Catalyst Connection

Manufacturers across Pennsylvania are looking for ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Energy is often one of the biggest opportunities.

Join us on June 10 for The Energy Efficient Factory Accelerator Training and learn practical strategies to identify energy waste, improve performance, and build a roadmap for savings.

Additional opportunities:
📅 June 18 – Energy Efficiency for Everyone (In-Person)
📅 June 24 – Energy Efficiency for Everyone (Virtual)

Register today: 🔗 https://bit.ly/4vq2BVZ

What if reducing energy costs started with your people?

Catalyst Connection is offering two energy efficiency training opportunities for Pennsylvania manufacturers, made possible through support from the U.S. Department of Energy.

⚡ Energy Efficient Factory Accelerator Training
June 10 | In Person
For manufacturing and operations leaders ready to turn energy efficiency into a competitive advantage.

⚡ Energy Efficiency for Everyone
June 18 (In Person) or June 24 (Virtual)
For employees at all levels who want to help reduce waste, improve performance, and support a stronger operation.

Give your team practical tools they can use immediately to identify savings opportunities and drive results.

Register for these upcoming opportunities: https://bit.ly/4en6Kn1

Free manufacturing training — June 17 in Pittsburgh!

Join us for Quality Tools for Problem Solving and Process Improvement — a hands-on, full-day course designed for operators, quality teams, engineers, and supervisors.

You'll walk away knowing how to use Pareto charts, fishbone diagrams, flowcharts, FMEAs, and more to reduce defects, improve efficiency, and support ISO 9001 and Lean practices.

📅 June 17 · 9 AM–3 PM
📍 Catalyst Connection, Pittsburgh, PA
💲 No cost — limited spots available

Register now → https://hubs.li/Q04hXgxB0

Manufacturing is changing and so are the ways people learn about it.

This 3‑day, hands‑on professional learning experience brings educators and training professionals inside real manufacturing environments to explore how modern technologies are used today and how those insights can translate into education, training, and career exploration across settings.

This is not a sit‑and‑listen workshop. Participants will tour advanced facilities, connect directly with manufacturers, and walk away with practical takeaways they can apply in their role.

What to expect:
• High‑tech manufacturing facility tours
• Direct interaction with industry professionals
• Peer learning with educators and workforce leaders
• Hands‑on resources and real‑world examples
• Practical ideas for application beyond the classroom

Walk in curious. Walk out ready to apply it.
📅 July 29, August 5, August 12

Register now! No cost to attend!
🔗 https://bit.ly/481kVf2

Students across the region recently wrapped up their Manufacturing Innovation Challenge (MIC) presentations and all were wonderful experiences where students worked hard with critical thinking, design, and teamwork.

- Burrell students developed solutions for EPD Electronics that are already helping move real projects forward
- Slippery Rock students designed creative furniture concepts with Keystone Ridge Designs
- Mount Pleasant students took on warehouse layout challenges with Röchling, thinking through efficiency, space, and real tradeoffs

Each project looked a little different, but they all had one thing in common. Students applied what they’re learning to solve real industry challenges and present professionally in front of the companies!

👉 Read the full recaps in our blog! https://hubs.li/Q04j25b10

Supervisors influence culture, communication, accountability, and daily performance across the operation. But many leaders are promoted without formal training on how to lead effectively in a manufacturing environment.

This virtual training series is designed to help supervisors build practical leadership skills rooted in Lean principles and inspired by the Toyota Way.

We are also offering a limited special opportunity:
The first 15 registrants can attend at no cost by using discount code: LEAN at checkout.

Topics include:
• Team communication and engagement
• Daily accountability and problem-solving
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Leading with consistency and clarity

Virtual Series:
July 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2026

Learn more and register:
https://hubs.li/Q04hS-cv0

Are your manufacturing operations keeping pace with AI? Whether you're just getting started or already using AI tools and ready to go deeper — this workshop is built for you.Join Catalyst Connection on June 16 for AI for Manufacturers: Foundations & Practical Applications — a hands-on, 4-hour session designed to cut through the hype and deliver real, shop-floor-relevant
insight. You'll explore:

- AI fundamentals in plain language
- Live demos with ChatGPT, Copilot & Claude
- Advanced use cases across operations, quality & supply chain
- How to evaluate AI vendors and avoid common pitfalls

📅 June 16, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
💲$150
💻 Bring your laptop — hands-on exercises included

Register at https://hubs.li/Q04hS-Lg0

If your team sometimes feels like everyone's speaking a different language, you're not alone.

Catalyst Connection's Bridging Generational Gaps in the Workplace training on June 16 gives manufacturers the tools to turn generational differences into a team strength — not a source of friction. This interactive, full-day session is offered at no cost and covers communication styles, conflict management, and how to build real collaboration across age groups.

📅 Tuesday, June 16 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Pittsburgh, PA
💲 Free for manufacturers — limited seats

👉 Grab your spot: https://hubs.li/Q04hWgc70

The future of industrial growth is being shaped by more than steel production alone. It is being driven by investment, workforce strategy, supply chain resilience, automation, and the technologies redefining modern manufacturing.

In Episode 7 of the Smart Factory Podcast, Doug Dunworth joins Petra Mitchell to discuss how reinvestment in the U.S. steel industry, domestic manufacturing expansion, and global supply chain shifts are creating new opportunities across southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond.

The conversation explores:
• The impact of U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel investments
• Growing demand for American-made equipment
• Workforce development and skilled labor challenges
• Automation and AI-driven operational improvements
• The role of international collaboration in strengthening competitiveness

For manufacturers across the region, these conversations are becoming increasingly important as industrial growth, energy infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing continue to converge.

Listen to Episode 7:
https://hubs.li/Q04hT0LT0

If your team has been putting off Lean training, this is the opportunity to stop waiting.

Catalyst Connection is hosting Lean Foundations & Introduction to 5S on Thursday, June 4 — a full-day, in-person course available at no cost to manufacturers in the Pittsburgh region. Seats are limited and the date is close.

The course covers Lean principles, waste reduction, and a deep dive into 5S — giving operators, technicians, supervisors, and support staff the foundation to support and sustain improvement efforts on the floor.

Don't let this one pass by.

📅 June 4 | 9am–3pm
📍 Catalyst Connection, Pittsburgh, PA
💲 No cost to attend

Register here: https://hubs.li/Q04hS_JV0