Tyler Boykin
Speaker at WEST: Tyler Boykin, Vice President, Orases
Speaker at WEST: Tyler Boykin, Vice President, Orases
WEST Session: Most manufacturers begin their AI journey with high expectations, yet research shows that 95 percent of GenAI projects fail to create real business value. A common trap is the shiny object syndrome, where leaders and empowered employees chase trendy tools that look impressive but do little to address core operational challenges. This is why only 5 percent of enterprise-built AI tools ever make it into production. The companies that succeed take a different path. They delve into the business itself, uncovering where AI can make the most significant difference. Predictive maintenance that prevents costly downtime, quality control that reduces waste, and supply chain optimization that improves resilience are just a few areas where measurable impact becomes possible. What often separates success from failure is expertise. Internal teams, no matter how skilled, can be limited by organizational bias, resource gaps, and familiar ways of thinking. That is why internal builds succeed only a third of the time. Third-party AI experts, on the other hand, bring fresh perspectives that identify blind spots, challenge assumptions, and apply proven frameworks that raise the success rate to nearly 70 percent. With the proper guidance, AI stops being an expensive experiment and becomes a powerful, revenue-generating asset. For manufacturers, this shift marks the difference between falling behind and building a sustainable competitive edge.
Speaker at WEST: Padma Raghunathan, Product Marketing Manager, Deltek
WEST Session:
Speaker at WEST: Adelle Murphy, Account Executive, Limble
Speaker at WEST: Brian Ellis, Founder, Docket
WEST Session: Your next efficiency breakthrough isn't hiding in a machine learning algorithm. It's walking around your shop floor right now. While manufacturing obsesses over AI, 85% of operations still depend on human expertise. The CNC programmer who knows exactly when to adjust spindle speeds. The veteran welder who spots perfect joints in seconds. The setup technician whose alignment cuts cycle times. These operators don't just run your processes, they've mastered them. They hold the institutional knowledge that separates good production from great production. But your systems can't see what they know, creating a costly blind spot. Mid-market manufacturers nationwide face the same challenge: valuable knowledge trapped in individual heads instead of being scaled digitally. The result is lost efficiency because operator expertise can’t integrate with core systems. Companies overcoming this aren’t layering more machine learning. They’re building systems that amplify human intelligence. They digitize workflows, connect teams to real-time data, and create interfaces designed around how operators think and work, not the other way around. In this session, Docket will reveal how shop floor digitization platforms close the gap between operator expertise and digital execution. You’ll gain practical insights into smart manufacturing systems that support your frontline, enabling faster setups, higher accuracy, and smoother production. At a time when manufacturers chase the next big overhaul, don’t overlook the team that got you here. The goal isn’t replacing human insight, it’s designing systems that can multiply it.
WEST Session: This session explores how connected manufacturing processes can unify production, inventory, scheduling, and financial data into a single, real-time source of truth. By integrating critical business functions—from sales orders to production planning, quality control, and shipping—manufacturers can break down silos, eliminate redundant processes, and improve responsiveness to market changes. With access to accurate and timely information, decision-makers gain the visibility needed to identify bottlenecks, reduce errors, and optimize resource allocation. Attendees will learn how adopting a connected approach not only increases efficiency and collaboration but also positions manufacturers to adapt quickly to evolving customer demands and market conditions, ensuring long-term competitiveness and growth.
WEST Session: Moderated by: Graham Hargreaves, CAD/CAM Consulting Services “You just have to finesse it...” “...finagle it” “...jockey it around a little.” These are highly technical terms to describe how engineers, programmers, and machinists make the software and machines at hand do something a little avant-garde to make a workpiece as spec’ed. For machine shop owners, pressure is growing to deliver increasingly complex, never-before-seen parts—and so are the challenges. From tight timelines to tighter tolerances, the path from design to finished part is rarely straightforward. But there is a path, and it involves creating a collaborative environment where engineers, programmers and machinists engage in open communication to problem solve on the fly. This panel will address the key challenges manufacturers face today, including: · Handling first-time parts with no proven toolpaths or machining history · Working around software limitations when standard CAM strategies fall short · Bridging the gap between engineering, programming, and machining to avoid costly miscommunication · Maximizing existing machine capabilities without compromising part quality · Collaborating under pressure to solve problems in real time on the shop floor Panelists will share real-world examples and proven strategies for overcoming these obstacles through smarter programming, tighter collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Whether you're running a small job shop or managing a larger operation, this session will offer practical insights to help your team work more efficiently, reduce rework, and stay competitive in a fast-changing manufacturing landscape. This conversation will bring this reality to light and attempt to lift up the entire industry, and encourage everyone to never stop learning, tinkering, and tweaking.
WEST Session: In this presentation, we’ll explore how GibbsCAM empowers modern machine shops to overcome complex manufacturing challenges through advanced, yet intuitive, CAM technology. We’ll walk through real-world part examples that demonstrate how GibbsCAM streamlines programming for Milling, Turning, and Multi-Task Machines. Attendees will learn how to reduce cycle times, improve toolpath quality, and eliminate redundant operations using intelligent automation, toolpath optimization, and post processor customization. We’ll highlight strategies like adaptive roughing, simultaneous machining, and sync management for multi-channel machines—all designed to help manufacturers maximize spindle uptime and shorten setup times. We'll also showcase how GibbsCAM’s associative modeling, geometry creation tools, and integrated simulation reduce scrap and improve confidence before the part hits the machine. This session will provide actionable insights to improve programming workflow. By combining powerful functionality with a user-friendly interface, GibbsCAM gives you the control and flexibility needed to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced manufacturing world. Join us to see how GibbsCAM can help you do more with your machines.