The Human Side of Industry 5.0 - SDA’s Forge5 centers on human impact
Humans still have a part in the AI future, too.
At Daley College’s Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center, with Somercor sponsoring breakfast, and IMEC, Forge5’s title sponsor, more than a dozen manufacturers and tech innovators gathered this fall. The idea was to figure out how the Southland can keep up with the next wave of industrial change, but without leaving people behind.
Forge5 is an event organized by the Southland Development Authority’s (SDA) Metals Hub and hosted in partnership with Daley College’s MTEC and the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development. Its purpose, as explained by Manny Davila, the SDA’s Vice President of Programs and Client Services, was “to get all the stakeholders in the region talking about how to stay competitive as Industry 5.0 takes hold… and to do it in a way that keeps people at the center.”
For Davila, that’s what separates Industry 5.0 from every wave of automation before it. “Everyone talks about AI and robotics like they’re going to replace people,” he said. “But Forge5 was about using technology as a tool, not as a replacement. It’s about freeing people from repetitive tasks so they can be creative, problem-solve, and contribute in more meaningful ways.”
That theme ran through the entire event. Attendees toured the state-of-the-art MTEC facility. It is lined with CNC machines and industrial robots where students train for advanced manufacturing jobs. On the bridge connecting the training center to the main campus, exhibitors showed off everything from automation software to virtual-reality training tools - fitting considering most of the exhibitors came from software developers, robotics firms, VR training providers, cybersecurity experts, and government agencies.
One of the day’s highlights was a live “tech-in-action” case study showing how a company used VR training to cut compliance issues and improve safety - all while they “increased the bottom line”, according to Davila.
Forge5 also delivered something rarer than technology itself. Connections. Davila said one of the Metals Hub’s member companies met a cybersecurity firm during the exhibition. That conversation quickly turned into a working relationship.
About 70 percent of manufacturers in the region are smaller, often family-owned firms. Davila said that creates both opportunities and challenges. Especially around adopting new technology. “You’ve got leaders who are still on the shop floor every day,” he said. “They’re pulled into production, into meetings, into everything,” he said. So the idea behind Forge5 was to create a space where they could step away, hear from experts, and see real solutions they “can bring back immediately”.
That accessibility is what sets the event apart from big national conferences, said Davila. Though Forge5 will evolve next year under a new name: smartXchange. It is a shift that Davila says reflects how quickly technology itself is moving. “When we started, everyone was still talking about Industry 4.0. Then came 5.0. By next year, who knows? We realized we needed something that isn’t tied to a single buzzword. Something that can grow with the region,” he said.
The concept behind smartXchange will stay the same. It is an ongoing marketplace of ideas and solutions that help manufacturers adapt faster, together.
Davila describes it as building a “Bat-phone” for manufacturers. A direct line to information, resources, and partners they can call before challenges become crises.
Metals Hub is planning small quarterly sessions for a more “regular cadence”, as well - to keep conversations going between now and the next annual event.
About the Southland Development Authority
The Southland Development Authority, a not-for-profit economic development organization, is committed to driving equitable and sustainable economic growth in the south suburbs of Chicago. Through innovative programs, strategic partnerships, and impactful direct investments, the SDA is building a vibrant, inclusive economy that drives wealth growth for individuals, businesses and municipalities. Combined with the benefits of the South Suburban Land Bank and the Monarch Fund, the SDA serves as a model for regional development.
