Mike McFarlane

Member Board of Trustees AI Applied Consortium

With 35 years of chemical manufacturing and site management experience, Mike recently led a team of experts to implement digital solutions across BASF’s manufacturing network in North America. Mike retired from BASF in July 2023 and now acts as a digitalization advisor for his company, Digital Ghillie LLC, and for the advisory group, Pilko and Associates. Mike leverages his manufacturing and digitalization experience to help companies develop digital strategies aligned with their manufacturing objectives. Mike is a Board Trustee of the Applied AI Consortium of NA, bringing together academics and industry partners to solve real world problems with AI. Mike has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of St. Andrews and is a published researcher and patent holder.

Pre-Conference Workshop Day | Tuesday, March 18 2025

9:15 AM Workshop A: Aligning Your Connected Worker Strategy with Business Objectives

Digital transformation is about extracting value from data to drive operational improvements. However, the benefits and reasons for digitalization are often unclear. This workshop aims to help manufacturing leaders and digital advocates integrate digitalization into their manufacturing strategy by:


·       Identifying Key Goals: Pinpoint manufacturing and business objectives and value drivers.

·       Assessing Current State: Evaluate each value driver on a digital maturity index and determine what is needed to reach the desired future state.

·       Laying the Groundwork: Assess technical and cultural readiness for a digital program.

·       Prioritizing Projects: Align projects with business criteria and prioritize accordingly.

·       Developing a Roadmap: Create a multi-year roadmap that outlines a pragmatic sequence of initiatives and projects.

·       Supporting Digitalization: Communicate and support digitalization as a key enabler for manufacturing.


Join us to learn how to effectively align your connected worker strategy with your business objectives and drive meaningful improvements in your operations.

Main Conference Day Two | Thursday, March 20 2025

12:10 PM CASE STUDY: Examining how AI can Transform Safety Processes across Energy Operations and Reduce Threat to Life

·       Revolutionizing safety protocols by proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks

·       Providing early detection of abnormal conditions to ensure early intervention and prevent safety incidents

Enabling real time monitoring of sites to alert security personnel on unauthorized access attempts 

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Mike.

Download The Latest Agenda