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18 POWDER COATING, February 2018 I f you're a coating professional work- ing in or near the Midwest region, make sure you attend the 10th Min- nesota Symposium & Paint and Powder Coating Expo this spring. You'll learn about improving the efficiency of indus- trial finishing operations while maximiz- ing investment returns. In today's global marketplace, your shop's ability to oper- ate efficiently is one of your best compet- itive advantages, and this show can help you reach that goal. The event will be held March 14-15 at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn., a suburb of St. Paul. It's hosted by the Twin Cities Chapter of Chemical Coaters Association Inter- national (TC-CCAI) and the Min- nesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) at the University of Min- nesota. Everyone involved with in- dustrial finishing—from presidents and paint line supervisors to painters and environmental officers—will benefit by attending and obtaining essential information to improve the finishing process. This event will encompass a vendor show, hands-on demonstrations, and technical seminars to answer all of your industrial coating and process efficiency concerns. If you are involved with in- dustrial finishing, you will benefit by at- tending both the symposium and the expo and obtaining essential informa- tion to improve your finishing process. At the last expo in 2015, more than 400 participants attended the 17 technical seminars and a vendor show that fea- tured more than 50 exhibits. A similar turnout is expected this year at this well- respected regional trade show. Highlights Symposium. This year's symposium topic is "Industrial Internet of Things: The Future of Manufacturing." The In- dustrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT) is made up of a multitude of devices connected by communications software. The resulting systems, and even the indi- vidual devices that comprise it, can mon- itor, collect, exchange, analyze, and in- s t a n t l y a c t o n i n f o r m a t i o n t o intelligently change their behavior or their environment — all without human intervention. The Industrial IoT enables the smart system in your car that brakes automatically when it detects an obstacle in the road. It enables the patient moni- toring system in hospitals to track every- thing from a patient's heart rate to their medication intake. It enables a mining machine or space robot to safely and ef- ficiently operate where humans can't venture. More and more finishing equipment is being designed to auto- mate tasks. To remain competitive, you will need to take advantage of these labor-saving opportunities. The program has three components: Internet Security — How to protect SHOW PREVIEW Midwest coaters meet up in the Twin Cities Hundreds of coating professionals will gather for the Minnesota Symposium & Paint and Powder Coating Expo this spring, which has become a well-respected regional trade show. Alicia Tyznik Editor