Oct 18 - Oct 20, 2027
Hyatt Regency, Greenville SC
2026 Agenda
All times EST
Compact
Select Date:
WED SEP 30
THU OCT 1
FRI OCT 2
07:30 AM - 08:30 AM EST
Breakfast and Registration
Prefunction Area
Enjoy continental breakfast and pick up your badge at the registration table! 
08:30 AM - 09:00 AM EST
Welcome Remarks
Ballroom Main Stage
Welcome Remarks and fishbowl activities. 
Andrew Hurley
Founder · PackagingSchool.com
09:00 AM - 09:30 AM EST
GM Keynote - Robotics Integration at GM
Ballroom Main Stage
GM Keynote: OEM Robotics Integration at General Motors
Join Nasser Nasser, Engineering Manager at General Motors, for a look inside GM's ongoing evolution in container engineering and manufacturing systems. With over two decades of experience in packaging and container engineering, Nasser will discuss GM's current work moving toward virtual development and autonomous production, and what this shift means for the broader OEM landscape. Attendees will gain insight into how a major automaker approaches innovation, launch execution, and process transformation at scale.
Nasser Nasser
Engineering Group Manager- Container Planning · General Motors
09:30 AM - 10:00 AM EST
OEM Packaging Needs
Ballroom Main Stage
OEM packaging leaders share real-world challenges and priorities shaping packaging design, material selection, logistics efficiency, production readiness, and sustainability initiatives. Through examples spanning part design, new-model launches, and joint venture manufacturing, this session highlights the evolving needs of vehicle manufacturers and the opportunities for suppliers and packaging partners to support more efficient, flexible, and sustainable next-generation packaging solutions.
Engineering for Efficiency: Optimizing Part Design to Reduce Packaging and Logistics CostsAlex Seger
Automotive part design can have a significant and often underestimated impact on packaging efficiency and logistics costs. Alex will demonstrate how small adjustments to a part’s size or shape can improve container utilization, reduce packaging materials, increase freight density, and prevent downstream cost increases. Attendees will gain practical insights into design-for-packaging principles and the value of early collaboration between part and packaging engineers.

Alex Seger
Packaging Engineering Manager · Nissan North America
Carlos Gutierrez
Packaging Engineering Manager · Volvo Cars US
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM EST
Snacks and Networking Break
Prefunction Area & Exhibitor Hall
Grab a coffee, enjoy some snacks, and connect with fellow attendees in the exhibition area.
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM EST
Table Activities
Main Stage
A fast-paced trivia round blending automotive packaging know-how with fun industry history — from word origins and WWII logistics innovations to Ford's most unexpected sustainability partnerships. Compete individually or by table as questions tie directly into the sessions ahead, including today's Vehicle Forecasting discussion and the Isuzu Greenville announcement. Live leaderboard, quick wit required.
Andrew Hurley
Founder · PackagingSchool.com
Jeremy Galanty
Sr. Manager - Sustainability · General Motors
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM EST
Case Study: Unlocking the Full Value of Returnable Packaging
Ballroom Main Stage
This dynamic presentation demonstrates how a Cradle-to-Cradle approach transforms end-of-program returnable packaging from a costly disposal burden into a valuable sustainable opportunity. Instead of sending years of engineered packaging assets to landfills at the end of an automotive vehicle program, manufacturers can recover, evaluate, modify, and repurpose existing cradles for future vehicle launches.
The session will show how extending the lifespan of returnable packaging through material reuse, retrofits, and engineering modifications can reduce waste, lower investment costs, maximize asset value, and support sustainable manufacturing practices.
Daniel Castaneda
Account Manager · PakFab
Trevor Franken
Manager Packaging – New Model & Operations · Toyota
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST
Vehicle Forecasting
Ballroom Main Stage
Gain insight into vehicle production forecasts and macro trends shaping the automotive industry. This session explores how market dynamics, electrification, and global production shifts influence packaging demand and supply chain planning.
Joseph McCabe
President & CEO · AFS
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM EST
Isuzu’s Next Chapter: Building the Future in Greenville
Ballroom Main Stage
Isuzu North America shares its vision for the future with insights into its expanding operations and new manufacturing initiatives in Greenville, South Carolina. Learn how new vehicle programs and production strategies will impact logistics, packaging, and supplier collaboration.
Russell Ferebee
Director, Regional Operations · Isuzu North American Corporation
12:00 PM - 01:30 PM EST
Lunch and Networking
Prefunction, Exhibitor Hall and Ballroom
Enjoy a catered lunch while exploring the exhibits and continuing conversations with attendees.
01:30 PM - 01:45 PM EST
Table Activities
Ballroom Main Stage
Table Activity: Card Deck ChallengeEvery table gets a one-of-a-kind card deck, designed exclusively for the AutoPack Summit, packed with automotive packaging terms, definitions, and two sponsor spotlights. Race to find the matching card as clues are called out, then put your deck to the ultimate test with a hands-on build challenge. Fast, competitive, and a perfect warm-up for this afternoon!
Andrew Hurley
Founder · PackagingSchool.com
Jeremy Galanty
Sr. Manager - Sustainability · General Motors
01:30 PM - 02:30 PM EST
Breakout Workshop: Probability Based GPS/WiFi/Cell, RFID, and BLE Tracking
Conference Room Redbud
Returnable packaging tracking technology is most often graded by its theoretical capability, without a full analysis of costs and benefits to companies as a whole. Guardian’s presentation will go over the biggest factors to consider when applying new technologies to manage your supply chain. Guardian will show how to evaluate different technologies used for management of packaging from a sustainability, utility, and opportunity-cost perspective.

