Art of Procurement × LightSource
Catalyst Detroit 2026
An invite-only working session for the executives rebuilding manufacturing procurement: AI on the factory floor, competitiveness, supply chain transformation, and the leadership calls that decide what comes next. LightSource is the presenting sponsor.
September 22, 2026
Book Tower, Detroit
Limited to 100 execs (VP+)
Direct materials focus
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Catalyst Detroit 2026 · September 22 · Book Tower · Presented by LightSource ·
Inside the room
Inside Catalyst
A working session built around the room, not the stage — here is what it feels like, from Art of Procurement.
100
Execs, VP and above
8
Roundtable topics
4
Peers per hot seat
1
Day in Detroit
The format
A working session, not a conference
One hundred executive seats, practitioner facilitators, and formats built so every person in the room does actual work on their actual problems.
Peer-driven
Sessions are led by current and former practitioners, grounded in what is actually happening inside manufacturing procurement teams right now.
Small rooms, real work
Roundtables run peer-to-peer, and mastermind hot seats put four people around one problem with a hand-picked facilitator.
Built for direct materials
The agenda is manufacturing-first — NPI, raw materials, factory spend, and the AI now running through all of it.
Agenda
The day at a glance
8:00 AM
Breakfast and registration at the Book Tower.
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Strategic framing sessions, then practitioner-led roundtables — pick two of eight topics.
1:15 – 4:45 PM
Fireside chats, partner insights, and mastermind hot seats in groups of four.
4:45 – 6:00 PM
Networking reception.
Evening
Close out at Comerica Park — Washington Nationals at Detroit Tigers.
Research & insights
Research & insights
Four framing talks that set the day’s working agenda.
The Next Era of Manufacturing: What Leaders Need to See Coming
Sr. Vice President, Market Development, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
From Digital Ambition to Operating Reality: The Next CPO Agenda
Principal, Deloitte
Where the Clock Stops: Procurement, Speed and the Competitiveness Gap
President, Caresoft Global
Founder, Gravitas Detroit
Who Builds the Judgement? Protecting Human Expertise in Direct Materials as AI Scales
Founder, Proquria
Fireside chats
Fireside chats
What Now? Leadership Choices When AI Accelerates
Former SVP, Global Supply Chain, ADM; Senior Advisor, BCG
VP, Global Procurement, Thermo Fisher Scientific
The Future of Direct Materials Procurement: AI, Resilience, and the New Operating Model
Founder, Sourcing IQ
VP Procurement Americas, Tenneco
Senior Director, Global Category Management, Johnson & Johnson
Roundtables
Expert-facilitated roundtables
Peer-to-peer conversations led by current and former procurement executives. Topics include:
The Future of Strategic Sourcing: Beyond Cost Savings in the AI Era
One Truth, One Team: Reimagining NPI Operating Models for the Age of Agentic AI
How AI Turns Raw Material Procurement into a Revenue Driver
The Future CPO: Building the Next Generation
From Buyers to Bots: Building AI Agents for Factory-Based Spend
Peer-to-peer mastermind
Bring your most pressing challenge to a curated group of four peers, facilitated by hand-picked procurement SMEs — and leave with a peer-tested plan for action.
Presenting sponsor
Presented by LightSource
LightSource is the AI-native operating system for direct materials sourcing, connecting engineering, procurement, and suppliers from first design file through production. With AI built into sourcing — not added around it — teams run 65% faster sourcing cycles and unlock 3–5% savings uplift, live in days, not months.
LightSource helps companies like Amazon, Lucid Motors, Zebra, Shure, and Bridgestone intelligently drive down costs while winning on speed — and is consistently rated the #1 AI solution for direct materials across Gartner, Hackett, and the ProcureTech 100.
The venue
The venue: Book Tower
Catalyst runs at the Book Tower, the restored 1926 landmark in downtown Detroit — a setting closer to a studio than a conference hall, in a city that builds things.
Request your invite.
Catalyst is capped at 100 procurement, direct materials, and supply chain executives, VP and above. Ask Art of Procurement for a seat — and tell us you’re coming so we can save time for you at the table.