Amesbury Mayor Ken Gray, founder of Northwave Technology Inc., a designer and manufacturer of semiconductor equipment, will welcome attendees and participate in the seminar.

Attendees of the seminar will learn about design for manufacturability (DFM), the engineering art of designing products to facilitate the manufacturing process and reduce production costs. Resolving problems in the design phase can save costly errors in the manufacturing process.

Panelists have extensive design and manufacturing industry expertise and can advise attendees on the early product commercialization process to help avoid costly mistakes.

Before being elected mayor last year,Gray also worked in engineering at Raytheon Andover Missile Systems, was executive vice president at Aseco, which he helped grow from a startup to a publicly traded company, and was vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Delta Design, a publicly traded company with $300 million in annual revenues.

In addition to Mayor Gray, panelists include:

• James Bleck, President, Bleck Design Group, Chelmsford, MA
• James DiBurro, President, Round Rock Consulting, Bradford, MA
• Dan Rocconi, President & CEO, Bixby International Corp., Newburyport, MA

The panelists will discuss and answer questions about the importance of designing products for manufacturability, sourcing the best materials for your product and finding the contract manufacturer that will enable the development of low-cost, high-quality products that satisfy customer needs.

Attendees will learn:

• the value added by working with a design engineer and how engaging early in the process can help you avoid costly rework down the line
• how your IP might interfere with your ability to manufacture
• what costs to expect when working with a design engineers, consultants, and prototypers
• the importance of finding contract manufacturers that are interested in working with startups
• how manufacturing consultants can assist in identifying the right manufacturers for your products at the right time in your commercialization process
• where to find the manufacturing resources that can serve your company’s commercialization needs

Refreshments will be served. There will also be time for networking.

About The Chestnut Innovation Center

The Center, which currently houses green technology companies in various stages of design and manufacturing, enables many companies to connect, collaborate, innovate and participate in successful growth initiatives. For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

About The Association of Cleantech Incubators of New England (ACTION)

Action is New England’s leading network of cleantech incubators sharing the common goals of accelerating the growth and success of early-stage companies, strengthening the regional cleantech cluster, and creating more green jobs in New England. For more information, visit http://www.actionnewengland.org.

Contact Information:
The Chestnut Innovation Center
11 Chestnut Street, Amesbury, MA 01913
978-834-6492
www.chestnutic.com

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