CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Falconi US hosted the third annual Falconi EDGE on September 15 at RPM Events on the Chicago River, bringing together nearly 250 manufacturing and technology leaders to explore how new technologies, ideas, and approaches are being translated into operational performance. Attendees included leaders from McCain, Conagra, Ingredion, McCormick, SC Johnson, Rockwell, and ITW, among many others.
"Manufacturing is changing quickly, and there's a lot of conversation around what's possible," said Bernardo Miranda, Senior Partner at Falconi US. "What makes EDGE special is having people in the room who are facing the same challenges, have been through them, or have ideas and experiences to share."
Built around the theme "Bringing the Impossible to the Shop Floor," EDGE 2026 explored how manufacturers are applying technology and new approaches to asset management, frontline knowledge, workforce development, and operational performance.
Lucas Fernandes, VP of Solutions Engineering at Tractian, explored AI adoption, enterprise asset risk management, and what's next for manufacturing, drawing on Tractian's work applying technology to equipment health and asset reliability. Devin Bhushan, Founder and CEO of Squint, examined how industrial AI can capture frontline knowledge and make it more accessible and actionable to the people doing the work.
The conversation expanded beyond technology during a panel featuring Jeff Winter, VP of Commercial Strategy at Belden; Vince Ambrosino, a Falconi Advisory Board Member whose leadership career spans McCain Foods, PepsiCo, and Suntory; and Gabriel Alves Rodrigues, Partner at Falconi US. Titled "From Possibility to Performance: The Future of Labor, Materials & Operational Excellence," the discussion explored workforce, leadership, management systems, and execution.
Falconi also presented its annual Performance EDGE Awards, recognizing organizations and technology partners for distinct contributions to manufacturing performance. Novolex received the Performance EDGE Activation Award, accepted by Andrew Joyner, for its relentless pursuit of operational excellence. McCain received the Performance EDGE Acceleration Award, accepted by Daniel Camargos, for accelerating performance through tailored improvement initiatives that were refined and scaled across its North American operations. Devin Bhushan of Squint accepted the Performance EDGE Enabler Award for technology that has made a significant impact in enabling companies to drive better performance across manufacturing operations.
The awards reflect the kind of work at the heart of EDGE, taking new ideas, approaches, and technologies and putting them to work in real manufacturing environments. Through EDGE, Falconi US brings leaders together to share what they're seeing, what's working, and what it will take to keep improving performance.