent conference session, interacting with others in a similar career space is invaluable for the professional development of everyone in attendance.
So, to longtime attendees or individuals considering joining us for the first time: we promise this event provides solutions that can be applied in any professional setting. And while some aspects of this always-popular and long-running event have changed, the core purpose of AEM’s Product Safety & Stewardship Conference and Liability Seminar is (and will always remain) the same: ensuring the safety of our members and the customers they serve, getting them home to their families, and highlighting product safety and stewardship as integral drivers of success for our industry.
For more information, contact AEM's Travis Webb (twebb@aem.org) or Helen Horner (hhorner@aem.org).