Discover solutions that provide high returns with minimal impacts on processes, utilize existing infrastructure, only producing necessary data, and employ targeted and sampled tracking methods. Addressing these items, Guardian will provide a framework to analyze how technology can be strategically adopted to provide the information needed to fix supply chain issues.
Lucas Hesskamp
Member · Guardian Container Consulting
Ben Hesskamp
Owner · Guardian Container Consulting
01:45 PM - 02:05 PM EST
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Nissan Aftersales Approach
Ballroom Main Stage
This presentation provides a concise overview of Nissan Aftersales and an introduction to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Attendees will learn about Nissan Aftersales' approach to collecting, validating, and consolidating packaging data to support EPR reporting requirements, including preparations for emerging regulations such as California SB 54. The presentation will also outline proactive packaging initiatives aimed at reducing material usage, improving sustainability, and mitigating future EPR fee impacts.
Nathan Kilcoyne
Packaging Engineer · Nissan North America
02:05 PM - 02:25 PM EST
Ask a Buyer
Ballroom Main Stage
Gain valuable insight into how procurement teams evaluate packaging suppliers, technologies, and solutions. This candid discussion provides guidance on how companies can better align with expectations and build successful partnerships.
Michael Isecke
Senior Buyer · General Motors
02:25 PM - 03:10 PM EST
Pack Pitch Contest
Ballroom Main Stage

Fast-paced, TED-style presentations spotlighting the industry's most innovative packaging and supply chain solutions. Each participating company delivers a 3-minute pitch followed by 1 minute of live Q&A, with attendees voting live to help select the most impactful innovation of the summit.


Panel of Judges:

  • Aravind Varma Chintalapati — Sr. Manager, Returnable Packaging Program Management, Tesla
  • Jody Owens — CEO, C-P-S Automotive LP
  • Ashley Lodono — SWJ,  Senior Packaging Engineer

Terry Craig
Director of Technical Development · ArPlank Direct
Patrick Mahoney
Director Automotive North America · CHEP
Jonathan Brekan
Vice President, Technology · Daubert Cromwell
Matt Bublick
President · Product Movers
Lowell Huffman
Head of Partnerships · rePurpose Global
Dan Casillo
Account Manager · Ventek Solutions
Dana Blair
Technical Sales Manager · NTIC Zerust
03:10 PM - 03:30 PM EST
Snacks and Networking Break
Prefunction Area & Exhibitor Hall
Recharge with refreshments while connecting with exhibitors and fellow attendees.
03:30 PM - 03:45 PM EST
Table Activities
Main Stage
A blind-touch materials challenge — each table gets a set of mystery bags containing real automotive packaging materials. Feel your way through the clues and guess correctly before time runs out... but watch out, not everything in the bag is what it seems. 
Jeremy Galanty
Sr. Manager - Sustainability · General Motors
Andrew Hurley
Founder · PackagingSchool.com
03:45 PM - 04:05 PM EST
Forming the Future of Automotive Packaging
Ballroom Main Stage
A practical overview of forming and molding processes used in automotive packaging production. Learn how these manufacturing techniques influence packaging design, durability, cost, and sustainability.
Nate Franck
VP of Sales · TriEnda
04:05 PM - 04:35 PM EST
OEM Panel
Ballroom Main Stage
Leading OEM packaging experts come together to discuss the current challenges and future opportunities shaping automotive packaging — from automation and sustainability to supply chain resilience and material innovation. This fast-paced 30-minute session pairs candid panel discussion with live audience engagement, giving attendees a direct window into how the industry's top automakers are rethinking packaging strategy in real time.
Panelists will weigh in on where automation is headed over the next two years, how AI is reshaping the designer's workflow, what OEMs really look for when evaluating new suppliers, and how teams are managing the pressures of global sourcing — tariffs, freight, lead times, and everything in between. Expect a candid look at the assumptions packaging suppliers get wrong, the innovations that have made the biggest impact in the last five years, and a forward look at what packaging will need to solve for over the next five to ten.
Audience members will play an active role throughout: a mid-session word cloud will surface real-time audience input on what they want from packaging suppliers, and an open-mic Q&A will close out the session.
Moderator:Bridget Grewal — Director of Packaging, Magna
Nasser Nasser
Engineering Group Manager- Container Planning · General Motors
Bridget Grewal
Director of Packaging · Magna
Todd Chesna
Manager - Packaging Engineering · Ford Motor Company
Kelsey Kester
Section Manager, Packaging Development · BMW
04:35 PM - 05:00 PM EST
Closing and Awards
Ballroom Main Stage
Wrap up the day with closing reflections and the announcement of the Pack Pitch Contest winner, recognizing the most innovative solution presented during the event.
Andrew Hurley
Founder · PackagingSchool.com
05:00 PM - 07:00 PM EST
Cocktail Reception and Hors d'Oeuvres
Prefunction Area
Continue the conversation during our evening cocktail reception featuring drinks and hors d'oeuvres. This relaxed setting offers the perfect opportunity to strengthen connections and build new partnerships across the automotive packaging community.

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