TechForum Schedule
Tuesday, October 7th
8:00am-11:00am Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour - Meet in Grand Ballroom Foyer
- 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, TX 76011
AT&T Dallas Cowboys Stadium - Meet in Hotel Lobby for buses
Sponsor - Western Technologies, Inc.
11:00am-1:00pm Registration - Grand Ballroom Foyer
11:30pm-1:00pm Registrant Lunch - Pool Deck
Sponsor - Mineral Research & Development
1:00pm-5:00pm Technical Sessions - Grand Ballroom A
- 1:00PM - 1:30PM: Announcements & Introductions
- 1:30PM - 4:30PM: Technical Sessions
- 1:30PM - 2:00PM SMART Galvanizing Factories: The Key to Industry Sustainability (Philipp Roth, Scheffer Cranes GmbH)
- 2:00PM - 2:30PM Crane Maintenance & Lessons Learned (Kevin Irving, IZA & Abiding Group)
- 2:30PM - 2:50PM: Registrant Coffee Break (Sponsor - APR Plastic Fabricating, Inc.)
- 2:50PM - 4:30PM: Technical Sessions
- 2:50PM - 3:00PM Wednesday In-Person Plant Tour Preview (John Donnelly of AZZ, and John Roy of Race Rock)
- 3:00PM - 3:30PM Automatic Spinning Plant for Small Parts & Smart Manufacturing (Liuba Shaplyko, Sirio Impianti Industriali)
- 3:30PM - 4:00PM SCADA Monitoring Systems to Enhance Operational Efficiency (Sergio Tarazona, ANI Metal)
- 4:00PM - 4:30PM Modern Safety Equipment in Material Handling (Bennett Lacey, HUB Industrial Supply)
- 4:30PM - 5:10PM: Trash Talk: Minimization Mastery (Competition Game & Prizes!)
6:00pm-7:30pm MarketPlace Reception - Grand Ballroom B
The highly-anticipated MarketPlace Reception draws in a large portion of attendees to browse MarketPlace booths and tabletops while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
Wednesday, October 8th
7:00am - 8:00am - Pre-Tour Breakfast - Grand Ballroom Foyer
Sponsor - CIC Pittsburgh LLC
8:00am - 5:00pm - Galvanizing Tours - Meet in Grand Ballroom Foyer
AZZ - Crowley Campus - 200 N Beverly Crowley, TX 76036
- Galvanizing operations (AZZ Metal Coatings)
- Powder Coating operations (AZZ Surface Technologies)
Race Rock - 400 N Tarrant St, Crowley, TX 76036
- Manufacturing operations with advanced angle line and thermal cutter
6:00pm - 9:00pm - Social Event @ Cowboy Chow
Cowboy Chow - 311 S Akard St, Dallas, TX 75202 (Located in AT&T Discovery District - short walk from hotel lobby)
Sponsor - Teck Metals Ltd.
Thursday, October 9th
7:00am - 8:00am - MarketPlace Breakfast - Grand Ballroom A
Sponsor - Western Technologies, Inc.
8:00am - 12:00pm - Technical Sessions (Grand Ballroom A) & Marketplace open (Grand Ballroom B)
- 8:00AM - 9:40AM: Technical Sessions
- 8:00AM - 8:30AM Optimizing the Pre-Process Bay & Material Handling in Hot-Dip Galvanizing: Past Lessons, Present Innovations & Future Roadmap (Maulik Patel, Radadia Engineering INDIA)
- 8:30AM - 9:00AM Stormwater Runoff from Zinc-Coated Construction Materials & IZA Updates (Adam Ryan, IZA)
- 9:00AM - 9:30AM Panel Discussion: Barcode Tagging and Warehouse Tracking Systems (Paul Parks of P2 Systems, Brian Schlatterbeck of Infosight, and Steve Gutkoski of V&S)
- 9:30AM - 9:45AM Process Tracking, Safety Reviews and Materials Handling: A UK Galvanizing View (David Watkins, Zinco International)
- 9:45AM - 10:00AM: MarketPlace Coffee Break (Sponsor - Zaclon LLC, Mineral Research & Development (MRD), GIMECO Impianti s.r.l.)
- 10:00AM - 11:30AM: Technical Sessions
- 10:00AM - 10:30AM Rigging Maintenance (TBD, TBD)
- 10:30AM - 10:45AM Workplace Safety Metrics Specific to US Galvanizing Industry (John Roy, Race Rock)
- 10:45AM - 11:00AM AGA Technical Resources on Material Handling (Brandon Jones, AGA)
- 11:00AM - 11:30AM AGA Research Updates & Process Survey Results (Alana Fossa, AGA)
- 11:30AM - 12:00PM: Closing Remarks and Announcements (including preview of TechForum 2026)
12:30pm - 1:30pm - Lunch for Master Galvanizer Attendees Only - David G. Burnet Room
Sponsor - ANI METAL
1:20pm - 4:30pm - Master Galvanizer Seminar #4: Productivity and Material Handling - David G. Burnet Room
Training opportunity for AGA members only. This training and Q&A was created to educate new plant employees joining the industry, as well as experienced workers who want to review the specific steps in the galvanizing process.
Presenter: Alana Fossa of AGA
Seminar #4 Productivity and Material Handling Agenda:
- Material Handling Equipment
- Material Movement
- Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices
- Time & Productivity
- Plant Safety