The MTConnect Institute formally announced [MC]2 2013 MTConnect: ConnectingManufacturing Conference that will be held in Cincinnati, OH, at the Hyatt Regency onApril 10-11, 2013. According to a spokesperson, MTConnect is the communications and interconnectivity standard that is allowing manufacturing shops and plants to save both time andmoney because, for the first time, they can easily retrieve and monitor data off the shop floor to improve productivity. “[MC]2 2013 is the conference for all things MTConnect and a must-attend for those who want to understand how this game-changing standard is revolutionizing manufacturing,” said the spokesperson. “MTConnect is a set of open, royalty-free standards intended to foster greater interoperability between controls, devices and software applications by publishing data over networks using the Internet Protocol. MTConnect is a basic first step in linking shop floor technologies and moving toward the goal of seamless manufacturing operations. By establishing an open and extensible channel of communication for plugand- play interconnectivity between devices, equipment and systems, MTConnect allows sources to exchange and understand each other’s data.” This is the secondMTConnect conference.The first was held in November 2011 and 175 attendees participated in business and technical sessions, hands-on labs, panel sessions and demonstrations. There were also 26 exhibitors showing their applications that utilize the MTConnect standard. [MC]2 2013 will build on the first MTConnect conference with a greater emphasis on shop owners and plant managers. For more information contact: MTConnect Conference davidallenedstrom@gmail.com pwarndorf@amtonline.org www.mtconnectconference.org