Video

Welcome: the Digital Factory and the Art of the Possible

Conference directors Jeff Immelt and Jon Bruner open with a presentation on the "art of the possible" in advanced manufacturing, including a reflection on Paul David's classic paper, "The Computer and the Dynamo," and what modern manufacturing executives can learn from 19th-century factories.
Jon Bruner
Formlabs

Jeff Immelt joined NEA in 2018 as a Venture Partner on both the technology and healthcare investing teams.

Jeff served as chairman and CEO of GE for 16 years where he revamped the company’s strategy, global footprint, workforce and culture, transforming it into a simpler, stronger, and more focused digital industrial company. During his tenure, he led several innovative transformations which doubled industrial earnings, reshaped the portfolio, re-established market leadership, grew a strong share position in essential industries, and quadrupled emerging market revenue. Prior to being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2000, Jeff held several global leadership roles at GE in the Plastics, Appliances, and Healthcare businesses and became an Officer of the company in 1989. He has been named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, and while he was CEO, GE was named "America's Most Admired Company" by Fortune magazine and one of "The World's Most Respected Companies" in polls by Barron's and the Financial Times. He has received 15 honorary degrees and numerous awards for business leadership.

Jeff earned a B.A. degree in applied mathematics from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He currently serves on the board for NEA portfolio companies Collective Health, Desktop Metal, Formlabs, and Radiology Partners, is chairman of athenahealth, and is a member of The American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He and his wife have one daughter.

Jon Bruner directs the Digital Factory program at Formlabs, which focuses on digital manufacturing strategy. Before joining Formlabs, he oversaw O'Reilly Media's publications on data, AI, hardware, the Internet of Things, manufacturing, and electronics, and was program chair, along with Joi Ito, of the O'Reilly Solid conference, which covered the intersection between software and the physical world.

He was previously data editor at Forbes Magazine, where he combined writing and programming to approach a broad variety of subjects, from the operation of the Columbia River's dams to migration within the United States. He studied mathematics and economics at the University of Chicago and lives in San Francisco, where he can occasionally be found at the console of a pipe organ.

FEATURED REPORT

Read the Digital Factory Report

The future of manufacturing is digital. We explore the technologies that are transforming fabrication, from advanced 3D printing to AI-assisted design, and get to know the leaders who are bringing them to the factory floor.

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