Industry events continue to play an important role in bringing together engineers, manufacturers, and technology providers to exchange ideas and explore new solutions. This June, Zuken Innovation World Americas 2026 will take place in Dallas, offering a focused environment for technical learning, collaboration, and direct engagement with experts in electrical design and manufacturing.
Wiring Harness News will be exhibiting at the event, and we’re looking forward to connecting with attendees on-site. Ahead of the show, we spoke with Bob Potock of Zuken to get his perspective on what makes Zuken Innovation World distinct and what participants can expect this year.
WHN: Give me the quick version—what is Zuken Innovation World, and what does it do that a typical industry event doesn’t?
Bob: Zuken Innovation World is a biennial event that brings together the Zuken community for three days of training, technical presentations, product updates, partner engagement, and direct access to Zuken’s technical and management teams. What makes it different from a typical industry event is the level of access. Attendees are not just listening to presentations. They are asking questions, exchanging ideas, and building connections with Zuken experts and peers in a much more direct and practical way.
WHN: Why does Zuken put this on in the first place? What do you get out of it that you can’t get through day-to-day customer interaction?
Bob: Zuken puts on ZIW because there is real value in bringing customers, partners, and Zuken teams together in one place. Day-to-day interactions are important, but they are often focused on specific projects or immediate needs. An event like this creates space for broader conversations, deeper relationship-building, and more candid exchange. In a work environment that is often virtual, there is still no substitute for sitting down face to face. Attendees consistently tell us they appreciate the friendly, professional, and no-pressure atmosphere.
WHN: Who tends to get the most out of attending? If someone from the wire harness world is considering it, what’s in it for them specifically?
Bob: For someone in the wire harness or control panel world, ZIW offers practical value well beyond general networking. The technical sessions cover current best practices, new tools, and important industry shifts, including AI-assisted solutions and the growing role of connected manufacturing. Attendees can also explore complementary technologies in the Partner Technology Showcase and get direct, real-time answers to their own questions at the Expert Bar with Zuken product specialists.
WHN: What are the main themes this year in Dallas? What are people going to hear about?
Bob: This year’s event focuses on electrical design to manufacturing workflows. Manufacturing is becoming a bigger part of the wire harness journey. Manufacturing automation from wire processing to work instructions are driving significant productivity gains on the manufacturing floor. Zuken is working to bridge the gap with its Connected Manufacturing initiative.
WHN: Are there specific sessions or topics that would resonate with harness manufacturers or design engineers?
Bob: Yes, the Connected Manufacturing initiative will resonate with both designers and manufacturers. The ability to create control files in E3.series for specific manufacturing machines is of great interest these days. Our partnerships are paramount to making that happen.
One of our most popular sessions is the Tips & Tricks session where we present those helpful hints to make your design life easier.
WHN: How technical does it get? Is this deep-dive engineering content, big-picture strategy, or a mix?
Bob: The best way to describe the agenda is solution-oriented. Sessions focus on today’s best practices, common challenges, tips and tricks, and new product features to address what we are hearing from our customers. It is a mix of practical technical content and broader discussion, and the open Q&A format gives attendees the chance to dig deeper. Those conversations often continue at the Expert Bar. Ahead of the main agenda, we also offer a full day of update training and E3.series certification courses for existing users, included as part of the conference registration.
WHN: You’re running these events in the U.S. and across Europe—what are the differences you’re seeing between regions?
Bob: Each region puts on their own ZIW event. So it is difficult to answer this question. However, we do see that the makeup of the audience is often different. For example, some of our EU events see a concentration of attendees from the manufacturing sector. This year in Dallas, early registration numbers show attendees from a wide variety of industries, but primarily from manufacturing, aerospace, and defense. It varies from location to location, and even year to year.
WHN: Are the challenges customers bring up in Germany or Switzerland different from what you hear in the U.S.?
Bob: Each region puts on their own ZIW event. So it is difficult to answer this question.
WHN: Do ideas actually carry over between events, or do they stay regional?
Bob: The high level ideas carry over, but the events stay pretty regional because we cater to the interests and challenges of the regional customer and prospect bases.
WHN: What are the real problems your customers are trying to solve right now?
Bob: Products are becoming more complex and that complexity is manifesting in process complexity and integration with the manufacturing floor. Complexity is driving document overload on the design side. On the manufacturing side, we hear many customers talk about the benefits of E3.series creating control files to drive wire processing machines or test machines on the manufacturing floor.
WHN: Where is software actually making a difference in harness design or manufacturing—and where is it still falling short?
Bob: Software is making a real difference by eliminating errors and enforcing design intent. Modern design tools manage complexity, enforce rules, and generate documentation automatically. Recently, a Zuken customer testified that their builds now match engineering intent 100% of the time. (Stay tuned for that success story!) Additionally, a strong, data-rich digital model is the foundation for modern manufacturing, driving automation and validation.
Where software still falls short is end-to-end integration. There is no single tool that does everything, so success depends on connecting design, PLM, and manufacturing. Optimization is another gap. Harness manufacturing will never be fully automated, so the goal is not to replace technicians, but to assist them with better tools than tabular printouts.
WHN: Everyone talks about automation and AI—what’s real today, and what’s still more talk than reality?
Bob: Automation is real, and it is delivering measurable results today. Automated design checks eliminate errors, such as incorrectly sized wires or coverings, before they reach manufacturing. On the shop floor, machines handle wire cutting, stripping, crimping, and labeling with speed and consistency that manual work can’t match.
What remains mostly hype is AI. In hardware, mistakes are not software patches; they’re recalls. Also, true AI in harness design and manufacturing is rightfully limited by access to high-quality, proprietary data sets. Much of what is marketed today as AI is actually rule-based automation or undertrained chatbots.
WHN: What would make this year’s Dallas event a success from your perspective?
Bob: Networking makes this all worth it. The chance to engage with our attendees over several days over coffee, lunch and dinner. We often see attendees from the same industry, but competing companies, sharing experiences during a session, at the Expert Bar, or over a beer. You can learn so much just by listening.
WHN: If someone’s on the fence about attending, what would you tell them—without the marketing pitch?
Bob: If you are interested in what is happening in the wire harness and control panel industries, ZIW is a good opportunity to see what Zuken has to offer and meet with peers, partners, and our own industry experts. It is a no-pressure environment, so attendees can ask questions, explore ideas, and focus on what is most relevant to their business.
WHN: What tends to surprise people the first time they attend?
Bob: Many first-time attendees expect a typical technical conference. What often surprises them is how accessible and enjoyable the overall experience is. ZIW combines strong technical content with real access to Zuken experts, informal networking, and a social element that makes the event feel both productive and genuinely fun.
WHN: Any moment from past events where you thought, “this is why we do this”?
Bob: For me, it is the moments when customers, partners, and first-time attendees are all engaged in real conversation beyond the formal sessions. When people leave with new ideas, useful connections, and a stronger sense of the community around this industry, that is a good reminder of why we do it. ZIW is at its best when it brings people together in a way that is both practical and meaningful.
For more information on the event, go to Zuken.com and navigate to the Events page.
